So we’re
continuing on with the series Superheroes in Christ. Today’s title is Chi-Rho Men. I think it’s important for us to explain
where this title comes from. What do we
mean by saying Chi-Rho?
I was
pondering how best to go about explaining this, and then unexpectedly I had
some help from a source I would never have thought to consult: our two year old son Elijah.
Back at the
beginning of February, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, the boys and I went up to
Tallulah Gorge over in Georgia. We had
never been there, and it was a real treat. There’s an
interpretive center (which means a gift shop, a small museum and some nature
displays). There are a variety of
stuffed animals: bears, birds, beavers,
deer, and so on.
Fast forward
to last weekend, we were going down to Atlanta to meet Melissa’s parents. It was another pretty day, and Melissa was
going with us. She wasn’t able to go to
Tallulah Gorge the previous trip so, we decided to go again. As we were on the way, Elijah mentioned to me
more than once, “Go see animals?” Each
time I answered, “Yes, we’re going to see the animals,” remembering the
display.
When we got
there, we were going into the interpretive center, and Elijah again mentioned
go see the animals and then he added, “Go see the Odie.” Well, if you don’t know, we have a small
dog. His name is Odie. Here’s a picture of Odie:
He already
had the name Odie before we got him, so I cannot take the blame or credit for
giving him that name. However, after
knowing Odie for 6 years or so, I can confirm that he was not misnamed.
As we
approached the building, Elijah asked again, “Going to see the Odie?” I knew he was talking about our dog, but I
was completely at a loss as to what we were going to see that was “the Odie.”
We went in,
and started around toward where the animals were, and Elijah declared, “There
the Odie.” I even had to say it out loud
before I realized what Elijah had been thinking. I corrected him saying, “No that’s a coyote.”
Here is a picture of the coyote.
There was no way that I could explain this to Elijah. I guess I’ll have to wait until after he can
read. To Elijah, that’s not a coyote
c-o-y-o-t-e. It’s a Chi-Odie, or an
X-Odie.
So, in
Elijah’s mind, the Chi is something that makes you different. A bigger, stronger dog is a chi-odie.
Chi-Rho when
written in Greek capital letters looks like XP-men. So, the chi or X is also a take-off on the
superhero team of the X-men. In the
early sixties, after the success of Spider-Man and the Hulk and Iron Man and
the Fantastic Four, the comic writers wanted to create another group of
superheroes but they felt it was tough to come up with a believable origin
story, how the superheroes got their powers.
When interviewed in the nineties, one of the co-creators of the X-men
said “I couldn't have everybody bitten by a radioactive spider or exposed to …
gamma [radiation]. And I took the cowardly way out. I said to myself, ‘Why
don't I just say … they were born that way’.”
And so, that
brings us to our true meaning. The X or
chi does mean something “extra” as it were.
The something extra is Jesus Christ.
We belong to Him. We are His men
and women. That’s where the Chi-Rho come
in. And so, as the X-men were “born that
way,” we have been born again “this” way, not only servants, but brothers and
sisters together with Jesus.
Before we
explore this further, let’s take a minute and pray.
Lord Jesus,
you have made us into the family of God.
That is amazing and wonderful.
Please help us to see how to love and support one another. Speak to us through the remainder of our time
together what you would have us to do.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Let’s look
through some different aspects of being a family, a team. Obviously, we should talk about
teamwork. There’s also something crucial
going on with us corporately. The New
Testament talks frequently about the body of Christ, so we need to take a look
into that. Then, we should talk some
about what happens with something goes wrong.
What about loneliness? We’ll wrap
up with some exhortation to stay alert and remain effective.
You know
this verse:
Two are better than one, because they have a
good return for their labor: If either
of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and
has no one to help them up. Also, if two
lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though
one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is
not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
The Bible is
undoubtedly a supernatural book. It is
also a practical book. Teamwork and
cooperation is important. Why is it
important? Life is going to be easier
and there will be support and help when it’s needed. In fact, if we are together, but working
independently we can fail to be effective.
How many
have seen the movie Big Hero 6? I want to
show a couple of clips from the movie.
