Rootedness | Transformed into Communal Servants Like Jesus

"The Church's witness (should)
take the form of Jesus' witness,
whose power was manifest
in love, weakness, and suffering"
(Michael Goheen, True Story).

How do we grow as humble servants
who are baptized
in the name of the Son, Jesus,
whose servant leadership
continues to change human history? 

Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me and for the Gospel will save it. 

Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.  

In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called 'friends of the people.' But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.

+ Jesus 

(Mark 8:34-35, 10:43-45; Luke 22:25-27)

As we began Emmaus City Church, and as we continue to seek Jesus' wisdom in how to be servants who are becoming more like Jesus, it's good to come back to His words again and again. 

If we have been baptized into the name of the Son, how do we continue to be rooted in our identity as His friends who love Him, do what He says, and bear the image of His servants' heart to our neighbors, friends, strangers, family, and enemies?

In light of this meditation, I continue to be convicted by the list below of 20 ways I think Jesus intends to transform us into servants. Using Jesus' method of comparison, the contrast of what leadership should and should not look like can be helpful. And I hope that future servant leaders I will get to learn from will be able to add to it so I can continue to grow in becoming more like Jesus (see also a previous post from Soma School on "How We Lead Others with Jesus"). The current list below is merely a starting point for holy curiosity and courage to become more like Jesus together.

For we do not preach ourselves,

but Jesus Christ as Lord, 

and ourselves as your servants 

for Jesus' sake 

(2 Corinthians 4:5).

20 Ways Jesus Transforms

an Entitled Individual

into a Communal Servant

 | 1 | 

Entitled individuals
need to be recognized
for what they've done for others.
Jesus' communal servants
focus on Him and
what He's done for them
and for others.

 | 2 | 

Entitled individuals
bring their past bitterness
into the present.
Jesus' communal servants
bring humble future hope
into the present.

 | 3 | 

Entitled individuals soak
in the world's cynicism.

Jesus' communal servants
seek the Kingdom
of heaven's realism.

 | 4 | 

Entitled individuals
wait for failures 

to happen any moment.
Jesus' communal servants
expect failures to shape
their faithfulness 

for every moment.

 | 5 | 

Entitled individuals
choose to keep a record
of others' sins with them.
Jesus' communal servants 

choose to love others 

in order to cover 

a multitude of sins against them.

 | 6 | 

Entitled individuals demand
others to repent first
in order to forgive.
Jesus' communal servants 

forgive first 

because they have repented 

and been forgiven.

 | 7 | 

Entitled individuals listen
to some portions of Jesus' words
in order to adapt it
to their knowledge of the world.
Jesus' communal servants 

work to be nourished 

by all of Jesus' words 

so they can be transformed 

to serve others.

 

 | 8 | 

Entitled individuals
expect others to come
to them for insight.
Jesus' communal servants 
go out to serve, 

learning from others 

along the way.

 | 9 | 

Entitled individuals separate 

from others 

during trials and conflict. 

Jesus' communal servants 

go to be with others 

during trials and conflict, 

including those 

they are in conflict with.

| 10 | 

Entitled individuals accept
being led only on their own terms.
Jesus' communal servants 
know they need to be led 

by others on Jesus' terms.

| 11 |

Entitled individuals 

casually read Jesus' words, 

assume their own goodness, 

and serve the community 

when it comes conveniently. 

Jesus' communal servants 

regularly pray and work 

to live from Jesus' words, 

ask to be filled 

with the Spirit He gives, 

and seek to serve their community 

because they expect all of the above 

not to come conveniently.

| 12 |

Entitled individuals self-protect 

and participate when the activity fits 

with their personality. 

Jesus' communal servants 

self-sacrifice and trust 

God will shape them 

to become more like Jesus 

to be fit for the needs that arise.

| 13 |

Entitled individuals fuel doubt 

with self-focused despair. 

