More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
Our calling is to care for each other’s souls. We want to bring our struggles to the Lord and to each other so that the church can be strengthened and the world can witness wisdom and love.
[Jesus] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Eph. 4:11–13)
the Lord is pleased to use ordinary people, through seemingly ordinary acts of love, to be the prime contributors to the maturing of his people.
Our helpfulness—our care for souls—starts with our need for care. We need God, and we need other people. Maturity through dependence is our goal. As a way to put this humility to the test, we ask for prayer. This will contribute to a church culture that is less self-protective and more united.
an interconnected group of people who entrust themselves to each other. You can speak of your pain, and someone responds with compassion and prayer. You
In Ephesians 3, Paul actually prayed that we would be this kind of community (vv. 14–21). He also taught us how to do it: I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph. 4:1–3)
Augustine wrote, “That first way [to truth] is humility; the second way is humility, and the third way is humility.”1 If humility does not precede our wisdom and help, our efforts are meaningless. Paul, it seems, would agree. Life in Christ starts with humility.
Humility simply acknowledges our many sins and limitations, and it responds with, “I need Jesu...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
the simple acknowledgment of our neediness and weakness opens a door to the
grace of God where we find confidence, peace, security, wisdom, strength, and freedom in him.
1. Identify Trouble in Your Life
2. Connect a Particular Trouble with Scripture
God takes the initiative and moves toward us; we take the initiative toward others. This is simple teaching with endless applications.
The Lord God always makes the first move.
For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will see...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
Think of Jesus and how he took the least-traveled route to get to one outcast Samaritan woman (John 4). Remember when he talked about his pursuit of that one lost sheep (Luke 15:4–6). He takes the initiative, especially toward those in need, even if it is just one.
King Jesus comes. This King leaves the palace precincts and finds you.
All the biblical stories of the Lord moving toward people are stories of grace. Grace is God’s moving toward us in Christ.
He says “I love you” first, even when we respond with an indifferent shrug or the equivalent of a passing, “Oh, thanks.” And in this we discover why it might be hard for us to move toward others: the one taking the initiative in the relationship—the one who loves most—is the one who risks humiliation. But imagine this. You believe that Jesus pursues you.
Too often we are silent when we know of someone’s trouble. Silence is the same as turning away.
Jesus Listens, We Listen
loving pursuit is neither easy nor natural to anyone. All of us need both humility and help from Scripture in order to navigate the early stages of a helpful conversation.
The Lord calls us family, so we greet warmly. The Lord knows our name, so we learn someone’s name. The Lord knows seemingly irrelevant details about us, such as the number of hairs on our heads, so we take an interest in details. Is the person new to your gathering? Where does he or she live? Who does she live with? Does she work, go to school, manage a home?
there will be nonstop trouble,
In response, we listen.
This means we are undistracted, engaged, and affected by what they say. We share, in some small way, the delights of the good things and the burdens of the hard things.
The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. (Prov. 20:5)
We hope to be that person of understanding. This can happen only if we pursue others as we have been pursued by Jesus.
we don’t want
our conversations to cover only events.
conversations are a pleasure, and they are essential if we are to care for, help, and encourage each other well.
Think of the heart as having layers and depth. It is compared to the roots of a tree (Jer. 17:5–8), waters that run deep (Prov. 20:5), and a treasure for which we must search (Matt. 6:20). Since it is quite busy, there is always more to discover, though sometimes it will take time, and trust, to draw it out.
You know you have entered into the heart when you discover wants, affections, or desires.
We want rest and health for our bodies, the best for friends and family, protection from enemies, work that is meaningful, lives that contribute, peace,
love.
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)
A friend asked me, “How is your heart?”
He was especially interested in how my desires set a moral or spiritu...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
this man was essentially asking, “How are you doing in your spiritual battles? How are you handling life’s temptations?” We usually give access to these places only in more seasoned relationships marked by love.
In our hearts we know our Creator God (Rom. 1:19–21; 2:14–15), and all our life is in relation to him:
When we violate his law, we dishonor his name and are turned away. When we love others, we honor him and love him. When we are afraid, we need to know him and his nearness more deeply. When angry, we turn from him and live for our own desires above all. When ashamed, we turn from him because we believe the lie that he has turned away from us.
Here is how we move more deeply into someone’s life:
Ask, “How are you?”
The longer you walk with someone, the more trouble you will
hear. We want to grow in compassion when we hear it.
We are all saints, sufferers, and sinners who hope to be more transparent with each other.
What do you love? This asks about the objects of your desire.
What makes you happy? This listens for desires satisfied. What makes you sad? This asks about desires postponed or denied. What makes you angry? This too asks about desires denied. What do you fear? This asks about desires at risk.
Practice seeing the good—not just good circumstances but moral goodness.
Notice when the person is patient when treated badly, kind when treated unkindly, forgiving, gentle, and able to
