The scenes in normal, everyday Kansas are in black and white, but when she opens the door, she opens the door onto a dream world of living, vibrant Technicolor. She passes from black and white, mundane, plainness into beauty and wonder.

We’re at that point in our 10,000 foot fly-over of the biblical narrative; we’re ready to open a door into the Technicolor world of the New Testament. I’m only going to use this one blog to cover the entire New Testament even though it took us several weeks of blogs to get to this place. Why only one blog? Because there’s plenty of time to spend on the details of the New Testament in other blogs – but for now, I’m just flying over high and fast.

Up to now, we’ve dealt exclusively with the people of Israel as God’s Chosen People and their inability to stay true to their God. From time to time in these blogs I would offer some life-application lesson based on their failures. In those life-application connections we’ve discovered that you and I are now God’s Chosen People, and it’s you and I who have the mission of reconciling a lost world back to God. We’ve been able to make those enormous jumps from Israel of ancient times to the Church of modern times by way of talking about Jesus Christ.

Israel was a nation under God, living by His restrictive Law – and failing at every turn. God has now called a new people – you and me and every other Christ-follower on the planet - and given us a mission. So – today – we’re moving away from Israel and the Law and focusing on Christ and His Church.

We’ve just come out of the Intertestamental period – a time between the Old and New Testaments. Life has gotten pretty bad for Israel. They’ve been exiled and attacked and beset on every side and have been under the thumb of numerous foreign governments. They’ve been crying out for help, asking for a savior, and the prophets of God have been telling Israel that a savior would come soon.

Into this time and place our Savior Jesus was born.

The people were desperately hoping for a Savior who would rescue them from the Romans and the godless people around them. They just didn’t realize that what they truly needed saving from was the brutal tyranny of sin and separation from their loving God. Into this world Jesus came to teach love and forgiveness so that Israel might understand God’s love and forgiveness; into this world Jesus came – but instead of marshalling a huge army and instigating a bloody revolution, He came to usher in reconciliation with God.

The people of Israel wanted vengeance – but Jesus offered restoration. The people of Israel wanted a military and political victory – but Jesus brought them the opportunity to have victory over sin and eternal death.

As we get into the New Testament, we find that this part of the biblical narrative is comprised of very different kinds of writing. There are the Gospels – narratives, story-telling – recordings of Jesus’ teachings and actions while on earth. These are followed by an historical account - in a narrative format - telling about the first several years of the new Church Jesus established and left in the hands of the believers. Then come the apostolic, pastoral, and general letters to the churches and leaders of the churches in the first generation of the Church in Jerusalem and throughout the Gentile world. The New Testament ends with a piece of apocalyptic writing – a revelation from God to His Church – to help us understand that the cosmic battle is already won, Christ is on the throne of Heaven, and we have nothing to fear.

• 4 Gospels
• Dr. Luke’s historical account of the acts of the apostles
• 21 letters of varying lengths, purpose, and recipients
• An amazing recounting of a revelation from God told in fantastic symbolism and code

27 pieces of unique literature like nothing found anywhere else in human history or understanding. Narrative, letters, historical data, apocalypse or revelation all to tell one major story: God’s incredible, creative, self-sacrificing plan to rescue a fallen humanity has finally come to pass and has been revealed and we – you and I – get to experience it first hand and tell the world about it so they can experience it, too.

The Gospels give us different angles of information on what Jesus said and did – and what He left with us and sent us out to do. The Acts of the Apostles gave us some insight into how the early Church was organized and what they did and why – and introduced us to the reality of persecution and spiritual warfare and the cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. The letters gave us more detail on what Jesus taught us in the Gospels. The Gospels were Jesus’ words; the letters were the Apostles explaining it and showing us how to apply what Jesus taught. They’re letters on how to live, and how to die – letters on what to do for today, and how to prepare for tomorrow. God’s revelation simply is the whip cream and cherry on top – crowning what is happening now with the complete assurance that the war has already been won and Jesus is the victorious King on His throne!

I want to pull out just a few passages with which to challenge you this morning. We’re going to stay as high above the whole narrative as we can on our aerial fly-by, but for us to truly understand Christ and the nature of His Church, we have to know what He said and what we’re about. Jesus taught us many things – and to pull a few things out is a bit scary – but these are the really obvious – corporate things of which we need to be aware and that we need to be engaging in each and every day.

Let’s start with the Great Commandment: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:36-39)

Every aspect of our lives – every part of who we are – is to love God. Right along side of that immense love for God is love for our neighbor. God asks us to love others with the same fervor with which we love Him! When we love our neighbor – we’re showing God how much we love Him. Are you showing love for your neighbor – either in your neighborhood or on the job or in the grocery store or the PTA? Are you kind? Does it stop there? Do you invest in friendships so you can find a way to share your faith in Christ? Do you love God? Do you love your neighbor?

That’s the Great Commandment – let’s take a look at the New Commandment: Jesus said: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

OK – Jesus made it official: love one another – He commanded it. He even explained it: love one another “as I have loved you.” Pretty much explains it, huh? How you love tells a story about you.

You’ve heard the old adage: “You are what you eat.” How about “You are what you read”? I’ve even heard “You are what TV shows you watch.” Now you’re discovering that “You are known by how you love others.”