Jesus' communal servants 

face doubt with Jesus-focused trust.

| 14 |

Entitled individuals want 

only invitation and community. 

Jesus' communal servants 

ask for challenge and vision as well 

that are needed in order for growth 

in forgiveness and grace to happen.

| 15 |

Entitled individuals want 

the glory without the cross. 

Jesus' communal servants 

know they need the cross 

in order to give Jesus the glory

and others their good.

| 16 |

Entitled individuals want
God and others only to lead them
to streams of living water.
Jesus' communal servants  

trust that Jesus is the Shepherd 

who can and will also lead them 

with others through the inevitable valleys 

of the shadow of death 

and sit with them at the table 

in the presence of their enemies.

| 17 |

Entitled individuals 

are self- and comfort-oriented 

complainers. 

Jesus' communal servants  

are others- and worship-oriented 

encouragers.

| 18 |

Entitled individuals wait 

to see "success" first, 

and then decide to give 

their commitment to what 

they want to do. 

Jesus' communal servants  

know "success" is first bringing 

their faithful presence and patience, 

and then giving themselves 

to what God wants them to do.

| 19 |

Entitled individuals try 

to love their family, 

tolerate their neighbors, 

and ignore their enemies 

with their own strength 

when they feel like it. 

Jesus' communal servants  

choose to love their family, 

neighbors, and enemies 

knowing Jesus can provide 

what's needed 

even when they don't feel like it.

| 20 |

Entitled individuals look 

at all of the above 

and think about everything 

that's not worth the sacrifice. 

Jesus' communal servants  

are convicted by all of the above 

as they wonder about 

how they can seek to be 

about God's work in the world, 

what they will follow Jesus 

into as servants alongside Him, 

and what the Holy Spirit will do 

in them and through them 

in the journey ahead.

For an example of how this approach impacted the growth of the first faith communities who followed Jesus, we have the story of a small group of people in Thessalonica under severe persecution in an insignificant area of the Roman Empire at the time. We get to read how they chose to be servant leaders so that more people would come to follow Jesus:

We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. Instead, we were like young children among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the Gospel of God but our lives as well. Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the Gospel of God to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into His kingdom and glory. And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus.  

+ 1 Thessalonians 2:4-14

Because of their not perfect, but living, example, we also hear how the part of Jesus' Church in Thessalonica imitated this servant leadership that reflected His life and cross-bearing death:

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our Gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers ...

+ 1 Thessalonians 1:3-7

Jesus made it happen in Thessalonica then. I believe He can make it happen again now. May He do it again among you and me in the days to come.

Next post:
Healing in the Name of Jesus

– Sully

Curiosity piqued? Something inside you being stirred? Go ahead and connect. For other updates, like and follow Emmaus City on Facebook.

Rootedness | Beyond Awkward When Witnessing About Jesus

Not only is God on His mission to return people into relationship with Him – He calls everyday people to join Him in doing so like the woman at the well in John 4 and the demoniac in Mark 5; they both returned to their villages and spoke about Jesus and many came to believe in Him because of the testimony of these two. + Beau Crosetto

If you're a follower of Jesus, do you have a friend, co-worker, or neighbor who immediately comes to mind when you think about someone you think you would like to share His good news with? If you haven't done so yet, why do you think that is? Maybe because in the U.S. in the 21st century, it's a little awkward?

Beau Crosetto shares about this in Beyond Awkward. Inside, there are some helpful steps we can take as witnesses of Jesus who have been baptized and rooted in Him to share about His good news with others. Enjoy the excerpts below from the third chapter of Crosetto's book, "Evangelism is Awkward," and stir up some curiosity and prayer for how the Holy Spirit could invite you to share some good news with this person God has given you to know and love, trusting that He has chosen you to be a witness to them.

The Puzzle of Sharing Good News: Evangelism is Awkward

Awkwardness usually precedes God moving in a powerful way.

