Purpose, Living the Vision God Set You Apart For
(Joining Jesus in His Vision for the Church) pt.4
All Scripture taken from the New Living Translation
Here we are in part four of our series on how to live out the vision God set you apart for…
So far, we’ve been talking about things we can do to put ourselves in a position to successfully join God in the vision and plans He’s calling us to join Him in.
Today, we’re going to talk about one of my favorite topics for the church that we are all part of when it comes to Kingdom living…
This is a vision that all of us all called to be a part of when we put our trust in Jesus
And this vision was cast in the Upper Room of a house during the Passover Meal the night Jesus was betrayed… Most likely a roof top with some type of canopy…
This meal is now known as the Lord’s Supper as it was the night Jesus instituted communion…
Judas has left the room to betray Jesus and have Him arrested… Jesus knows all that is happening and that He will be crucified within hours…
While this is happening, Jesus gives His final teachings to the Disciples…
The words He gives are meant to comfort and prepare them for what is to come…
These words are also meant for us as well… When Jesus finished, He prayed a prayer that I think is the most significant prayer ever said on earth.
All this can be found in the Gospel of John chapters 13 -17…
These five chapters are what Bible scholars have termed as, “The Upper Room Discourse.”
The main theme in these chapters is love… How much Jesus loves us, how much He will take care of and provide for us…
And how much we are to love each other in the church…
John 15:12 – “This is My commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.”
Jesus ends His final words to the disciples with a prayer for them, and for the future believers… In John chapter 17…
I have always found John chp. 17 fascinating because it is Jesus’ prayer before He was betrayed, arrested, and crucified… And it’s a prayer for you and I!!
John 17:20-23 – 20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. 22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”
Jesus closes out His prayer for future believers asking for perfect unity to be in the church…
There is power in unity… When the world sees a unified church… A unified group of believers… The testimony of God’s goodness draws them in!
This is why the devil works so hard at creating disunity in the church!!
The night Jesus was betrayed, He cast the vision for unity among believers… Unity in the church!
For me, I would put unity among believers in the category of sacred space…
It is such a powerful atmosphere that we must hold it in high regards…
It means we look beyond the exterior of someone with the understanding that what we have in common is Jesus…
And that Jesus is the common bond that connects us to each other!
Also, it isn’t a suggestion… It’s a commandment…
In the Upper Room during the Passover Meal… Jesus demonstrated the greatest act of humility and servant leadership by washing the disciples’ feet…
After this He predicts His betrayal, and follows it with…
John 13:34-35 – “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples.”
This is an action statement… The proof we are living for Jesus is our love for each other… Our love for our fellow believers…
Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples/followers
Christianity is not meant to be done at home watching online services…
Christianity is about community, and there’s no community when we isolate ourselves in the name of, “I don’t need the church to find Jesus.”
Giving a new commandment to love one another is Jesus’ opening statement to His final teaching…
Listen, doing church is hard…
Church is hard, but, at the same time it is the most fulfilling life-giving atmosphere we will ever experience out of Kingdom living here on earth!
So again… Our love for one another in the church is proof to the world that we are following Jesus…
The reason unity in the church is so important is because this is what draws others to Jesus…
And Jesus prays for such unity that we… All of us in this room, in this church, and in the church down the road… That we are one unified body, in the same way Jesus and the Father are one.
John 17:21 – I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one, as You are in Me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in us so that the world will believe You sent Me.
Now, in all our humanness… With all our earthly messiness… We will never get to where we are all one just as the Father and Son are one…
So that we are all one unified body bonding with the Father and Son…
We cannot meet this sacred experience without the Holy Spirit…
John 17:22 – “I have given them the glory You gave me, so they may be one as We are one. I am in them and You are in Me…. “
It is this glory, the very presence of God through the Holy Spirit, that binds us all together, and is the power, the goodness, the force to be reckoned with when presenting a unified church to the world!
