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!
This week I want to continue 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.
The book of Philippians adds another piece to the puzzle of how the gospel of the Kingdom informs on the way a healthy community works. In Chapter 1 Paul writes:
18b Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
Please note that Paul is writing from a Roman prison, making the theme of joy that radiates throughout the book even more remarkable. There is much we could learn here, but I want to focus on two particular ideas: surrender and the gift of suffering, both of which can yield joy and intimacy with Jesus.
SURRENDER
I’ve come to believe that the daily act of surrendering the whole of ourselves to Jesus is a core Christian commitment that will create a cascade of positive effects throughout our everyday lives. Much of our struggle is used by God to reveal areas that are not surrendered to Him, and therefore are not aligned fully with His program i.e. His Kingdom agenda.
Sometimes we know what these areas are, and sometimes we don’t. It takes the Holy Spirit to break through our rationalizations and the idols we hold as precious, and shine a spotlight on what needs to be realigned. And, yes, that means we are called to actually confess our sin.
Paul’s life was so identified with Jesus that He could say: “For me to live is Christ.” And then he proceeded to include death in the equation - even death operates in service to the King of Kings!
GIFT OF SUFFERING
Surrender is hard, but suffering can be even harder – and often the two are linked.
I know in my own life it’s sometimes difficult to view suffering as a gift, something that has been granted to me by God, for His greater glory and for my greater good. Yet that’s exactly what Pauil is saying.
When we believe in Christ and choose to surrender to him as fully as we are able here on earth, we will begin to resemble Him. Our daily choices, speech, thought life, work performance and treatment of other people will more and more reflect His priorities and desires.
This maturing in faith opens the door for suffering to come in, not as an enemy but as a helper, simply because we understand that Jesus suffered, and told us we would too. Doing the hard but Biblical thing often gets you in trouble in this world, and suffering is typically the result.
As a specific example, using the language of Shalom Community, we would say that you and I should:
“Be willing to lay down our lives in service to our brother or sister, even if that includes holding them responsible for their words and actions.”
This process works much better if we realize that Jesus is worth it, that He is better, and that experiencing and knowing Him firsthand is the ultimate pleasure.
All of this is undergirded by the Gospel, the good news of Jesus, which is operating powerfully in the background, providing a healthy context for God’s work in and through us.
As the late Timothy Keller said,
“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 in the power of the Spirit, we will continue to pursue this.
Next week we will continue to examine what Shalom Community looks like in real life.
‘Til then, may God bless you with His awesome truth and love.
For CCS and the Kingdom,
Tom