Know Your Family History

I’ve gained a great appreciation for the value of large extended families here in the South. It seems like everyone is “kin” in our community. Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts, Cousins, all have a special and important role in the family. When a new life comes into the world, raising that child is the responsibility of the whole “village,” not just Moms and Dads. And everyone seems to be aware of their family connection, no matter how distant or obscure. Beyond that, key members of the neighborhood or the community become “Uncles” and “Aunts” as members of an even larger “kinship network.” (I enjoy being an all-purpose “Granddad” to some of our children.)

We are also members of a huge, wonderful church family. To bear good fruit it is vitally important for us to see ourselves as members of the NCC family. We want to know our family history and see where we fit in our family tree. But NCC is not the whole Church Family. As Jesus followers we are each of us members of a much larger story.

New Community Church is a single congregation in the larger “church of LaGrange.” The New Testament church connected every local church with the city God had planted it in:

·         To all in Rome who are loved by God (Romans 1:7).

·         To the church of God in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:2).

·         To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi (Philippians 1:1).

·         To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse (Colossians 1:2).

·         To the church of the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 1:1).

The Body of Christ in LaGrange has a single, united Kingdom mission to represent Jesus in every area of life, and NCC gets to participate in that mission.

But even more, New Community Church is a part of the worldwide Body of Christ. There is a big, beautiful church out there, from the ancient Eastern and Roman churches to the Reformation/Protestant churches to the more recent Evangelical churches. Each one of them has a unique story; every one of them loves Jesus and is committed to the Gospel and God’s rule on the earth (as it is in heaven). When we view the various Christian “tribes” as in competition with each other, we tend to focus on our differences. When we see each one as a unique New Covenant instrument of God’s Kingdom, we see that underneath it all, we are one.

But no matter which congregation we are a member of, no matter which city God has placed us in, no matter what “tribe” we identify with, we all have the same founding story. The founding story for NCC is not in 1992 but rather is in the book of Acts. We clearly see ourselves as a continuation of that story with a commitment to being faithful to the lessons of that story in our time and place.

The stage was set for the story of the book of Acts in the life and ministry of Jesus. He clearly proclaimed the “gospel of the Kingdom” and demonstrated the nature of it with signs and wonders. His contemporaries were disappointed with him at best and radically disagreed with him at worst. But that didn’t keep Jesus from pouring himself into 12 men and preparing them for the day when he would begin building his church.

Specifically, the “commission” of Jesus to his disciples set the stage for what was to come:

·         Go and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). Matthew records the “big picture” of the commission, including instructions to disciple “all nations.” The church was to be a change agent in the world as new believers were taught to “obey everything I have commanded you.”

·         Go into all the world and preach (Mark 16:15-18). In Mark we are told to preach the gospel “to all creation.” The church is to be a universal expression of God’s Kingdom on the earth, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus to everyone and everything.

·         As the Father has sent me, I am sending you (John 20:21-23). Jesus came on a specific mission and carried that mission out in a specific way. He commissioned his followers to continue in that same mission and in that same way. That’s why he said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

·         You are my witnesses of these things (Luke 24:45-53). The commission as recorded by Luke began with the need for the disciples to “understand the Scriptures” so they could accurately teach along with the need to preach “in his name to all nations.” Jesus then concluded with these words: “Stay in the city until you until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Jesus was giving his disciples a supernatural commission that would require them to receive supernatural graces, and they were not to attempt to fulfill any part of the commission until they had been “clothed with power.”

The response of the disciples to these last words of Jesus laid the groundwork for the book of Acts. During the next nine weeks we are going to be unpacking the dynamic themes of this book, rightly referred to as “the Acts of the Holy Spirit.” Beginning with this Life Guide we will include a reading guide for a portion of Acts in the daily devotional. We will also include a study guide for families and small groups, along with recommended resources for further study. Our hope is that as we gain a greater knowledge of our family history, we will be able to see ourselves more accurately as those who are carrying on the story in our time and place.