Love One Another - How to Develop Authentic Relationships, Part 2

Are you tired of all the façades all the superficiality plastic Christianity you wish you could sit down across the table from a real life Christian and really get connected from the heart really give love and get love you just don't will stay with us.

Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge Chip Ingram, Living on the Edges of international discipleship ministry during the Bible teaching.

I'm in Warren chip series called love one another as we get started. I wonder if you know anyone and say you know what I'm really looking for our authentic relationships program to helps us get a handle on what it takes to stand the test of time. So let's join them for part two of this message to develop relationships from Romans chapter 12 wireless problems, churches, people sit on the bench. A person understands people have unconsciously a consumer mentality, feed me you don't have this.

My children all you've changed hours all this is happening with the coffee. It would be nice. We had nametags. It would really be wonderful if we could get was a little too hot that last weekend in that one song was a little too loud, but the next week was little too soft, you know been there in churches all the time. You know why I was coaching talk. They don't got on purpose. Third, the church is a supernatural not only because it has a supernatural origin, not just because it has a supernatural agenda. But third, it has a supernatural power to see that in verse eight. Wait for the gift and then you will receive power power. If you are a believer you know what you know who lives inside of you, Holy Spirit you want. Romans eight tells us the same power that raised Christ literally from the dead dwells in you dwells in me the power to overcome sin's power in your life. The power to love people. You don't even like the power to reach out when you're tired the power to align priorities in a way that seems so difficult the power to trust him through difficult times.

The power to endure when you feel like giving up the power to be bold and courageous, and identify with Christ when you know everyone in the offices and look down on you afterwards. You know what the human equivalent is gangs you going to prison with the likelihood of you being in a gang is high, high and higher. You know why. If you into prison in this day and you're not getting you may be dead soon. Why because you're one frail person who's vulnerable. So what I do, you join a gang. Once again, do during the bloodier and the Crips are here in the Aryan brotherhood here in the a black Muslim group or Eminem there all, gangs and prisons and you either join one of them, or you're upon C community offers bonding through teams community brings about loyalty through the concept of having power on a lighter note, a lot of your members of Costco orange gang we call Costco gang, what, why, why do that one. She is going by someplace else because there is power in buying all and there's is there and there's power in membership.

The human institutions that provide community are precious to us. There's probably nothing more important than your family some sense of team and some sense of club somewhere. Those are the human institutions where you are giving and receiving. Where there's been power where there's loyalty when there's commitment.

Here's what I want you here, it's just human.

You if you're a believer are a member of a super natural community with a super natural origin with a super natural agenda, and you possess supernatural power. If you get back from your head to your heart you'll never think about Christians the same way ever again, ever, ever, ever were in the same family with the same agenda, same.

You are members.

Notice the passages and say you ought to be. You are members of one another. You belong now here's final thought. That's the doctrine that's the truth, but we would all admit right. We would all admit that we are not experiencing supernatural community in our relationship. Like most of us would like help were tasting it. I pray in the closer you are that core, the deeper you're probably experiencing but I want to give you now from Romans chapter 3 verses 3 to 5. I wanted I want you to know what makes it authentic. How do you get in the body of Christ. So you experience community is not just human community.

I mean is one thing is we came back in the ninth-inning are softball team and we all went out afterwards and will integrate to be a part of the group that has some merit.

Not a lot.

Three things you need verse you can experience authentic community.

How when we possess an accurate view of ourselves begins with you begins with me. Romans 12 three says this for by the grace given to me. The apostle Paul writes inspired by the Holy Spirit, I say to error every one of you do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but rather think of yourself with a sober or sound judgment. The word literally means don't think of your say yourself insanely off balance irrationally, but think of yourself literally accurately is the idea in accordance with the measure of faith that God has given you in a word, if you want to experience this kind of community that supernatural. It begins with humility. Humility is not thinking highly of yourself. Humility is not thinking globally of yourself.

Humility is an accurate view of yourself.

It's a genuine recognition of these are my strengths is my gifts. This is what I bring to the table. This is my background is my personality. This is who I am, strengths, and a genuine recognition and these are my limitations.

See is not genuinely humble to be in a group and Bill see clearly what the group needs know that you're the best at whatever the group needs to put your hands in your pockets.

Gosh I might be willing from not really not really good at it. I try you what that is. It's arrogance is false humility.

You know you're the best and you say you know something I don't know how this work exactly got some background and experience I like to serve the group by taking this on. And humility is and these are my limitations. I can't do that. I'm not good at that.

In fact, recognizing your limitations means that you are willing to be vulnerable by the way, that's were row community starts see arrogance, pride is projecting image that we've got together those little polygraphs that I call him where we project what we think other people will like and if they like it was a great except down deep. It doesn't help does it because it really touch us or if they don't like it was able great that's not who I really so you never get deeply affirmed. Don't get deeply rejected, but you'll get deeply anything seen genuine community starts with being open and vulnerable and saying what this is my bring to the table. I got pluses and minuses just like everyone else. I'm insecure just like everyone else.