For those who have not seen it but want to, I hope it will not be too
much of a reveal. The first clip is a
good visual of what happens when people call themselves a team, but don’t
actually work together. I think you can
follow it without too much introduction.
The good guys are the ones dressed in bright colors. The bad guy is dressed in … black. Let’s watch.
During the clip, the team of good guys face
the evil villain. One character asks
repeatedly, “What’s the plan?” Each tries to use his/her superpowers against
him. However, they are doing all of this individually, and each one fails and
falls to the villain’s counter-attack. The
character keeps saying “No really, what’s the plan?” and finally the response
is “Get the mask.” Still no organized
teamwork, but at least a plan is in place, and the remaining good guys attempt
to get the villain’s mask…and continue to fail.
What did you
see? What happened? Pretty disastrous? There was the one guy that seemed to get it
right? He kept yelling, “What is the
plan?”
What about
you? Any experiences where you had a
team situation that was sub-optimal?
I remember
playing league soccer one time, and getting called to be the goalie which I had
never done before. It wasn’t like a
championship or anything, but still I can remember being so nervous that I was
about to go crazy. It’s not my favorite
memory. One of our defenders scored a
goal on me, and then I did get a crucial block on another play. The only problem with that was, it was with
my face.
So, how do
we get teamwork without disaster or maybe a better way to say it is without
ineffectiveness?
Do you
remember the kids game “Follow the Leader?”
There are several passages that talk about following the example of
another.
“Follow my example, as I follow the example
of Christ.” --I Corinthians 11:1
“Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly
loved children”--Ephesians 5:1
“For you yourselves know how you ought to
follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you”--II Thessalonians
3:7
“To this you were called, because Christ
suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”
--I Peter 2:21
So, we get
on the same page by following the same example.
A.W. Tozer said it this way, “Has it ever occurred to you that one
hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each
other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another
standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers
met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each
other than they could possibly be were they to become "unity"
conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.
Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified. The body
becomes stronger as its members become healthier.” --The Pursuit of God p.97
Did you read
the Faithwalkers devotional this week?
There was a good one where one phrase jumped out and just whacked me in
the face. The author was talking about a
particular friend who was really filled up with themselves. Then, he wrote this:
“We're all
full of something.”
“Sometimes
it's something good. … Sometimes it's something bad. … What does it mean to be
[full of something?] It means it's the dominant, controlling quality of our
lives.” Brad Barrett, Faithwalkers, “Full of What?” Wednesday
March 11, 2015
We get to
choose what we’re filled with. We can
choose to allow the Holy Spirit in to fill us, or we can choose to fill
ourselves with well … ourselves, our wants, our needs, our hurts, our
preferences. Carl shared with us during
the Power Source message that our actual superpower is love. Paul draws this out in how we respond to one
another.
“You know we never … put on a mask to cover
up greed … we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to
share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” --I
Thessalonians 2:5, 8
They shared
the gospel. That is critical and good,
but they went farther. They demonstrated
their love by sharing their lives as well.
(Part of that sharing of their lives was working so that they would not
be a burden to the people of Thessolonica.)
What do we do? How do we follow
Paul’s example?
There is
another aspect to teamwork … this being committed to one another and to working
together. Our teamwork … our unity is
our testimony.
Jesus said
this during his final prayer with the disciples …
“I have given them the glory that you gave
me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may
be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and
have loved them even as you have loved me.” -- John 17:22-23
We set the
example of unity for the world to see.
We “prove” Jesus is the Son of God through our love for one
another. (John 13:35)
This
exhortation continues in Ephesians chapter 4 …
“Make every effort to keep the unity of the
Spirit through the bond of peace.” --Ephesians 4:3
Do we really
make every effort to keep unity? I won’t
rat out Joseph and Sam too much, but I’ll just say that we had a little
conflict yesterday morning. It was
difficult to have a conversation about it.
Just to get to the point of being “disarmed” before one another was
hard. You know what I’m talking
about? When you’re angry and you’re hurt
and you’re feeling especially justified in your anger and feelings of hurt,
it’s hard to step back and just think much less demonstrate unity. But, that is what we’re called to. Maybe that’s an application point for
us. Next time you’re at the breaking
point, think about this verse. Am I
making every effort? We don’t get the
right to point a finger and say I’m not making every effort if he’s not. We’re exhorted to make that effort as
individuals.
