Living Counterculturally: Embracing Our Identity in Christ

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing a Countercultural Identity

In a world that often values individualism and material success, Christians are called to live differently. Our identity and purpose are not rooted in what we own or how society perceives us, but in our relationship with Christ. This countercultural lifestyle is a testament to the transformative power of the Gospel, inviting us to reject consumer-driven faith and embrace a kingdom mindset. By doing so, we become active participants in God's mission, living lives that reflect His love and truth. [48:17]

"For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you actively demonstrate your identity in Christ today, especially in situations where societal norms might pressure you to conform?

Day 2: The Vital Connection to Christ

Our spiritual growth is deeply dependent on our connection to Christ, much like a vine and its branches. Abiding in Him allows us to bear much fruit, leading to a life filled with purpose and meaning that extends into eternity. This relationship requires intentionality, akin to tending a garden, where pruning and care lead to a more vibrant and fruitful life. By remaining in Christ, we are transformed from the inside out, experiencing the fullness of life He offers. [51:38]

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." (John 15:4, ESV)

Reflection: What specific practices can you incorporate into your daily routine to strengthen your connection with Christ and ensure you are abiding in Him?

Day 3: The Power of Saying "Yes" to God

God often chooses those who are available over those who are qualified. Our willingness to say "yes" to His call can lead to extraordinary outcomes, as demonstrated by the story of Coldplay's drummer and countless biblical figures. This availability to God opens the door for Him to work through us in ways we might never have imagined, allowing us to participate in His grand narrative and impact the world around us. [56:03]

"But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong." (1 Corinthians 1:27, ESV)

Reflection: Is there an area in your life where you feel unqualified but sense God calling you to step out in faith? How can you make yourself available to His leading today?

Day 4: Living by a Rule of Life

Embracing a rule of life helps us keep God at the center of everything we do. This intentional plan is not about restriction but about living in freedom and joy, guiding us in areas such as generosity, service, and prayer. By establishing a rule of life, we create a spiritual trellis that supports our growth and helps us remain focused on God's mission, allowing us to live with purpose and intentionality. [53:40]

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." (Proverbs 16:3, ESV)

Reflection: What elements would you include in your personal rule of life to ensure that God remains at the center of your daily activities and decisions?

Day 5: Generosity as a Pathway to Abundance

Generosity is a powerful antidote to greed and a pathway to a lifestyle of abundance. By sharing our resources and breaking down barriers, we participate in God's mission and become a blessing to the world. This transformative generosity not only impacts those around us but also enriches our own lives, as we experience the joy and freedom that comes from living open-handedly. [57:09]

"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want." (Proverbs 11:24, ESV)

Reflection: How can you practice generosity today in a way that challenges your comfort zone and reflects God's abundant love to those around you?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we embarked on a new series exploring what it means to be part of the family of God, particularly within the context of our church community. We live in a world that often prioritizes individualism and personal gain, but as members of the church, we are called to live counterculturally. Our identity and purpose are not found in material possessions or societal status but in Christ alone. This series invites us to reject the world's consumer-driven faith and embrace a kingdom mindset, where we become active participants in God's mission rather than mere spectators.

We are reminded that following Jesus is not about a superficial connection but a transformative journey that changes us from the inside out. As we grow in our relationship with Christ, we are called to abide in Him, much like a vine and its branches, to bear much fruit. This requires intentionality, akin to tending a garden, where pruning and care lead to a more vibrant and fruitful life.

Throughout this series, we will explore various aspects of a "rule of life," a concept that encourages us to keep God at the center of everything we do. This rule is not about restriction but about living in freedom and joy. We will delve into themes such as generosity, service, prayer, commitment, and participation, each serving as a building block on our spiritual trellis.

The story of a small band, Coldplay, serves as a metaphor for our spiritual journey. Just as the band's drummer was chosen not for his skill but for his availability, God calls us not because we are qualified but because we are willing. Our availability to God can lead to extraordinary outcomes, as history has shown through the lives of those who have said "yes" to His call.

Key Takeaways

1. Countercultural Living: As Christians, we are called to live differently from the world, finding our identity and purpose in Christ rather than in material possessions or societal status. This countercultural lifestyle is a testament to the transformative power of the Gospel. [48:17]
2. Abiding in Christ: Like a vine and its branches, our spiritual growth depends on our connection to Christ. By remaining in Him, we bear much fruit, experiencing a life of purpose and meaning that extends into eternity. [51:38]
3. The Power of Availability: God often chooses the available over the qualified. Our willingness to say "yes" to God's call can lead to extraordinary outcomes, as demonstrated by the story of Coldplay's drummer and countless biblical figures. [56:03]
4. A Rule of Life: Embracing a rule of life helps us keep God at the center of everything we do. This intentional plan liberates us to live in freedom and joy, guiding us in areas such as generosity, service, and prayer. [53:40]
5. Transformative Generosity: Generosity is a powerful antidote to greed and a pathway to a lifestyle of abundance. By sharing our resources and breaking down barriers, we participate in God's mission and become a blessing to the world. [57:09]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[45:58] - Introduction to the Series
[46:39] - The Family of God
[47:20] - Countercultural Living
[48:17] - Finding Identity in Christ
[49:41] - Transformative Journey
[50:27] - Rejecting Consumer-Driven Faith
[51:38] - Abiding in Christ
[53:40] - Embracing a Rule of Life
[56:03] - The Power of Availability
[57:09] - The Joy of Generosity
[58:03] - Invitation to Participation
[59:22] - Prayer and Blessing
[60:10] - Introduction of Andy
[62:21] - Historical Context and Abraham's Call
[65:36] - God's Promise to Abraham
[68:06] - The New World Order
[75:12] - Jesus' Mission and Message
[79:08] - The Early Church's Radical Community
[90:30] - The Principle of Generosity
[97:08] - Closing Prayer and Blessing

