Why We Do What We Do: Coffee and Bagels (Hospitality and Belonging)
By Kirsten Sidebottom
Think about a time when you felt super welcomed into a new setting and not only welcomed, but you felt like the people there -- maybe even the regulars -- actually wanted you to be there. Now reflect on how that made you feel. What did they do to make you feel welcomed? Why does this moment stick out to you?
Now I want you to take another moment to think about a time where you didn't feel welcomed into a particular setting at all. Maybe it was a social event. Maybe even a family dinner. Maybe it was a time when you tried a church for the very first time. Now, really spend a moment to reflect on how that made you feel. What about this moment made you not feel welcomed?
Chances are you probably felt like a million bucks when you were eagerly welcomed somewhere new. You could tell they were sincere in their appreciation of your presence. You probably felt like you were someone special. You felt loved. This warm embrace left you feeling like you belonged. All of a sudden, you felt at ease.
On the other hand, if you’ve ever gone somewhere where you didn't feel welcomed or you felt entirely unnoticed by others, you probably didn’t leave feeling super great about yourself. You definitely didn’t leave with the best impression of the unwelcoming meanies. You may have even felt the pangs of rejection. Truthfully, it probably felt pretty crummy.
Which of the above examples of hospitality (or lack thereof) do you think exemplify the person of Jesus?
A major role of Jesus’ ministry and the commission we are to take part in now, revolves around the idea of hospitality – inviting outsiders in, giving them a seat at the table, bringing strangers and even enemies into relationships as family. Jesus loves when people come to meet with Him. Not only that, but the idea of community and the notion of each one of us belonging to one another as parts of a body, has always been one of God’s priorities. Think about the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit existing as one divine community. Also, we know that Jesus and the rest of heaven gets pumped whenever someone new enters into the family – the angels throw a party in Heaven whenever a sinner is saved, for crying out loud (Luke 15:7-10)! Even think of the parable of the prodigal son. The son wastefully spent all of his inheritance, disrespected his father, and still the father saw him when he was a long way off. At that moment, the father was filled with so much joy and anticipation that he hiked up his robe and sprinted out to embrace his son with full acceptance back into their family. This embrace (and the party that ensued after) is a prime example of how -- regardless of where we’ve been and the things we’ve done -- Jesus jumps out of his seat with eager expectation to welcome us home (Luke 15).
Researchers and theologians everywhere have found that there is one thing each human desires -- to belong. We all have this deep longing within us that hungers for connection with other people. And of course, every single person has a soul longing to be united with God. We are created for connection.
At New Circle, we care that everyone who walks through the door is greeted with love, belonging, acceptance, and enthusiasm.
We serve bagels, coffee, and fruit every week to play a role in the way we welcome people into our community. With all of the food and meal sharing in the Bible (Jesus eating meals, breaking bread, etc.), it's safe to say that there’s something special and meaningful about gathering with food. In Jesus’ times, inviting someone to have a meal signaled a desire to have a deeper relationship with that person. Food breeds community. It's an equalizer, so we all need it. And on that end, not only was Jesus not picky about who he ate with, he was and is generous in his provision for us (John 4:14; John 6:35).
These are the kinds of thoughts that go into how we strive to intentionally make New Circle attendees feel welcome and like they belong and fit it with the family.
While all of this may feel like a weighty explanation for why we choose to serve coffee, fruit, and bagels every week, we know that simple actions at the surface level can reach far beyond what we can even expect. Our desire in seeing Circle City made new is to show people what Jesus is like. Our heart is for every single visitor to simply receive when they come worship with us acceptance -- hugs, high-fives, and caffeine. We want every person to be known, loved, and cared for as soon as they walk into our doors.
It's more than just having a snack on Sundays.
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Of course you do!
Contact blog@newcirclechurch.com!
Why We Do What We Do: Introduction
By Evan Johnson
God's people are called to gather together to fellowship and for the breaking of bread (Acts 2:42), not so much as a rule but because it is good and enjoyable for God's people to come together and see each other and hear each other and worship with one another.
But how do we know how to do it? What do we do during those times of worship?
More importantly, why do we even do what we do during worship?
Over the next two months, we'll be exploring why we specifically at New Circle Church do what we do in our gatherings. We'll be exploring the reasonings behind everything from the order of service to why we have coffee and bagels ready. No church is without tradition, so we want to make sure that builders and visitors have an easy way of knowing why we do certain things a certain way at New Circle. We don't want the answer to "why do we do this thing this way" to be "because we've always done it that way." We don't worship with traditions and motions. We worship with heart. Traditions and liturgy are just tools to help us worship, so understanding the heart behind our liturgy is the key to helping us worship.