But, we’re
not at this all alone …
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the
prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for
works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach
unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature,
attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed
back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching
and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” --Ephesians
4:11-14
We have to
grow into how to handle ourselves in these situations. But fortunately for us, God has put people in
our path that can help us. I can hear
some of you thinking or saying to yourself, “Seriously, God hasn’t given me
what I need.” I want to table that until
later. Suffice it to say, the verse says
“Christ Himself gave.” Do we have faith
that He’s given what we need? Then, what
is the purpose of these workers that Christ gave? “To equip us for works of service.” We get built up and reach unity as we
serve. We become mature and attain to
the whole measure of the fullness of Christ as … we serve. We are protected from being tossed and blown
around and deceived as we … serve.
Who are you
serving?
Our position
though as Christ’s men and women, His superhero team, is more than the fact
that we work together. In fact, we are
being built together. The unity we just
talked about is to extend everywhere:
“Paul, called by the will of God to be an
apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, to the church of God that
is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call
upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.” --I Corinthians 1:1-3 (emphasis added)
Then, over
in Colossians:
“Here there is not Greek and Jew,
circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is
all, and in all. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with
one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds
everything together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you
were called in one body.” --Colossians
3:11-15 (emphasis added)
The Bible is
clear that we have unique gifts and roles, but it is also clear from this
passage in Colossians that the distinctions that would divide us and cause us
not to associate with one another have been pulled down. We should freely associate and even love one
another because we are in fact one body.
“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are
to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the
whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped,
when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds
itself up in love.” --Ephesians 4:15-16
Who is the
head? Christ. It is interesting that the body is equipped
with joints designed to hold it together.
I’d love to dig in a little more into what is the nature of the joints
which hold the body together. It seems
most likely that we can attribute it to the ones Christ sent to build up the
body as we read earlier from the preceding verses of Ephesians 4:11-14.
“So then you are no longer strangers and
aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the
household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ
Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined
together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God
by the Spirit.” --Ephesians 2:19-22
Reading
through these passages on the body, it is an amazingly cool thing how God is
always working on multiple levels. He’s
growing us up as individuals, and He’s filling us with His Spirit
individually. At the same time, He’s
enabling the body to grow itself up together and He’s filling us corporately
with His Spirit to do it.
“For the body does not consist of one member
but of many. … As it is, there are many parts [members], yet one body. … But
God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,
that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the
same care for one another. If one member
suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice
together. Now you are the body of Christ
and individually members of it.” --I Corinthians 12:14, 20, 24-27
This just
reinforces that we are not to act or live alone apart from the body. We are many members but one body. His desire is that there be no division. We should have the same care for one another. We should suffer together. We should rejoice together. We are the body. Individual members. One body.
Mystical union. (Ephesians 5:32)
This may
seem like a detour, but I felt like I couldn’t end this message without
stopping for a minute to talk about something nearly everyone struggles with at
some time or another (and some of us almost constantly): loneliness.
As we are
one body under the headship of Christ, then loneliness must be an enemy of the
saints and the body.
Interestingly,
loneliness is not often called out in Scripture. Proverbs 14:10 says …
“Each heart knows its own bitterness …” --Proverbs
14:10
That seems
to describe loneliness, a kind of bitterness that cannot be shared or
understood by others.
What is the
source of loneliness? I think most often
it is a feeling that others do not understand you or they do not want to
understand or perhaps worst of all, they cannot understand you.
I feel
lonely sometimes. I have a tendency to
want to have everything under control. I
want to look like I’m competent in every kind of circumstance. As a result, instead of inviting people in
and connecting with them, I end up holding them at a distance as I try to get
it all done.
And yet, I
look around and see examples of how God wants to break down loneliness.
The other
week, Grace played keyboard during worship.
Now Grace is an excellent pianist, but she hasn’t played often on Sunday
mornings. When I first started leading
worship, it was pretty painful for me.
