This week we’ve been exploring the story of Levi meeting Jesus, and having a big party with his former partners in crime, now his friends.  Jesus’s transformative effect brings Levi’s colleagues into a new friendship with Levi first, then that friendship brings his friends into contact with Jesus.

It’s no different today, this is very reason we held an outdoor movie night.  We brought a bunch of people together over a great feast of popcorn.  Our online users met one another, and made some new friends.

This app and web site is meant to be more than a transaction, more than something to watch/listen to.  It’s meant to bring us into community.  It’s meant to be made up of real people, in real community with one another.

Obviously movie nights and apps are large scale.  But it depends on the small scale.  It depends on people like you.  You can be a Levi.

At parties, people mingle and meet, and often discover things in common.

So, have some people over to dinner, see what happens.  It doesn’t have to be fancy. Or maybe have a hockey watching party, a playdate, a block party, whatever your scene is.

Through that kind of party, I hope you and some people you know and work with, or have helped, will become friends, and friends can talk about what really matters.  When followers of Jesus are present in the room and real deep things of life come up, I think that’s when Jesus enters the conversation, just like at Levi’s table.

When he throws a great feast, his partners in crime learn the money grubbing tax collector actually isn’t driven by money anymore, but now he’s driven by love for Jesus, which makes him love them.  Imagine the transformative effect on their lives.  More than that, they just met a Jewish rabbi who will actually eat and drink with them, get to know them, love them, despite the risks, rather than standing outside and shaking his head.

So, go and show your neighbours the same!  Learn their names, stories, needs, and then become friends.

Challenge: Plan a party, big or small!  Please tell me the story, I’d love to hear how it goes.

Ryan Sim - November 21, 2013

Thursday - Act On It - Grace - in Lifestyle

Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, I introduced the idea of grace with a diagram. We will build on that now, so if you missed it, go back and watch Tuesday and Wednesday’s content. You may be familiar with the Ten Commandments. They are an important part of the tracks that God has created for our lives, the guidelines that keep us from self-destructing. Where did they come from? They are over 3400 years old. God led the Israelites out of danger and slavery, then gave the laws by which this newly freed people were to organize their life together. Of all these laws, the Ten Commandments come first and take most important place. In a few minutes, please watch the attached video to hear the commandments in detail. But first we need to know purpose first, to understand the commandments in their proper place…lest you come away from this thinking that Christianity is all about following a bunch of rules. A common misconception is to make “Obey God’s laws” #1 as if it could qualify you for a life of knowing God. Sometimes Christians communicate the rules like they are number one, having forgotten how they came to know the God who helps them keep those commandments. Knowing God qualifies you to try and follow these commandments…God is working in and through his followers to help transform their lives from the inside out. This was certainly true for Israelites. God, in his love for the Israelites, saved them from slavery in Egypt by parting the red sea. Only once they were safely on the other side of the sea from the Egyptians did he give them the commandments, and call them to live by those commandments in thanks for the gift he’d given them. The 10 commandments answer the question: “How can I live to thank the God who has loved me so much?” Not how can I behave to earn God’s love, or avoid his hate. Not how can I get others to live by my rules? Take a quick run through these commandments. The Commandments deal with two things: Relationship with God Relationship with One Another. The last commandment is unique, since it talks about contentment. This one may seem a bit different from the others, and it is. The others focus on our outward actions, what to do and not do, while this one focuses on our hearts, what to want and desire, and what not to. God is in the transformation business. He not only wanted to see the Israelites as a transformed society, but also to see the minds of all his created human beings transformed in this way. The Bible contains many other guidelines, principles and laws. We don’t have time to go through them all here. Life is complex, and there is not a specific rule for everything. But these principles, the 10 commandments, or even just the 2 commandments to love god and neighbour, or the principle of grace behind them all, can apply to any area of life. I am happy to help you interpret and apply if you have a specific question. Watch the 10 Commandments in the extra video. Challenge: Show grace to someone today. Give them a gift they don’t deserve. Reminder: Last week we talked about worship, and asked you to complete our online survey about worship here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8TS7K93 Reminder: Earlier in this series, we saw the importance of reading the Bible together in sync, so our new daily bible readings start today in our mobile app and web site.

Related Topics: Grace, Law, Lifestyle, Ten Commandments | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

From Series: "Becoming Like Family"

This series looks at becoming “like family” with others learning to follow Jesus. We're exploring how the church is not a building, institution or event, but a community of people. It's important that explore what church means as we prepare to launch a new church in Ajax in 2014.

Discuss

More Messages From Ryan Sim...

Powered by Series Engine