Sermon Clips

In life we live in a world that Champions what could be termed as individualism you like the self we want to focus on our elves of personal gain of what can I get most out of a certain situation of of kind of putting my life into that place where I can get all that I want from it all around the sense of me but church this beautiful thing that God has breathed life into and has called us to be part of you know the church is called to abide in Christ and live out a different kind of belonging that is radically countercultural. [00:47:20]

The church is called to be different we're called to be a Beacon of Hope and life to the world and part of that means that we as it says in Romans 12 that we do not conform to the patterns of the world and so we live in a very different way we set ourselves up to say we don't want to be a mirror image of the world but rather we want to be radically countercultural and here's the thing for each and every one of us in all that we do we don't find our sense of purpose and meaning from other things right those things are fleeting. [00:47:55]

As we say yes to following the way of Jesus it's not about a surface level connection you know some of you might be here for the first time whether that's in church or in a church Community some of you might be going who is this Jesus you know following Jesus is not about a surface level connection but he radically wants to change us from the inside out he changes our hearts he changes our mind there's a whole thing of we want to participate in the kingdom of God which means we say less to us us and we say more of God. [00:49:41]

In John 15 we get this whole picture of Jesus talking about the a Vine he says Jesus says I am the vine you are the branches if you remain in me and I in you you will bear much fruit and so if we are to remain and grow into the things of Christ we need to stay close to Jesus think of it this way if that I I nearly went as far as digging up my rose bush and bringing it here and pruning it in front it would have been terrible it would have died not a good plan. [00:51:38]

If the rose bush is left unattended especially that of like a trailing Rose if it's left unattended it will go far and wide but however it won't grow strong and healthy and the flowers that it grows and develops will not be the best that it can be however if you put it onto a trellis and you train it and you and you prune it and you look after it and you care for it what begins to grow a is a much healthier more vibrant plant the flowers are better you know pruning cutting back again there's whole sorts of metaphors we can talk about all through scripture. [00:52:01]

A rule of Life some of you are going to get kind of messed up in your head around the word rule a rule is there to infuse Joy rather than restriction when we think of rule it's there to bring life rather than constraint and pink skazo in his book emotionally healthy spirituality says that a rule of life is an intentional conscious plan to keep God at the center of everything that that we do and that's what we want to do we want a rule that liberates us to live in Freedom. [00:53:40]

God never cared much for the qualified but he shaped history through the available right he shaped history through those who've gone I'm available look at Moses he's told God himself I'm not the qualified to do this I can't speak but God calls us not because we're qualified but because we're available and so what we want to do over the next number of weeks is we build our a a rule of Life as we build on our trellis as we think of what are we going to do to present ourselves before Jesus is we want to say yes to following him. [00:56:03]

We're going to say that actually a rule of generosity helps us to combat greed and cultivate a lifestyle of abundance we're going to look at how the Way Up Is Down and actually serving Jesus is at the heart of it and a rle R of service keeps us from self-centeredness and aligns our gifts with God's Mission we're going to look at Power not performance and that's all about praying like Jesus and how a rule of prayer helps us build a consistent rhythm of communion with God. [00:57:09]

The story goes like this that very early on in the band's history um before they had a record deal before they had gone anywhere um there was three of them so Chris Martin is the band The Leader of the Band and there was three of them they didn't have a drummer and so they were gathered they they had a gig planned that night and they were auditioning uh for a drummer because they're like we need someone to keep time and so they went to this guy's house to audition him to join the band and they arrived the three other band members and this drummer never showed up. [00:54:19]

He never showed up but there was his flatmate was there who was also a musician and they said to him can you drum and he said I'm I I don't I'm not a drummer but I'm a musician I said well you're dude can you you can just keep us in time and so that that week they went and played their first ever gig I think it's done in Devon went and played their first ever gig and um and this guy who wasn't a drummer he wasn't skilled he wasn't practiced him being a drummer he he drummed for them that night now however many years later as a story goes on however many millions of albums they've sold they've toured around the world played in front of the biggest stadiums and the biggest crowds they're probably one of the most decorated artist in the history of modern music that guy who is not practiced at being a drummer who in his own account is not a drummer he is still their drummer today. [00:54:59]

The whole of the book of Luke and acts is about that is about how God turns very very Ordinary People into World changes because this is what started happening I haven't even got to the message Yet Josh Josh is nervous looking at so his whole program is this um Jesus's program is this let's choose some really crazy wild poor people who are very different from each other and train them up and train them up countercultural I'm not interested in the Roman hierarchy I'm not interested in the Greek or Roman world where you have to be married into Rich families I am interested in do you want to follow me do you want to learn some new rules in life with the power of the Holy Spirit if you do come with me and he starts walking picking people up choosing them come and walk with me come and walk with me come and walk with me. [01:19:08]

The early church's radical community from time to time those who had Fields sold it and the money was distributed amongst the poor they gathered together in prayer and worship all the time they ate together with glad and sincere Hearts God's favor was on them in other words and they were a totally diverse mix of people be like you guys here every background every kind of kind of family every kind of color every kind of everything some with hair some with less hair some with hats on um some with seven generations of Christians behind them some who just turned up to church that morning every kind of person and totally against the cultural norm of the day where you couldn't even sit next to the person if you were a Jew you couldn't even eat with a gentile if you're if you're high ranking Roman you would never be seen Dead with some of the people in that room they broke all the Norms because there was no ambition left they shared what they had they shared freely what that people with lots sold their stuff. [01:30:30]

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