Not like the first week, but like weeks and months. Sometimes I can still get uncomfortable. Not very often, but it does happen. Grace eagerly took up the challenge and was
ready to do what it took to play keyboard.
You can say many good things about Grace. One important one I can say is she is one of
the most fearless people I know.
One way to
break down loneliness is to not be afraid, to have courage. Courage allows us to take risks. Risks to love. Risks to serve. Risks to sacrifice.
“The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom
shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?”
--Psalm 27:1
God’s Word
is not silent on how He deals with the lonely.
Psalm 68:6 says, “God sets the
lonely in families…”
Scripture
has many examples. The Egyptian midwives
who honored God and did not kill the Hebrew babies even though Pharaoh himself
told them to were given families of their own. Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law was given a
grandson after she returned home to God’s Promised Land. Samuel’s mother Hannah was given five more
children after she had given her first-born son to God’s work in the temple.
Repeatedly,
Scripture says that we, people who belong to Jesus, are the family of God … the
family of believers. Hebrews 2:11 – we
are of the same family as Jesus; Romans 8:29 – Jesus was the firstborn of many
brothers and sisters; Galatians 6:10 – we are of the family of believers. (See also
I Peter 2:17, 5:9.) When we come to Jesus,
and put our trust in Him, we are part of the family, The Family. We’re grafted in. (Romans 11:17) We’re
connected to the true vine. (John 15:5)
As family,
we are to love one another. Hebrews 13:1
tells us to “keep on loving.” I Thessalonians 4:10 tells us to “love all the
family of believers” not only that but we are to love them “more and more.”
How do we
love one another? Hebrews 3:12-13 tells
us that we should guard one another and encourage one another. James 5:7-9 tells us that we should be
patient with one another and “do not grumble.”
Galatians 5:13 tells us to serve one another.
Earlier, I
said that God has put people in our path that can help us. I said that I could hear some of you thinking
or saying to yourself, “Seriously, God hasn’t given me what I need.” How do I know that? Well, most of the time, I sit where you are
sitting. I’ve said it myself. More than once.
First I’d
like to say something like what I would say to my kids when I’ve done something
wrong. First, I should say that I’m
sorry. In addition, just because I did
it (or even because I still do it), that doesn’t make it right. God knows our very deepest needs. He knows exactly what we need when we need
it. We can exercise faith in order to
depend on Him in the lonely times. We
need to listen carefully to those speaking into our lives. We may have someone standing right there
trying to tell us exactly what God wants us to hear, but we may tell Him,
“Thanks God, but I’m not interested in that gift because I don’t like the
wrapping paper.”
A friend
gave me a book written by an English Puritan in 1655. In it, the author practically apologizes for
writing the book. The reason he gives
for it is this, “A people listening conscientiously to their own minister, if
the message he gives be wholesome, may expect the blessing of God for their
nourishment, though it has not so much lusciousness to please the curious
taster as some others.” In other words,
God has you where you are because He is … well … He’s God. Maybe the relationships you have with other
believers are in need of cultivating, but you can trust God to give you the
relationships you need.
I can
remember times past when I would wonder if I should go to another church. I always came back to Simon Peter’s answer, “Lord,
to whom shall [I] go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68) That became my evidence or answer. When is it time to go? It’s time to go when the words of eternal
life, the Bible, is no longer taught.
I’ll say one
more thing on the subject of loneliness.
Honestly, I do still get lonely from time to time. What do I do when I feel lonely or just
weighed down and there’s no one who can help shoulder the load? I run to Jesus. I know Jesus knows. I know Jesus has endured far more than I will
ever have to endure. I bring him my
broken pieces, my broken heart. He never
ceases to meet me with words of cheer or hopeful thoughts of eternity. One thing is for sure, this life and its
trials are light and temporary in the light of eternity. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,” (Hebrews
12:2) for in doing this we will not lose heart even in lonely times.
Let’s wrap
up. The verse on the front of your
program is I Thessalonians 5:6 …
So then let us not sleep, as others do, but
let us keep awake and be sober. I Thessalonians 5:6
This is one
of the most crucial parts of being together.
We keep each other awake. We tend
to get drowsy and idle. We want our
fleshly appetites satisfied. We lose
focus on serving one another and dwell instead on our selves.