I have some baggage just like everyone else I do some things really well.

Just like everyone else and when you can be open and vulnerable.

Then you allow people into your life to know the real you. And when people affirm the real you. What happens connection.

We call it getting loved and when you reach inside and affirmed the real person.

Boy oh boy they get when the last time you really let someone inside your life. You want community. That's what it takes.

Secondly, we authentic community happens when we nurture a healthy appreciation of others. Verse four and five just as each of us has one body with many members with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body you want a great little study. Draw one line under all the words that have the concept of plurality and draw two lines under every word that has the idea of unity or singular and what you see is stereo.

Many want many one multiple singular see God has made us in a word keyword to be in her dependent see you have pluses but your pluses are different than other people's pluses there pluses plug into your minuses is is like a jigsaw puzzle that God is created in the body of Christ, the supernatural community.

You don't have to be everything I knew everything and you can do everything you apologize for the think you are and then functioning your giftedness function where the youth by way what we do the normal way.

Notice that says we nurture healthy appreciation. What we do. Apart from the spirit we compare we will can we look another person we compare intelligence, we compare wait to compare cars. We compare address.

We compare kids. We compare how good they are versus how bad we are right.

Compare compare compare compare where did they get that… That you what comparison does it just produces current how many just produces carnality. Just then we put up images to try and look like were better than we really are is so that when they compare themselves with us. In all these games games games games love when you play games you need to be anybody else you need me you know you need to appreciate what other people bring to the table and invite them into your life and step into their life and nurture Sony do you give thanks you have to be everything because you're not an interim on about you. I like this one takes the pressure off, but you need to figure out how got more jobseeking function. Number three authentic community begins where accurate view of yourself to appreciation nurturing appreciation for others what they bring to the table and three it's when we practice a loyal allegiance to one another and each member belongs to all the others belongs not should not a lot this.

This is not a this is not a work harder. Pull up your bootstraps. You start being a better Christian.

This is you belong with all the needs and this is the tip of the iceberg to rejoice with those who rejoice, and to weep with those who weep you belong, and weep along in years. We belong to you in a word you know what this boils down to loyal allegiance commitment commitment. We had a lady who was was homeless. Homeless in a wheelchair in a difficult situation very difficult. You happen as a people see this as loyalty is one thing to be loyal to people you know people you like PP had relationship with it's different to be loyal to someone you say I don't know what I know she's in the body of Christ. So they open their home and she lived with them was in the midst of a horrendous situation and little by little by little by little, God restored her marriage.

God restored her child to her in a family just open their home for too much and what I call that super natural community.

What God calls that his love. You see where it all happens in God's body, the church, let me ask you three quick application questions before we do little pondering and put simply, let me put it to you this way. This is not about this whole message is not about where you get with it okay if you hearing, get with it you miss this whole message is about the Lord Jesus thing I like for you, I died for you and I knew you had needs and when I walked on the earth and I saw your needs. I reached out with my hands to touch the leper and I and I put the salve in the eyes and the blind man and I saw had compassion for the woman and I raised her daughter from the dead. And when people were hungry, you know, bring you what you have and I fed him all he said that the acts of the apostles. A better name is it's the acts of the resurrected Christ through his body. Us what he saying is your part of the supernatural community if you understand your origin, your agenda and the power that you have.

If you're willing to be humble. If you're willing to be interdependent and you're willing to commit to one another out of his power when he saying is this is how you get loved when I'm in heaven. This is how it works. You are my body.

You belong to one another and so let me give you three application questions so you can feast upon what you already possess the first one application is a no individual Christian can function effectively by himself or herself. So let me ask you, are you Lone Ranger out there to feel isolated Hoosier spiritual family. If I send name the top three or four people that you could call at any time there a quality Christian person know she loves you and cares about your life. If you have someone than you not partaking the supernatural community and if you're here and you don't know Christ as your Savior. You're not part of the supernatural community but God would say to you it's open for all were preaching the kingdom. The kingdom is people rightly related to God rightly related to God together reaching out to you today. Don't leave here today ask Jesus to be your Savior. Ask him to forgive you of your sin. Admit you have need, and you know what of God speaking to you right now.

Just forget what I'm saying in and keep your eyes open or shut up right where you said seated right now.

Just pray you'll hear you keno say Lord Jesus come in all God forgive me.

I had no idea.

I long for community.

I long for forgiveness. I'm sinful and I have violated a holy God and you have and I have the only difference between believers and unbelievers. He's paid the price for all. Some have received the gift.