That brings us to living Life in the New Community: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42-47)

A lot of people just assume that the early church lived the way they did because of their culture. Not necessarily. There was still mistrust of others, fear of strangers, hatred of the foreigners in their midst; a decided segregation from people considered “less than” such as lepers, Samaritans, tax-collectors, prostitutes, and shepherds. Life in the New Community of Christ’s Church was about giving up SELF in favor of OTHERS. You and I are supposed to give up being ego-centric (our self in the center) and become other-focused – putting others ahead of ourselves. It’s only through this self-sacrificing way of living that God adds to our numbers. Any other kind of growth is false growth.

As we live in community together, we need to learn about using your gifts in ministry and service: “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.” (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)

We each have at least one spiritual gift – given to us by the Holy Spirit, for the common good. That means you’re to use your gift or gifts in service to the Lord through the local church for the benefit of the local church and the people to whom the local church ministers to. Paul said: “. . . consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4) Find your gift-mix; use your gift-mix; willing offer your gifts; seek to improve your gifts.

Jesus clarifies all of this by telling you that you’re to give your life: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:12-14)

Got that? Love each other in the church so much that you would lay down your life for one another. That’s huge. We have heroes in our church who run into burning buildings to save people or go on ambulance runs to save people’s lives. We really appreciate them. We have soldiers who serve to defend our country and our country’s interests all over the world. They’re heroes, too. We have medical personal who save lives or sacrifice to keep people safe. They all get PAID to be good – you get to be “good for nothing!” Your LIFE is all about laying your life down for your friends in Christ’s Church.

But there’s more to that kind of love – and we call that Christ’s Great Commission: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Just before He ascended into Heaven, Jesus gave us these last instructions: Go and make disciples and teach them. Make disciples – and teach them. You have to lead them to faith first – before you make them into disciples. You have to be growing as a disciple yourself before you can make them into disciples. Inherent in this Great Commission is evangelism – leading people to Christ; and your own personal growth in spiritual maturity!

All of these passages are what I call the Evangelism Mandate and the Discipleship Imperative. Back when we first got started as a church, Quarry Ridge decided to be a Disciple-making Church. We decided that at the center of all we do is this mandated mission to bring people to faith and help transform them into unconditional followers of Jesus Christ. We’re to reach out to those who are lost and far away from God - and then help them grow into the image of Jesus each and every day. We’re called to Kingdom Building, working to establish and maintain Christ’s Church in our world.

Can you imagine any more difficult – yet rewarding and fulfilling work – than to BE the Church Jesus Christ came to establish? Can you imagine any more difficult ministry – yet vital and awe-inspiring – than to reconcile lost and wandering people to their loving, Heavenly Father? Can you imagine what it must be like to actually LIVE OUT the Body of Christ? When I think about this long and hard, I know that I was not called to lead a church, I know I was called to the difficult task of working with other Christ-followers to radically change how church is done!

You and I are not called to be Christians – we’re called to be New Creations and unconditional disciples! We’re not called to be a “church”, we’re called to be the living Body of Christ in the world around us. For that to work – each of us has to be engaged in being fundamentally changed at our core. We cannot just do what the world does. We cannot use and rely on our own ingenuity hoping that if we do the right thing long enough we might reach a tipping point and succeed just because we worked hard enough and used our creativity well enough. We will never succeed with this mindset. It is not godly, it is not biblical, it’s not possible.

What God is calling us to is transformation: deep, fundamental changes in our personal core values, attitudes, beliefs, and behavior. In our Discipleship Teams recently we just started studying a new book on spiritual disciplines – and man is it ever challenging! Some of the folks in my D-Team were balking at the difficulty of the reading, but more from the standpoint of what it was asking us to do. It was asking us to stop standing in one place and get on with being grown into the likeness of Jesus! That’s tough work. But it’s what God intended – and it’s what God wants!

When you and I are willing to be transformed, and when we are personally engaged in the transformational process, breakthrough will take place in our personal lives and in our church and in the Church all over the world. But – not until we’re willing to be transformed and are personally engaged in the process!

Theologian, pastor, and revivalist, Charles Hadden Spurgeon once said: “Let the world catch you ablaze, and they’ll come to watch you burn!” You and I are to share the good news of God’s Kingdom with the world around us, and to teach the things Jesus taught until we all become unconditional in our surrender to Christ – in short, to be disciples of Jesus Christ who make disciples of Jesus Christ. This mission should motivate all we do in ministry and in life.

Until Christ returns, the Holy Spirit indwells all who believe and endows each believer with the ability to live godly lives as unconditional disciples of Jesus. If we’re committed to that truth, then that makes us Christ’s Church – the greatest tool in the world for reaching a seeking and searching humanity with the great good news of God’s desire for reconciliation and restoration. We need to own that commission from Christ. We need to sign up and sign on and get to work on growing ourselves so we can minister to others.

NOTE: The name of the book our Discipleship Teams are studying is “Spiritual Disciplines: a believer’s opening to the grace of God” by James Earl Massey, from Warner Press. I highly recommend it – but read it patiently and carefully – it can be tough, heady reading.