Introduction
Something that has become very popular in today’s media-crazed society is a fascination with virtual online communities. In a recent article, Rachel Konrad writes about Cy-world Inc., a Korean-based website that is making its way to the U.S. Henry Chon, the CEO of Cy-world, says: “Once Americans see the value of Cyworld, they’ll make sure their friends and family use it … We’re here to build a meaningful, good community.”
Cy-world “is a parallel universe unto itself,” Konrad writes. “It combines aspects of ‘simulated reality’ computer games … with massive multiplayer online games that have thousands of players facing off simultaneously in what’s known as a ‘persistent world.’ But Cyworld isn’t a game; the goal isn’t to slay dragons or amass points but to socialize with ‘cybuddies.'” This website “emphasizes relationships between relatives, neighborhood friends, and co-workers—people who have already met in real life but yearn to also hang out online.”
Cy-world is a sign of the times. More and more, our world has become impersonal. It’s easier to hang out with friends in an online virtual world, than to have face-to-face interaction at a coffee shop. We have become less interactive with our family members and friends. We’d rather talk to someone online through “chat,” than to make a heartwarming visit to someone’s home.
I once heard a story about a family where each person had a computer in his or her own bedroom, and the kids would talk to each other and to their parents using chat, instead of sitting in a room talking face-to-face. I wonder if the church has followed the ways of this world and become more virtual than real? How can we reclaim community in the church today?
In Romans 12:1-8, the apostle Paul offers some practical steps for us to truly grow as a community of brothers and sisters in Christ.
We are one body, one family.
We may look around the sanctuary and say, “That person is not like me. We don’t look alike. We don’t have the same interests.” But God says we are one body through our common faith in Jesus Christ. No family is perfect, but we do belong to each other.
Most people love their families. Let’s start with parents. We love our parents, but as we all know, our parents can drive us crazy. They know exactly what to do and say that will “push our buttons.” There are times that we have cursed at our parents, we’ve said hurtful things to them, and we’ve embarrassed them in public. Yet, at the end of the day, the common trait that binds us together is that we share the same blood. For this very reason, we love them no matter how much they make us mad. Despite how much they hurt us, we love them.
The same holds true for those of us who have brothers and sisters. Growing up, I fought a lot with my two younger brothers. Things got messy in a household of three boys. We would punch each other. We put holes in the walls with our fists because we were so mad at each other. One of my brothers threw a rollerblade at me, leaving a physical scar on my arm. Another one of my brothers stuck a chopstick in my leg. We were, at times, very cruel to each other. No family is perfect, and there is no way that we can always get along. But if anyone ever tries to hurt either of my brothers, there is nothing that I wouldn’t do to save them. I would give my life for them. Why? Because they are my brothers! We share the same blood.
I want us to take a look around the room for a minute. What I have just shared with you about my family is the same for us here in this room. We are family. No matter how much we may think the person next to us has nothing to do with us, we are family because we share the same blood, the blood of Christ.
Today, I would like for us to re-think what it means to be a church. Rather than thinking that we are non-related people from all walks of life, I’d like us to think of ourselves as one big family—one household of God. Despite the fact that we may dislike or be displeased with another person sitting here in the sanctuary, we share the same blood, making us family. We are to love our family members, for each person is significant—just like our immediate family members.
Members of God’s community offer their bodies as living sacrifices.
Paul says: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”
For those of us who have read the Old Testament, we know that in order to be cleansed from sin, people needed to sacrifice animals without defect. The Jews gave a sin offering to God and sacrificed animals on behalf of their sin. The sin would be transferred to that animal and would be offered up in lieu of the people.
In order to learn and grow as a community, it is time that we earnestly contribute to the work of the body of Christ. Being “living sacrifices” means that we get out of the comfortable mode of “feed me” and “serve me,” to “I’ll feed others and serve others.” Through our service to God, we worship him.
I want to make it clear that God does not need us to serve him, but he knows that it is good for our hearts. It is for our benefit that we serve God. God can do whatever he pleases, but through offering our lives in service to God, we please him!
In any community, the group functions most effectively when every person contributes. So it is with the church. The church can function at its best when people serve. Church experts say that 80 percent of the work in churches is done by 20 percent of the members. According to George Gallup, only 10 percent of all people in church are active in a ministry. An additional 50 percent of the people have no interest in serving. Forty percent said that they’d like to be involved but have never been asked or told how to serve.
How does Paul say we can offer our bodies as living sacrifices? How can each of us get involved? Verses 6-8 state how we can help each other learn to grow in community.
Like every family, Paul says we have different gifts.
In verse 6, Paul specifically mentions seven spiritual gifts: (1) prophesy, (2) service, (3) teaching, (4) encouragement, (5) giving, (6) leadership, and (7) mercy. Let me concisely define each of these gifts, using selected material from James R. Edwards’ commentary on Romans. Prophesy is “offering guidance from the Spirit or God’s Word in particular circumstances.” Service literally means “to wait on tables.” Notice that service comes before teaching, which is “instruction in the whole counsel of God.” Encouragement is not only cheering someone up but also being a “helpful companion.” A person gifted in encouragement is someone who serves alongside of another person. “Giving generously” is the spiritual gift of freely sharing God-given resources of time and money. Leadership in the church is the ability to inspire others to believe in and act on the same Christ-honoring goals and visions. Finally, mercy is the ability to have great compassion for others in difficult circumstances.
God equips each person with at least one spiritual gift. In order to become a healthy learning and growing community, we need to become a family of God and learn about our gifts and use them as living sacrifices offered to God.