Some have not. Which side of that are you second application.

No member of the supernatural community is more or less important than anyone else.

Your party, you need to learn how to functioning you say, but I do know where I fit no one's more or less important will have a different part which I think after part. Finally, we must get connected in real life, relationships for experience the reality that we are members of one another, figure out a way to join in ministry do something so we can get connected with you and you with us so you get what's the missing link. Why are more people getting lots real simple you all these needs. You got all these willing people, we need to grass membership in the supernatural community and discover how we should and when you will never be right back with this application. Just a quick reminder this message develop relationships is from his series love one another. It was easy to lose sight of the bubble related, it becomes clear that when Jesus challenges us through Scripture and the status quo's disturbed a little but what if we overcame the fear that rises made the decision to love one another like Jesus loves us what would happen within our homes or families and/or neighborhoods.

If we took his commitment seriously and really do love one another like that in this series chip explores the powerful possibilities of lives lived according to Jesus radical one another's to take a look at the resource options for love one another, including chips, message notes, check it out online at http://livingontheedge.org or tap special offers on the app. For more information just give us a call a triple late. 333-6003 will chip you ended the teaching with some pretty strong encouragement for us to press into this commandment to love one another. Right now your it's a pretty great encouragement of another sort. I want to take just a few minutes to talk about something really important and I hope especially for those of you that are regular listeners you will agree God is been using the ministry of Living on the Edge in incredible ways we been crowing in reaching folks like never before and you're an important part of that. Your gifts to Living on the Edge make it possible for us to be present in places that without you. We simply couldn't be many of these places are extremely dangerous to proclaim the name of Christ in your gifts make it possible for us to reach people in desperate situations, you know right here in the United States. I can't tell you how many emails and letters I received it somewhere in that letter or email.

It's like I was on my way to the abortion clinic or I was planning to end my life, for I was about to give up on my married your I was giving up on God because of something terrible that happened to me but then I started listening to my drive to work or my neighbor gave me this book or I found your happen you know this series on overcoming emotions or whatever it was God's catalyst to begin a total transformation my life.

These things aren't happening because of Chip Ingram or even Living on the Edge there happening because God is working in and through those who by faith respond and obey him. You know we can't do anything alone. That's because it's not God's plan for any of us.

We are in this together and Living on the Edge as God's ministry is about you and me doing exactly what God calls us to do and so I would ask you first. Would you really pray for the ministry.

And second, would you pray specifically about partnering at a deeper level and partnering with us financially. Do whatever God leads you to do and let me say in advance.

Let's keep pressing ahead and thank you very much as you prayerfully consider your role in partnering with Living on the Edge.

I will remind you that the gift of any amount is significant because multiplied efforts have greater impact to send the gift just call us a triple late. 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003 Donate on the app or donate online at http://livingontheedge.org that's LivingontheEdge.org on behalf of Chip and everyone here. Thanks for your support will know your strip with his application. As we close today's program I want to remind you of something we been talking about it for the last two broadcast I want to remind you that you are a member of the supernatural community and God has a supernatural agenda for you. God wants to use you and me radically to change this world and is given a supernatural power as we interdependently live together we can make a huge difference. But how does it play out how we get to experience more of. Well, let me walk through the three key things that you need and I need to experience supernatural community in your life.

First, humility. No individual can function effectively by himself or herself. Question, are you willing to let other people serve you. You heard in today's message that you need to serve and to reach out but she will never get connected unless you're willing to open up your life unless you're willing to let someone in and let them help you.

Would you be so bold to go to a brother or sister in Christ today. Maybe even make a phone call and say I need help. Would you pray for me about this. Could you lend me a hand. You know what will happen. Someone will feel loved and needed and someone will get loved that person is you. Second, interdependence. No member of the supernatural community is more or less important than anyone else. We need you. Everyone need you and you need them. There is no rank. The visible gifts are more important than the ones that are behind the scenes. We know this. In theory, but it's true. We need you and you need us.

If you're on the team. Let me ask you, are you pulling your weight third is commitment.

We must get connected in real-life relationships. If were to experience the reality of being members of one another. I challenge you, for Christ sake, for the body of Christ sake and for your sake get connected to four or five other people at a deep level.

Open your life. Open your heart, get into the Bible sit in each other's living rooms are in a restaurant. Whatever it takes get connected from the heart you will begin to experience what God saved you to experience the life of Christ, manifested in you and then through you go for just before we close. Would you pray for those who are feeling challenged to respond to trips encouragement right now. There's always a spiritual battle when we feel prompted step out in faith. Thanks for taking a minute to do that there's a way we can pray for you. Would you let us know. Give us a call a triple late. 333-6003 or email chip@livingontheedge.org.

We'd love to hear from you until next time for everyone here. This is the same. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge