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N
ineteen ninety-seven has been a most meaningful year in my life.
Ministering in Chicago, in New Zealand, Ireland, all over the U.S. and
Canada, and of course, at the Cornerstone Festival brought many new
friends our way as well as encouraging times with old buddies.
Resurrection Band had a twenty-fifth birthday party celebration at the
fest. Wendi and I celebrated our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Our
eldest daughter was married to a wonderful young man we dearly love.
But it was not a year without grief.
Several deaths parted us from loved ones. People we care deeply
about separated from God. Some separated from one another. Mother
Teresa went before our Lord. Princess Diana and others did also.
But in this year I began to get a clearer vision for specific
areas of ministry and found renewed heart to serve and share. Coming
home to JPUSA was a recurring theme for me in a year filled with
travel. There is truly no place like home!
People all over the world are asking more and more questions about
community living. Sometimes asking questions of our own helps us to
answer them. As I taught a group of brothers from a new community
house in the Southwest (not related to JPUSA), these came to mind:
QUESTIONS FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS
1. Why did you enter community? What were you trying to
attain?
Simple enough question.
2. Why did Jesus lead you into the community?
As in . . . could He have had different ideas than you about
this?
3. Why would you stay there?
And we are not necessarily talking about comfort, favorite
foods, the beautiful scenery, great pay, and personal
agendas here.
4. Why would you leave?
See questions 1-3. Or perhaps God truly called you to
something other than where you are at the moment. And that’s
cool . . . if He’s the one doing the calling.
5. What troubles you most about the community, and have you
prayerfully, humbly, but forthrightly discussed this with
God and your leaders?
At this point, a few faces reddened a bit. Good
communication is essential for healthy community. And it
costs either way.
6. What could destroy your community, your relationships in
it?
See questions 1-5 above.
7. If Christ is truly Master as well as Provider and
Teacher of a Christian community, where must you go for
answers to your questions?
There is but one Word of God: the Bible. People seem to
forever look for surrogate Christs. There is but one Lord
and Savior! Neither houses nor brothers nor sisters nor
father, mother, children nor fields are ever going to equal
relationship to Jesus (See Matt. 19:29 NIV). At the same
time, there is this little clause that those who follow Him
leave all these “for my sake,” the “my” referring to Jesus.
How rich can we get by doing this? “A hundred times.” Hmm. What
does “rich” truly mean? I love Him and all these crazy people I get to
serve God with!
And now at a time when so many want to discuss community at the
local church level, or perhaps in another format, where does my mind
go? Of course to the Book of Acts, especially chapters 2 and 4, but
always to Psalm 133 and to my own home.
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It
is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the
Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore” (Ps. 133:1-3 NIV).
First published in Cornerstone (ISSN 0275-2743),
Vol. 26, Issue 113 (1997), p. 65
© 1997 Cornerstone Communications, Inc.
Electronic version may contain
minor changes and corrections from printed version.
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