We must unlearn negative and harmful views of this world.
Paul also says: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world.” He is inviting us to a life where we are no longer controlled by the systems of the world and how the world thinks and operates.
For many of us, it means that we unlearn the negative and harmful patterns of Korean/Asian culture. Although there are various positive influences of Korean/Asian culture—such as respect, honoring elders, and values of education—there are an equal number of negative values and philosophies that affect Asian American Christians in different ways, hampering our ability to grow in community.
In their book, Growing Healthy Asian American Churches, authors Peter Cha, Steve Kang, and Helen Lee discuss various stumbling blocks for Asian American churches in becoming healthy communities. Helen Lee writes specifically about Confucian-based ideologies, concerning hierarchy and patriarchy in the forms of ageism and gender-bias. There is a tendency, even among Americanized Asians, to look down on those who are younger and to say women cannot do certain things because of their gender.
Lee also discusses Asian Americans’ propensity towards false-humility—the tendency to avoid leadership positions because of their “I am not worthy” mentality. Nancy Sugikawa, a pastor at Lighthouse Christian Church in Washington says, “When I was at a primarily Caucasian church recruiting potential small group leaders, I found that people volunteered easily—even those who were new Christians or had never even been in a small group before. They were willing to try leading, even if it meant risking failure or rejection. In Asian churches, people rarely volunteer for leadership positions. You have to personally approach and encourage them. Non-Asians seem to handle rejection better. If Asians are not accepted into leadership after volunteering, they often feel a sense of shame or inadequacy, which might prevent them from ever volunteering again.”
Citing Moses as an example, the authors of Growing Healthy Asian American Churches recognize two major things that Asian Americans need to learn: (1) It is very clear that “leaders do not always excel in all areas,” and (2) whatever deficiencies leaders may have, “every leader has shortcomings that God can more than compensate.”
There is a third and final obstacle for Asian American churches. Paul Tokunaga, the Asian American Ministry Coordinator for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship says, “More than anything, those of us from shame-based cultures need to know and experience God’s unconditional, unearnable love.”
Pastor Ken Fong of Evergreen Church in California describes two types of shame: healthy shame and toxic shame. He writes: “Healthy shame is an intermittent, proper awareness of being a limited, flawed human being. It leads to the acknowledgement of your need for help from a higher power. It is the source of creativity. It is the core of true spirituality. Toxic shame, on the other hand, is the dark feeling that you are flawed as a human being. In spite of your efforts to change, deep inside, it feels hopeless because you do not believe that genuine change is truly possible. After all, you did not just make a mistake; you are the mistake.”
How many of us struggle with toxic shame? Are we ashamed of who we are? Are we ashamed of what we have become? Are we ashamed of our backgrounds? Can we be a community of grace that embraces each person simply because they are loved by God?
In learning to grow as a community of God, it is crucial that we unlearn the things of the world that prevent us from becoming the person God has called us to be.
We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Romans 12:3 says: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
Although many of us may struggle with the “I’m not worthy” syndrome, there are an equal number of us who are members of the “I’m too good for this church” mentality. How many of us, at the core of our being, feel that we are too good to serve or too good for others. Paul wants us to reconsider how good we really are and to think of ourselves in sober judgment.
One of the primary barriers to healthy growth as a church community is pride. Everything has to be our way because we’re the best. We know how things should operate. We know who should be in leadership and who shouldn’t. We know who should serve in what capacity. We know best.
If we desire to become a learning and growing church community, we must let go of our pride. We must instead choose to love others and be humble before others. This means we don’t always speak our minds at gatherings, but we listen to others’ voices and opinions. It means we show our appreciation for people who are serving in different roles for the sake of the body of Christ. It means encouraging others and helping them grow.
One of the primary ways we will grow as a church is to see ourselves as a family where each member loves and serves each other. This means we put others first in our minds and in our actions. This means we believe we are no better or worse than the person sitting next to us.
Conclusion
Interestingly, the reason why Alcoholics Anonymous has been so successful is because each person in the group recognizes he or she is an alcoholic and needs the help of both God and others to stay sober. In the church, the same principle holds true. If we are to grow as a community, we must renew our minds in learning to depend on God, in becoming vulnerable with each other, in unlearning our destructive Korean/Asian values, overcome shame, and in remembering we need each other and are dependent on each other for growth. A life of transformation starts with this renewed mind.
It is my prayer that we offer our bodies as living sacrifices, where we seek to be transformed and renewed in our minds, where people encourage others to serve and exhibit humility.
For Your Reflection
Personal growth: How has this sermon fed your own soul? ___________________________________________
Skill growth: What did this sermon teach you about how to preach? ____________________________________________________________________________
Exegesis and exposition: Highlight the paragraphs in this sermon that helped you better understand Scripture. How does the sermon model ways you could provide helpful biblical exposition for your hearers? ____________________________________________________________________________
Theological Ideas: What biblical principles in this sermon would you like to develop in a sermon? How would you adapt these ideas to reflect your own understanding of Scripture, the Christian life, and the unique message that God is putting on your heart? ____________________________________________________________________________
Outline: How would you improve on this outline by changing the wording, or by adding or subtracting points? _____________________________________________________________________
Application: What is the main application of this sermon? What is the main application of the message you sense God wants you to bring to your hearers? ____________________________________________________________________________
Illustrations: Which illustrations in this sermon would relate well with your hearers? Which cannot be used with your hearers, but they suggest illustrations that could work with your hearers? ____________________________________________________________________________
Credit: Do you plan to use the content of this sermon to a degree that obligates you to give credit? If so, when and how will you do it?