… let us consider how to stir up one another
to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of
some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing
near. Hebrews 10:24-25
We need that
encouragement. We need to be stirred
up. The stirring up we need is to love
and good deeds. From time to time, a
friend sends me a devotion from Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening
Devotional. I’d like to share this one
with you:
“THERE are
many ways of promoting Christian wakefulness. Among the rest, let me strongly
advise Christians to converse together concerning the ways of the Lord.
Christian and Hopeful, as they journeyed towards the Celestial City, said to
themselves, “To prevent drowsiness in this place, let us fall into good
discourse.” Christian enquired, “Brother, where shall we begin?” And Hopeful
answered, “Where God began with us.” Then Christian sang this song—
“When saints
do sleepy grow, let them come hither,
And hear how
these two pilgrims talk together;
Yea, let
them learn of them, in any wise,
Thus to keep
open their drowsy slumb'ring eyes.
Saints’
fellowship, if it be managed well,
Keeps them
awake, and that in spite of hell.”
“Christians
who isolate themselves and walk alone, are very liable to grow drowsy. Hold
Christian company, and you will be kept wakeful by it, and refreshed and
encouraged to make quicker progress in the road to heaven. But as you thus take
“sweet counsel” with others in the ways of God, take care that the theme of
your converse is the Lord Jesus. Let the eye of faith be constantly looking
unto Him; let your heart be full of Him; let your lips speak of His worth.
Friend, live near to the cross, and thou wilt not sleep. Labor to impress yourself
with a deep sense of the value of the place to which you are going. If you
remember that you are going to heaven, you will not sleep on the road. If you
think that hell is behind you, and the devil pursuing you, you will not loiter.
Would the manslayer sleep with the avenger of blood behind him, and the city of
refuge before him? Christian, will you sleep while the pearly gates are
open—the songs of angels waiting for you to join them—a crown of gold ready for
your brow? Ah! no; in holy fellowship continue to watch and pray that you do
not enter into temptation.”
I talked
about Grace’s fearlessness earlier. When
Grace told us she would play keyboards at music practice, Taryn declared, “I
want to be just like Grace when I grow up.”
Taryn has been playing a song that we heard at Faithwalkers over the
last several weeks. It was an
encouragement and a blessing for my mother-in-law and me to hear her play, so I
asked her if she would play it for us today.
Now she gets to put her courage into practice.
It is Well
from You
Make Me Brave
Bethel Music
Grander
earth has quaked before
Moved by the
sound of His voice
Seas that
are shaken and stirred
Can be
calmed and broken for my regard
Through it
all, through it all
My eyes are
on You
Through it
all, through it all
It is well
Through it
all, through it all
My eyes are
on You
It is well …
with me
Far be it
from me to not believe
Even when my
eyes can't see
And this
mountain that's in front of me
Will be
thrown into the midst of the sea
Through it
all, through it all
My eyes are
on You
Through it
all, through it all
It is well
Through it
all, through it all
My eyes are
on You
It is well …
It is well
So let go my
soul and trust in Him
The waves
and wind still know His name
So let go my
soul and trust in Him
The waves
and wind still know His name
So let go my
soul and trust in Him
The waves
and wind still know His name
It is well
with my soul
It is well
with my soul
It is well
with my soul
It is well,
it is well with my soul
It is well,
it is well with my soul
Through it
all, through it all
My eyes are
on You
Through it
all, through it all
It is well
Through it
all, through it all
My eyes are
on You
It is well …
with me
Let’s end
with this verse …
“May the
God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with
one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice
glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” --Romans 15:5-6 (emphasis
added)
There is our
focus … the God of endurance and encouragement.
It is by His power that we can live in harmony. Let’s keep our eyes fixed on Him and let’s
pray to Him:
Lord God, I
pray that You would give Your people encouragement from the words and verses
that we have heard and seen today.
Strengthen us for the journey ahead.
May we not be drowsy along the way.
May we not take ourselves too seriously.
May we find our rest always in You.
May others see and know that we are disciples by the love that we have
for one another. All this we ask and
pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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