Having said that, nothing that we'll discuss over the next 8 blog posts is a sacred cow. It's not written in stone. We may choose to change it up for whatever reason, but what we're discussing are things you can reasonably expect upon a visit to New Circle.
Have something to say? Of course you do!
E-mail blog@newcirclechurch.com!
Encouragement from Psalm 112
By Evan Johnson
It would be great if every single decision we made was based on how black and white the world is. However, we live in the world of gray. In fact, probably about ninety-nine percent of our decisions everyday are not based on the difference between righteousness and wickedness but on personal benefit and expediency versus inconvenience. When a true moral dilemma arises, it is exactly that. Moral dilemmas aren't dilemmas because they are easy. Controversies aren't controversial because they are easy to solve. However, Psalm 112 offers us a few encouragements to live in righteousness, notably v. 5-10:
"For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever."
Stand your ground. You have the righteousness of Christ. It's hard for Christians to stand our ground on moral issues that require our vigilance. This goes for issues both political and interpersonal. Since we live in a democracy where the opinion of the people matter, we have the opportunity to speak out for our convictions. While it's important to remember to respect the other side during moral dilemmas, we do need to stand firm. On interpersonal issues, standing our ground isn't a passive issue so much as it is an active one. Take that active role of being a voice for the broken and the helpless.
"He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD."
Learn to live with the bad. Seeds don't grow on the mountaintops. They grow in the valleys. When we are in the dark valleys, that's where we do our growing. We don't grow on the mountaintops. Use the times of great trial to grow. Just like the way a furnace purifies gold, struggles develop us as individuals. Use life's exploitations of your weaknesses to turn them into strengths.
"His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries."
Do not fear. With the amount of times God says to his people, "fear not," you would think we would understand it by now. We don't, though. God has given us a spirit of love and power, not of fear (2 Tim. 1:7). There is power within you that walked on water, that healed the sick, that gave life to corpses, and yet Jesus said that his disciples would do even greater things than these. The only thing standing in the way is fear.
"He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor."
Give. Give of your time. Give of your money. Give of yourself. Give of your life. Give of your love. Give yourself to others because you have much to offer. Those who have been given much should give much. Since everyone has been given much by being created intricately and on purpose with God, then they have much of themselves to give. The world needs more givers and less takers, so be a giver. Remember that you won't lose yourself in the process of giving yourself. That may sound hokey, but that's a common fear (see above for instructions on fear). In reality, the more we give, the more we become who we are supposed to be in Christ. Jesus cements himself in us in our outward expression of generosity to the world.
"The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!"
Negativity happens. Even if you give of yourself fearlessly and boldly, there will be some who want you to stay home. Understand that it's only perfect love that drives out fear (1 John 4:18). Being afraid of their judgment won't drive their judgment out. Abandoning all fear and embracing hope in the fullness of its wonder is the only thing that can draw them to the hope that you have in Christ. In the meantime, live boldly. Live in the valley. Live fearlessly. Live generously.
You can do it. I believe in you.
Have something to say? Probably.
E-mail blog@newcirclechurch.com!
The Gospel and Culture
By Evan Johnson
When I was in college, I took a class on The 1001 Arabian Nights. Coincidentally, it was being taught by the university's Arabic professor from Libya. Since she was the Arabic teacher, the majority of the class had a sufficient background in the Arabic language and its culture--except for me (I eventually learned that "nam" meant "do you understand" and "la" meant "no"). Fortunately for my sake, the class was taught in English. However, there was a cultural point of tension between me and my Shi'a Muslim professor when I was writing one of my papers. I did not want to assume that the culture of the Muslims depicted in The 1001 Arabian Nights was an adequate depiction of Islamic religion. She responded in red ink, instructing me to use the culture depicted in the stories as an accurate image of Islamic religion. As an American Christian, this was a new thing for me. There are thousands of sermons all across America each week preaching about the conflict between Christianity and American culture. However, for a Shi'a Muslim like herself, religion is culture, and culture is religion. She also had a hard time understanding that not all Americans were Christians. It was her understanding that since Western culture had its roots in Christianity, this meant that anyone who took part in the culture was in fact Christian.