Most of the time when God asks us to talk to someone in His name, it will be awkward at some point. But right after some of the initial tension is released, some kind of breakthrough comes, whether in the other person, in us, or in the conversation.

Evangelistic moments will freak us out. But if we bail out early we will miss the breakthrough moment that God, the other person and we were longing for the whole time.

The reality is that most people don't share about Jesus because they don't want to make others uncomfortable, they don't want to feel pushy, or they anticipate being caught without words in the moment. So we don't even start, or we bail at the first sign of trouble. It is important to ask ourselves regularly, Am I tempted to bail because of how I might look or feel, or is this genuinely a bad time to bring up Jesus?

The overwhelming reality in sharing Jesus, however, is that most of the encounters God sets up will be unnerving and uncomfortable. So why should we even bother? We do it because we know it may be awkward now, but God is going to move. If we want to see God move, then we need to enter into the awkwardness. Breakthrough is coming, and we don't want to miss it. 

Sharing the Good News: Awkward Moments Lead to Breakthroughs

The funny thing about awkward moments is that you and I have them all the time. Not just in sharing our faith, but in dating relationships, marriage, at work with our boss, and even with friends. I would make the case that those tense moments often are the way we pass through a certain threshold to gain more intimacy in our relationships.

Sharing Jesus is no different. Incredible tension comes into play with people we know God wants us to talk to about Jesus. We are nervous and scared because we don't know if it will be weird or pushy or uncomfortable. We don't want to alienate them, and we don't want to get rejected.

But some of the time when we pop that question, Would you ever want to talk about Jesus? there is an incredible response at the end. They actually want to talk about and seek God. The uneasy moment precedes a breakthrough experience.

What makes things awkward? The genesis of awkwardness is social rules being broken; the more social rules that are broken, the more awkward encounters become. There are three main social norms we have to break repeatedly if we are going to share Jesus with others regularly, and because we have to break them, most of us don't share.

1. Don't talk to anyone you don't know "well enough". It is not socially acceptable in Western culture to engage in "religious" conversations with people we don't know that well. This differs depending on where we live, but for the most part it is a social rule that when we don't know someone that well, we should keep to ourselves about our beliefs. 

2. Don't say things that make anyone feel uncomfortable. We are becoming more and more conditioned to comfort. If something doesn't feel good, don't do it. If something doesn't sound good, don't say it. It is not normal to "press through" when things feel uncomfortable to ourselves or others. It is normal to avoid them, get rid of them, and do something different.  

3. Don't question people about what is real or true. It is not okay in our culture, especially the more experience-based it becomes, to say Jesus is the way God comes to us or to ask for more detail as to why people they think what they think is true or real. We live in a more relativistic culture which embraces the mantra "What is good for you is good for you, and what is good for me is good for me." 

So any kind of encounter that presses us to break one of these rules will create awkward tension. When we break all three rules – talk to someone we don't know that well, step into an uncomfortable question, and consider with the person that Jesus is true or real – then we are on our way to a more intense moment than is often regularly lived and pushed through.

We want to be socially acceptable now, which makes it hard to be a witness to Jesus has done and is doing. We want to fit in and not be disruptive. But the reality of being a follower of Jesus is that He asks us to be His witnesses, and this often means breaking one or more of the social rules above.

Out of His redemptive and restorative love for people and the world, Jesus calls for us to push through many of our social mores. He says, "Go and tell" as opposed to keeping quiet where you are, "make disciples" as opposed to making conversations generic and not curious and initially uncomfortable, and "teach them to obey Jesus' commands" as opposed to settling for all religions and teachers being relatively equal.

  

Sharing the Good News: Right Next to Scared is Excited

Here is an exercise that is both fun and revealing.

1. Imagine you are going for a walk in your neighborhood. You stop to say a quick prayer, "God speak to me. I'm listening." Imagine God saying, "Walk one street over." Write down how this feels. 

