Dear Parents and Friends of CCS,
I hope this post finds you well and walking in the forgiveness, grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Over the next few weeks, I want to flesh out the concept of the “Shalom Community” that we talk so much about here at CCS, a Community of Peace, Safety, Wholeness, Hope and Joy.
This concept is evident throughout the Bible, and is rooted in many particular Scriptures.
Galatians 2 adds another piece to the puzzle of how the gospel of the Kingdom informs on the how a community works:
Galatians 2:11-21 ESV
Paul Opposes Peter
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.[a] 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
Justified by Faith
15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified[b] by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness[c] were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
Please note that in this passage Paul vividly illustrates the central importance of getting the gospel right in concept and in practice, as well as holding one another accountable for not confusing the issue or falling prey to altering the truth to please people.
Of special note* is Paul’s mention that “even Barnabas” had fallen prey to the temptation of pleasing people over God. It’s good to keep in mind that Barnabas was the now-famous “son of encouragement”, a stalwart of the early church-planting teams.
In our language we would say that Barnabas was “solid”, that he “got it”. Yet even he had to look in the mirror and discover whether his version of Kingdom living passed the scriptural/gospel test.
And so it is with us - we never graduate from the gospel. That set of core truths is supposed to inform on and provide a context for everything we do and guide us in every decision we make.
Since it is of such central importance, Paul, in verses 15-21, unpacks what the Gospel is, and contrasts it with law-based, self-sufficient living.
Throughout his ministry, Paul teaches that we are under grace, yet at the same time we are to be submitted to Christ and His word and Spirit. We do good works not to gain favor with God, but rather we do them resting in the grace God has already provided. He acted in space and time so that we could freely live!
And so we here at CCS unashamedly labor every day in God’s strength to put flesh on the historical and foundational belief that God’s word, and His wise requirements for living, supersede and surpass in importance and effectiveness anything the world can offer.
In other words, we are placing ourselves under the word of God in obedience. We live in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which reminds us we are all sinners in need of rescue, and that it is only through the finished work of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection from the dead that we can have our sins atoned for, and can then live according to His precepts.
So what does this look like in real life?
In a Shalom Community, each person
Takes responsibility for their own thoughts, words and action, with appropriate consequences being levied in a redemptive manner when a breach of the community standards occur.
Comment:
As I said last week, we understand that this way of living can run counter to the definitions, interpretations and methods of the world. It is not fashionable to confess a sin or to apologize for a wrong done without defensiveness, even when it is costly.
Yet, the ability to do this well is a crucial building block for the Shalom Community that we aspire to.
When we fail to own our own “stuff” we should not expect a positive outcome, especially in the long term. This mutual building of trust and community spirit requires us to choose a different path, according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As Rev. Timothy Keller was fond of saying,
“You are worse than you think you are, but also far more loved than you feel you are.”
Community Christian School has clearly been called by God to be the sort of community where we “stir one another up to love and good works”. (Heb. 10:24 ESV) This means the growth of a Shalom Community is of first priority.
And by the grace of God and the power of the Spirit, we will continue to pursue this.
Next week we will continue to examine what the Shalom community at Community Christian School looks like in real life.
‘Til then, may God bless you with His awesome patience and love.
For CCS and the Kingdom,
Tom
*Special thanks to Mr. Jeff Collier for this insight