Around this time, Christianity Today had posted an article refuting the argument that Christianity in America was dying. Instead, they stated that nominal Christians (Christians in "name only") were simply dropping the label. The amount of evangelicals in America had not changed. The amount of people claiming to be evangelicals in America had. Again, I am not saying that every Shi'a Muslim has this mindset about Western culture and Christianity. However, there is a misunderstanding of the Gospel in America, and I have to believe it's not the culture that is ti blame as much as it is the Church. What we have communicated as the Gospel has either been added to or water down to better fit into our daily routines. Our hearts naturally gravitate towards religion instead of grace. Everything we do is based around to-do lists, success, and resumés. Why should the very thing around which we center our whole purpose and existence be any different?
This is exactly what makes the love of Christ taste so good. It's a powerful head-scratcher, but it's true nonetheless. Grace and mercy, by definition, are undeserved. We can do nothing to get them. If we do, they are no longer grace and mercy. Grace is given by God and only by God, and mercy is given by God and only by God. If they are earned by our good deeds, then they can be taken away by our bad deeds. Grace and mercy would therefore become driven completely by conditional love, and we know this not to be true.
Dwell on the unconditional love of God.
Dwell on the grace and mercy of Christ.
Dwell on the Holy Spirit that has been freely given to you.
Let us cultivate a culture of perfect love that casts out fear.
Have an idea for a blog? E-mail blog@newcirclechurch.com!
Quenched
By Chris Norris
Psalm 87:7 – As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.”
The interesting thing about music is that you can hear a song over and over again, yet never understand its meaning or relate to its lyrics. Then one day the song comes on the radio after a significant event in your life and suddenly it hits you: “Woah. This song is deep bro.” Okay, maybe “bro” isn’t a part of your regular vocabulary, but I’m sure this has happened at some point in each of our lives.
For me, it happened this past week as I was on one of my mid-workday walks in Downtown Indianapolis, a routine I adopted this summer to get away from my desk and refocus as I’m completing my internship. At the beginning of my internship, I would leave the office for 15-20 minutes and walk aimlessly around Downtown Indianapolis until it was time to head back. It was exciting at first; I had never really explored downtown until this summer, so I enjoyed getting to scope out new buildings, restaurants, and hangout spots. But like most things in life, at some point my walks got less exciting and less satisfying.
That was until the Monument Circle Fountain (pictured above) was turned on again after being off for the cold months of the year. When I noticed one weekend that the fountain was finally back on, I made sure to stop by on my walk at work the next day. Each day after that, I would at some point come to the fountain just to enjoy its beauty and the noise-cancelling, soothing sound of its flowing water. Gradually, this time spent at the fountain consumed more and more of my walk each day, until finally I decided that I was going to walk straight to the fountain during my walks and just enjoy it until it was time to go back to work.
One day as I was standing at the fountain, a song popped into my head called “All My Fountains” by Chris Tomlin. I laughed at my cheesiness and shrugged it off. Then it happened again the next day. And the day after that. I finally started thinking more about the song and the meaning behind it. When I looked up the lyrics one night after work, it suddenly all came together. This section of the song especially hit me:
I’ve rambled on my own
Never believing I would find
An everlasting stream
Your river carries me home
Let it flow, let it flow
Open the heavens
Come Living Water
All my fountains are in You
The dictionary definition for the word “ramble[d]” (first line of lyrics) is: “verb; walk for pleasure, typically without a definite route.” Reading that definition took my breath away, especially since I looked up the definition after I had already started writing this post. It was almost as if God was confirming the need for people to realize and understand this truth, myself included.
What I didn’t realize until I discovered the fountain was that my rambling was not bringing me the satisfaction and peace that my heart desired. Although the aimless walks were exciting for a while, they ultimately did not bring lasting joy or pleasure or meaning to my day. Instead, the rambling was just a distraction to keep from dealing with my thoughts, worries, etc. When I started coming to the fountain, I realized I would always return to work feeling more satisfied and more refreshed.
This same concept applies when I think about my life. I’ve spent a lot of my life rambling. Whether it’s searching for satisfaction in relationships, friendships, jobs, my future, or even in ministry, none of those things have ever fully satisfied me. As you may have noticed, none of the things I included in my list are inherently bad things. However, when I try to put those things above my relationship with Christ, I have found that I am not satisfied.