2. After much thought, you decide God was speaking to you and you head one street over. Record how this feels. 

3. Imagine that a house sticks out to you for some reason. You sense God saying, "Go, stand near the house." Write down how this feels. 

4. As you approach the house, two people walk into the front yard; they are talking about a relationship with God. You sense God wants you to ask them, "Do you understand who God is and how to have a relationship with Him?" Record how this feels. 

5. They reply, "Not really. That's what we are trying to figure out. What do you mean?" How does this feel? 

6. You then ask them if you can explain what it looks like to have a relationship with Jesus. How does it feel to ask them this? Write it down. 

7. They say they would love to know. Record how this feels. 

8. You explain the Good News of Jesus, and they decide they want to trust in Jesus, repent and be baptized into His family, and begin to walk in His ways. They thank you profusely for taking the time to interrupt their day to explain this to them. You invite them to join you for a mass or for a meal in your home, and get their contact info. Write down how this makes you feel.

The lists of what people write down often look like this:

1. Weird! 

2. This is interesting. 

3. Heart pumping and weird. 

4. Awkward. 

5. Really awkward. 

6. Scared. 

7. Excited! 

8. Pumped!

The list gets pretty dicey in the middle. But right after the word scared we see the word excited. Right next to it! If you recall nothing else, please remember that right after awkward and scared is excited.

Those who regularly share the Good News about Jesus with others aren't skilled enough, trained enough or cool enough to avoid moments when they feel underprepared and out of control. They go through them. Nevertheless, they stay engaged and trust that God has something coming.

I think Jesus wants us to be bold in those awkward and fearful moments. I think He wants us to learn to anticipate God's movement and have a front-row seat to see His work. I think He wants us to enjoy many people saying yes to Him. There is no greater experience than seeing people realize Jesus has come to rescue and redeem their lives, and having them thank you for connecting them to their eternal Father.

1. Sense God's call: If you are clear that God has invited you into a moment, any awkwardness during that encounter undoubtedly is part of the God moment. When we create our own moments and force ourselves into situations, it's likely we are creating the tension. For those who are on the bolder side, do a double take and ask God if He is inviting you into this moment or you are forcing it. 

2. Look for openness: When God is up to something, you won't need to push. You will be invited in. If you sense that God is inviting you to take a risk and the person is responding, though it may be awkward, go for it, because God is in it!

God is not beyond awkward moments, and my prayer is that you will respond to Him next time He calls.

Previous "Rooted" posts:

+ Rootedness: God Is Great, Glorious, Good & Gracious  

+ Rooted in Gospel Fluency: Good Fruit from Root of Jesus

+ Rootedness: Baptism as Jesus' Way of Life for Us  

+ Rootedness: Forestry, "Ubuntu," and the Family of God  

Next post: Rootedness | Transformed into Communal Servants Like Jesus

+ Sully

Email Pastor Mike | Website | Visit Us | Support Us | Facebook Us

CN | Rootedness: Forestry, "Ubuntu," and the Family of God

Underneath your feet, at the core of creation, the earth is teeming with interconnectivity, relationship, and cooperation. I wonder if the earth is trying to teach us something about how we are supposed to live "up here." Maybe relational intimacy is woven into the fabric of the world. + AJ Sherrill

In continuing to ponder and live out the theme of "Rootedness" during this summer of 2022, I have returned again to AJ Sherrill's little pocket guide, Expansive. Check out below what Sherrill has to share about being rooted with Jesus and His family.

The Core of Creation is Rooted and Teeming with Interconnectivity, Relationship, and Cooperation

Let's talk fungus. All foresters know fungi can't photosynthesize. Trees can photosynthesize. This means fungi can't convert light energy from the sun into chemical energy for food. The quandary is that fungi need food. Fungi are heterotrophs, which means their energy is derived by breaking down organic molecules from other living things. What fungi do have are minerals. They extract minerals up from the soil. And minerals are what make the bark of a tree reality. But here is the problem: Although trees can photosynthesize to make carbon, their roots are often not wide enough to get the mineral necessary to make bark. And so how does a tree get the minerals it needs to manifest into the bark of a tree? They make trade deals with the fungi. What?! Trees need minerals. Fungi need sugar. So they share! Some refer to this forest dynamic as the "wood wide web." 

