DNA of PMC: Cultivating Faith Together

DNA: A Growing & Reproducing Faith
Central Idea: We grow in faith as it TAKES ROOT in all our person, if we are to Know God, Cultivate True Friendship, and Fulfill our destiny.
1. We exist to worship God by enjoying Him.
2. We live by Cultivating Faith.
a. Within ourselves
b. Within one another

Parable of the Pharisee and the tax-gatherer…
Luke 18:9–14 NASB
“And He also told this parable to certain ones who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:
“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. “The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, ‘God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer.
‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’
“But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’
“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted.””

THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF FAITH…

A. Faith begins with the insight that we are broken and no amount of reform can re-form us.
1. Faith builds on our awareness of need, not on our competence.
[Pharisee and tax collector narrative: what ought to happen]
i. Faith in myself vs faith in Jesus.
1. Faith in myself: if I do these things, I’ll be a better person; God will owe me.
2. Faith in Jesus: Jesus has done for me all that God requires of me.
ii. What should have happened.
1. Pharisee didn’t realize his need for mercy;
2. The tax thief DID recognize his need for mercy.
iii. Difference between the religious lifestyle and a Gospel-centred lifestyle.
1. If we are Gospel-centred: hunger for more of Jesus will lead us to employ whatever means we can: SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES.
a. Prayer; Bible-absorption;
b. Fellowship; Rest; Fasting
Indicators that we are practicing religion.
Deep sense of duty & despair.
Growing frustration with the people around me.
Deepening conviction that God has let me down.
Indicators that we are centering our life in the Gospel…
Spiritual disciplines running rampant among us.
Infectious prayer life.
Insatiable hunger for the Word of God.
Transparent fellowship.
Contagious joy and delight in being together; true community.
Deepening awareness of each one’s spiritual gifts, passions, and commitments to serve.
Development of servant-leaders; “it’s about US!”
Joyfull readiness to give “the reason for the hope within”

2. God delights in that awareness, and responds with grace.

THIS IS THE EXPANSION OF FAITH…

B. As faith extends to every portion of a person, God’s transforming power is fully released in that person.
• mind: my intellect is INFORMED by the written Word and fascinated by the Living Word, Jesus.
• emotion: my heart is INFLAMED with passion for an intimate connection with Jesus.
• volition: my will is ENGAGED with the Father’s will, ready to fully obey Him.

APPLICATIONS:
1. Problem: we long for community and talk about community, but we are so afraid of being controlled, so radically individualistic, we actually AVOID the sort of environment that nurtures community.
This is the setting to engage the Gospel of Grace. If you don’t embrace that Gospel of Grace, you will base your identity on your own achievements, the status of your own family, etc. Once you do embrace the Gospel of Grace, your own identity will be gradually transformed as you look to the life and work of Jesus for that identity.
An idol is any good thing that is turned into the Ultimate Thing. Thus, our strong sense of individual identity is good—we are created with the capacity to respond personally to God’s grace.
WHAT would my world become IF faith invaded all of me?
What would OUR world become IF faith took hold in all of us?
What would we SEE, TASTE, HEAR and TOUCH?
• Reliance on grace, not religious duty or obedience for our acceptance with God, ourselves, and each other.
• People engaging God through a variety of spiritual disciplines.
• The gospel as the central reason for all our ministries
• People equipped and active in sharing the gospel – not just ‘being nice’ – as a normal part of life.
• An increasing appetite to know and live by God’s Word
• Ongoing repentance for evil deeds and good deeds done for the wrong reasons.
• Contagious joy and delight in being together; true community.
• Growth in Christian maturity, not just numerical growth, as the measurement of a ministry’s effectiveness.
• A trust that perseveres through trials and pain

• Deepening awareness of each one’s spiritual gifts, passions, and commitments to serve.
• Disciples who are making disciples
• Training influencers for the congregation and the world.
Years ago, after a celebrated international career on the stage, the world-famous violinist Jascha Heifetz became a professor of music at UCLA. When someone asked him why he had left the glamour of performing to become a teacher, Heifetz answered, "Violin-playing is a perishable art. It must be passed on; otherwise it is lost." Then he went on to say, "I remember my old violin professor in Russia. He said that (if I worked hard enough) someday I would be good enough to teach."
--From a speech by William Graves, editor of National Geographic magazine, Speaker's Idea File


2. Solution: Our church family exists for the cultivation of deeper faith in Jesus. Therefore, as a Community of Grace, rooted in the Gospel, we will:
• Never stop repenting – for evil deeds and for good deeds done for the wrong reasons.
• Surrender all our ambitions, hopes, and plans to the One whose willis good, pleasing, and perfect.
• Allow God’s Spirit to transform us by His Word, prayer, and other spiritual disciplines, being teachable, humble, and open to His correction.
• Know, develop, and use our unique gifts for the health of the Body of Christ.
• Trust God, even when pain and difficulty cause us to doubt that He is working all things together for our good.


Next week:
3. We long to Restore the world. Good Samaritan: healing the broken