John 10:10 – The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The thief comes in many different forms for many different people, but the one thing that is true for everyone is that there are things in our lives that try to steal our attention from the One who gives life to the full. Filling our lives with “good” things doesn’t take away our need for Christ. I often lose sight of this when I start worrying about my future. Of course it is good and healthy to set goals and to be ambitious, but when it takes our attention away from the One who already knows our future, it becomes a distraction and steals our joy.
John 4:13-14 – Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 7:37-38 – On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
Countless times in my life I have seen these passages to be true. When I get my water from other sources, I always end up feeling thirsty and empty and longing for something more. When I come to Jesus for living water, I am satisfied beyond explanation. I am truly quenched. An ongoing personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the only thing in this world that satisfies no matter what. It is the only thing in life that never lets us down.
Merriam-Webster defines fountain as “the source from which something proceeds or is supplied.” If we allow all of our fountains to be found in Christ, then not only will we be supplied by Living Water and fully satisfied in Christ, but this satisfaction and fulfillment will flow over, or proceed, into all areas of our life. I want Tomlin’s lyrics to be true for my life, “Open the heavens. Come Living Water. All my fountains are in You.” Let’s stop rambling and instead start running toward Jesus. He’s waiting.
A word (or 500) about this blog
By Amy Rager
A core value of New Circle Church is unity in diversity. We embrace diversity in ethnicity, age, socio-economic status, education level, sexual attraction, life experience, personality type…. and the list goes on and on.
What a gift it is to gather as a group of individuals who hail from many cultures and bring different points-of-view into our body as we collectively worship Christ! We believe God is glorified through our unity in diversity and that He is graciously producing a unique type of fruit through this aspect of our church.
In our complex, multifaceted congregation, NCC has been given a deep well of perspective and wisdom. We cherish these gifts of God and want to steward them rightly. May it never be said that we dug a hole and hid our talents (Matthew 25:14-30) but that we gave every opportunity for mutual edification through their use.
This blog is a tool, an outlet, a gallery for the display of our unity in diversity and the gifts it is producing: varied perspective, humility, wisdom, eagerness to learn, and veritable love.
When God is doing something rare it can often be misconstrued and highly criticized. Often it is necessary to lay groundwork for what lies ahead, clarify intentions and engage in constant dialogue. This is hard work but it is worth it.
When the only people we interact with are those who hold the same exact perspectives as our own we create an insular, rigid society that is antithetical to the heart and mission of God.
It is our hope that New Circle Church will be addressed by dozens of different voices through this blog. These voices will all strike different chords. Some posts will be theological in nature, some will be testimonies, some will be instructional in nature, others purely for edification. Some posts may be followed by a subsequent post, offering a different perspective on the same issue.
Unless explicitly stated, the posts on this blog will not represent official views of NCC. Builders of New Circle Church are free to disagree with any content represented here and still be accepted as full, valued members of our body.
What Builders of New Circle Church hold as their beliefs can be found here: http://www.newcirclechurch.com/our-beliefs-1
Each piece will be written in humility and we ask that each be received in the same spirit. Feel free to continue the conversations started in each post, in person and in love. We are free to disagree, free to agree and free to dialogue.
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.
(Ephesians 4:1-7 ESV)
Christians and Politics
By Evan Johnson
In the last days of Jesus' life, Pilate asks him where he is from. Jesus doesn't answer. Pilate, shocked that someone would even passively refuse the demands of a Roman governor asks, "do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?" Jesus responds, "you would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above." Pilate asks Jesus where he is from but instead learns where his authority comes from. Now, we don't know if this scared Pilate, or if he just thought Jesus was crazy. Either way, he did not deem the man worthy of crucifixion. Scripture says that from that point on he tried to change the Jewish leaders' minds.
Jesus kept one thing at the center: the Gospel. His answer pointed back to God. Even though he initially defies Pilate in his silence, he knows the will of God and is not going to obstruct it. This is the same Jesus who told his followers to pay taxes, not because he fears Roman authority (as he defies it later by not answering Pilate's questions). They are to pay taxes so as to not give anyone, including the government, reason to doubt their salvation. Later in Acts, Paul uses his Roman citizenship to keep from being crucified, not because he fears for his life, but because he wants to continue to preach the Gospel. William Wilberforce, a British politician, was moved to launch a campaign against the transatlantic slave trade because he believed that all people were created in the image of God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor, sought to fight Hitler's doctrinal overhaul of German churches during the 1930s but not because he was clinging to polity and liturgy. He saw evil rising in the world and knew that the goodness of Christ stood in direct opposition to it.