Contrary to popular opinion, trees are not autonomous competitors, nor are they tribal in the sense of caring exclusively for their own species. They are relational. They are cooperators. Apparently, it kind of works like this: Fungal roots stretch up toward the tree with their tubes and say to the tree, "Hey, I'm in your zip code, wanna work together?" The tree then softens its roots to make room for the fungal tubes to wrap themselves into place. And they make the exchange – sugar for minerals, minerals for sugar. Everybody wins.

Underneath your feet, at the core of creation, the earth is teeming with interconnectivity, relationship, and cooperation. I wonder if the earth is trying to teach us something about how we are supposed to live "up here." Maybe relational intimacy is woven into the fabric of the world. It makes me think that every time I walk into a church gathering, I should be asking, "How do I move more closely toward these people?"

It makes me curious about how humanly dignifying eye contact and kindness is with the cashier at the store. It makes me question the pervasive habit of filling my ears with buds that connect me to music but disconnect me from the sounds of humans in the world around me. We were created for interconnectivity. We are wired for relationship. The forest is an amazing teacher.

Jesus' Story from Beginning to End is Creating Rooted Relationships

At the beginning and at the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, He's doing the same thing: creating relationships. Spirituality is always personal, but never private. We are called to walk the journey of faith on this planet in community. 

Consider these texts:

Beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry: Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him. (Matthew 4:21-22)  

End of Jesus' earthly ministry: Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother there, and the disciple whom He lovedstanding nearby, He said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. (John 19:25-27) 

Jesus begins ministry, not by forging the Kingdom on His own, but by inviting seemingly random people to follow Him into a new kind of family dynamic. 

In fact, some of the disciples literally left the trade of their blood relations to follow Him into a different way of life. Fast-forward about 3 years. Jesus is hanging on a tree, dying a humiliating and excruciating death. In His dying breath what is He doing? He is creating new family bonds. The Apostle Paul named this dynamic new creation. Something previously not there, through the blood of Jesus, mystically happens. That is how essential relationships are to the God who created them.

The Church are those "called out ones" from the world who organize their lives around the Presence of God in community. They are the ones called to bear witness to what God is doing in all of the world: namely, drawing all nations unto Himself. When the Church speaks of Trinity, she means that God, in essence, is relationship. Therefore, the Church, drawn into this Triune God, is called to reflect the relational dynamic that is always happening in Trinity. Spirituality is always personal, but never private.

There has been much written on the application of the blood of Jesus. Some view it as a sacrificial offering, purifying from sin those who claim it over their lives. Others see the blood of Jesus as merely the tragic consequence of getting in the way of worldly empires. But consider this possibility: 

What if the blood of Jesus also reminds us that a new bloodline – a new family – was being formed by the Triune God? Maybe Jesus' blood means that He was serious in creating a new family dynamic amongst those who follow Him.

Replete throughout the New Testament is the Greek word, "uios" (pronounced way-os), meaning brothers and sisters. At the core, we do not relate to the Church as fellow strangers, acquaintances, or colleagues. Rather, the Church is family. Imperfect family, no less, but family still. The blood of Jesus defines our relationality. This means that what binds us together transcends our race, color, gender, and politics. It's far more fundamental than that. What binds us together is Jesus' blood. That is all we need in common to relate as family at the deepest level. What if the Church began to take that holy mystery seriously?