There is no shortage of examples of people throughout history who, moved by their Christian convictions, fought for change in their political arenas. At the same time, there is no shortage of Scripture instructing Christians to submit to authorities. What, then, is the correct response to political authority that stands in direct contrast to biblical principles?
- GET INVOLVED. A Christian that is apathetic to the political system allows for the system to be apathetic towards Christians. Keep track of elections that are happening in the near future, especially the small and local ones such as City Council. Join a social movement. Join a political party. Run for office. If a cause stirs your heart, be its conduit for change.
- PRAY FOR YOUR LEADERS. Regardless of your political persuasion, take time to pray for those who represent you on the international stage as well as in City Hall. They need it just like the rest of us.
- DISAGREE WELL. I saved this one for last for a reason. Especially in politics, it is important for Christians to be ready to turn the other cheek because there will be those even within our own churches that we disagree with politically. The heart of the Christian is a passionate one, but it is not without mercy and grace.
We know it, but we need reminding that political parties don't save us from hell. Jesus does. At the end of the day, the one constant is God, and having that at the center of everything we do is essential.
Eight Reasons God Lets Us Go Through Trials
By Mike Porter
A constant question throughout our lives is why do we go through trials. We know the old adage “bad things happen to good people," but that’s difficult to grasp when good things are happening to bad people around us. Well, here are eight reasons God lets us go through seasons of suffering:
1. To test the genuineness of our faith. Our faithful response to suffering demonstrates we are children of God. A false faith will fall away when the going gets rough. What a blessing it is as God confirms in our hearts through suffering that we are conquerors in the midst of sufferings, trials and persecutions (Matt 13:1-23 (esp. v20-21), 2 Thess 1:3-5, Acts 14:22, Matt 10:38, Luke 22:28-29, Rom 8:17, 31-39, 2 Tim 2:12, 1 Cor 15:1-2, Col 1:21-23, Job chapters 1-2).
2. To develop our spiritual muscles. God wants to grow our faith, holiness and godliness, and just as when a weight lifter must have resistance to his muscles to grow new muscle tissue, so the believer needs suffering to develop in maturity in the faith. In addition, sometimes we suffer because God is disciplining us as a loving Father disciplines his son or daughter, that we may forsake sinful, harmful ways and pursue His path of godliness (Jas 1:2-4, Rom 5:3-5, Job 23:10, Heb 2:1, 10, 12:1-15, 2 Tim 3:12, Gal 6:6-8)
3. To learn greater dependence on God. When we experience His comfort, we draw closer to God and develop more our intimacy with God in prayer. (2 Cor 12:7-10, 2 Cor 1:3-10, Heb 2:18)
4. To give us a greater “heavenly homesickness.” Suffering makes us strongly aware that our heavenly home is our destination, and this life and it’s trinkets and treasures are fleeting, temporary and not worthy of our focused attention- so we fix our eyes on the unseen, the eternal treasures. (2 Cor 5:1-8, Heb 11:13-16, Matt 6:19-20)
5. For the purpose of ministry. The suffering that we go through is a means to later minister to others with God’s comfort and encouragement in their similar suffering. (2 Cor 1:3-10, Heb 2:18). We also learn in suffering to draw nearer to other believers and receive from them comfort and encouragement (2 Cor 1:3-10). We pray for each other and grow closer in love. Believers that suffer together love together.
6. To remind us of the eternal reward that awaits us. We’re challenged through eyes of faith that our sufferings are very light and temporary compared to the eternal weight of glory and rewards we receive by responding faithfully to suffering (Rom 8:17, 2:7, 2 Cor 4:17, Heb 11:26, 1 Pet 1:6-7)
7. To draw believers and nonbelievers to him. Suffering for non-believers can be what wakes them up to their own weakness, mortality and need for God’s salvation, power, and forgiveness. Likewise, suffering can be what reorients a believer’s heart around their dependency on Christ.
8. Finally and most importantly, to make his name known. God has a master plan to “bring many sons to glory” (Heb 2:10). It brings God ultimate glory to save rebellious sinners and bring them into a loving relationship with himself. To do that, by necessity, there must be a fallen world that has the chance to rebel against Him. And so God’s great love, mercy, forgiveness and grace is seen when He saves the rebellious sinner (Rom 5:20, 1 Tim 1:12-17).