A Flourishing Church is Focused on Rootedness with Intentionality and Purpose

| 1 | The first commitment a flourishing church must regain is rootedness. Someone once asked Saint Anthony the desert father, "What must we keep in order to be pleasing to God?" And Anthony answered, "Keep what I tell you. Whoever you may be, always keep God before your eyes. And whatever you do, do it from the witness of the Holy Scriptures. And in whatever place you live, do not leave quickly." Another translation reads, "Do not leave easily." Relationships, like good wine, take time. Imagine removing a tea bag from one cup of hot water to another every 30 seconds. Beverage dilution would result.

Recent studies show that loneliness is registered in the same part of the brain as physical pain. This means the human body takes loneliness quite seriously. And loneliness is a signifiant issue today from the farm to the city. In an age of individualism, perhaps the greatest compliment a local church can be given is not a visitor liking the music, or the preaching, or even the liturgy. Rather, it's the experience of warmth, welcome, and hospitality. Let us never forget that ... It was the hospitality of the early Church that won over the hearts of people and brought the Roman Empire to its knees. May it once again be said of the Church: and there was no lonely among them.

We depend on the other in order for us to be fully who we are ... The (African) concept of Ubuntu says: A person is a person through other persons. When I have a small piece of bread, it is for my benefit that I share it with you. Because, after all, none of us came into the world on our own. We needed two people to bring us into the world. 

+ Anglican Bishop Desmund Tutu

| 2 | The second commitment for the withward direction is intentionality. The greatest quest in life (and consequentially the greatest challenge in our current society) is not to become more successful, or more knowledgeable, or more powerful. Rather, it is to become more relational. Radical intention toward meaningful relationships is now one of the most essential spiritual disciplines in the 21st century.

Due to forces driving increasing levels of social isolation, loneliness, and technology, we may go down as the generation that is over-connected and under-communed. We eat around each other but rarely dine with each other. I heard recently that the average American had 3 genuine friends in the early 1990s. Today that number has dwindled to 1.8. Surveys report 40 percent of Americans have no one listening to their life with them. We are trending in a tragic direction. If ever there were a good moment for the Church to bear light on this present darkness, now is the time.

Many speak casually about wanting to change global society. It is quite possible that the best and only way to really accomplish change is through intention with a local community. No matter how long or short you think you will live in a given state, city, or neighborhood, the invitation of Jesus is to know and be known with the people right in front of you.

| 3 | The third commitment of the withward direction is purpose. I've never been able to shake Acts 2:43-44: "Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common." I long for that. How does this happen? It happens as an outcome of purpose. The preceding verse reveals what the community devoted themselves to, which made these kinds of breakthroughs possible. They were devoted to the Scriptures, fellowship, feasting, and prayer. Simple input. Complex result. Simplexity!

In his book, Destroyer of the Gods, scholar Larry Hurtado writes, "It was now down to individuals to pursue their own private improvement and development. Instead, early Christian behavioral teaching was presented as a corporate commitment and social project to which believers were summoned collectively." The early church met with purpose. Devotion to Scripture centered them on their story (notice the root of Scripture is Script). None of us can bear witness to this grand story alone. It's far too great. We all have gifts to share in building each other up and telling the story to the world.

In Sebastian Junger's book, Tribe, he writes," Whatever the technological advances of modern society – and they're nearly miraculous – the individualized lifestyles that those technologies spawn seem to be deeply brutalizing to the human spirit." The Church, in her essence, are those peculiar people who conspire together with God for the world's renewal. We are more together than apart. A renewed commitment to rootedness, intentionality, and purpose are part of what it means to reclaim our divine likeness in the community of the family of God. Remember, when Jesus taught His disciples to pray, the first word used was "Our Father." The entire Christian journey is based on familial and communal framework.

+ Adapted excerpts above from AJ Sherrill's Expansive

For other posts on Rootedness, see:

+ Rootedness: God Is Great, Glorious, Good & Gracious 

+ Rooted in Gospel Fluency: Good Fruit from Root of Jesus

Next post: Rootedness | Beyond Awkward When Witnessing About Jesus

Christ is all,

Rev. Mike "Sully" Sullivan

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