The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, our Counselor… The one who brings conviction, and nudges us to do the right thing…
The Holy Spirit helps us implement the commands of Jesus in our daily living…
The Holy Spirit is the glue that binds us all together, and helps us understand that underneath it all… We are all striving for the same thing…
To become the person Jesus created us to be…
The Holy Spirit helps us see beyond the messiness and encourage those around us so that we are a unified body of believers!
And all of this is for the world to know that God sent His Son to the earth to reveal to mankind the love of the Father…
John 17:23 – “I am in them and You are in Me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent me and that You love them as much as You love Me.”
The purpose for all of this is to make us more loving…
The evidence, the proof, that Jesus is real is when someone comes into a church and is met with the same love from that congregation of people that the Father has for the Son, and that the Son has for us…
That our love for each other extends to someone seeking Jesus in the same way Jesus’ love extends to us!
It takes an intentional effort to promote unity in the church…
Ephesians 4:2-3 – Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
How about this…
1 Corinthians 1:10 – I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.
There should be no division in the church!
When we are humble, gentle, patient with each other… And then even going a step further… Allow people to mess up, it’s ok if people mess up…
And when we do… We don’t need a lecture… We need a fellow believer to come alongside us and cheer us on… Encourage us… Be with us in our mess…
This is how we promote unity and harmony in the church… And when the church is functioning in this sacred manner…
We are united in thought and purpose… Meaning, we catch the vision of that church’s specific role in the community, in the Kingdom…
And within that church’s vision/purpose… We find our purpose…
The point is… When we are all doing life together in the Kingdom with the mind of Christ Jesus, united in thought and purpose… We make up a unified body…
In 1 Corinthians chapter 12 the Apostle Paul compares the intricate way the human body functions to the same intricate way the church body functions…
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 – The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ… And we all share the same Spirit.
Paul goes on to say that just as the human body has different parts, each for different functions… The eye can’t say to the ear, “I don’t need you,”
And the hand can’t say to the foot, “Get out of here, you’re not wanted.” …
They each operate in their own special way that makes for a complete body…
And so it is with everyone in the church body… We all bring our own special talents and gifts to the table…
And it is the unity and harmony of when we work together that makes us one complete body of believers…
1 Corinthians 12:25-26 – This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
Not only do we find a common purpose together in the Kingdom…
We are to take care of each other… We are to honor each other…
We should be bringing joy and gladness to each other as we do Kingdom life together as one completed body of Christ.
We are all in this together… And we are all equally important!!
Can we honestly say that we are striving for unity in the church today?
As we close out today’s message…
I am in a season of prayer and hope that word of this unified family of believers gets out to the community…
That Vineyard Community is a church that is known for providing something people are spiritually hungry for.
In the words of the Apostle Paul…
Philippians 2:2-4 – … Make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
This is the entire reason Jesus prayed for us in John chapter 17… That we would be one, just as He and the Father are one!
Jesus, being the common thread the binds us together… Agreeing wholeheartedly with each other… And humbly working together with one mind and one purpose…
When believers live in harmony, people take notice.
When people are encouraged, it gives them a sense of belonging… It gives them hope… And for some it even restores their hope in humanity…
This in turn gives them the confidence needed to walk out their kingdom purpose…
The vision they feel God is calling them into.
As Jesus is hours away from being nailed to the Cross, He prayed that His followers would be unified…
That we would defend each other, not criticize each other… That we would love each other, not argue with each other…
That we don’t see ourselves as better than another, but that we work together in this thing we call life…
Do you know why the devil works so hard to cause division and disunity in the church?
Because a unified church is unstoppable!!
Romans 14:19 – So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
Memorial Day History
Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May.
The origins of Memorial Day can be traced back to various events and locations. One of the earliest known commemorations took place on May 1, 1865, in Charleston, South Carolina, where the recently freed Black population held a parade to honor 257 dead Union soldiers. Another significant event was the dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1863, which included a ceremony to commemorate the graves of dead soldiers.
General John Logan, Commander in Chief of the Grand Army, proclaimed the first national observance of Memorial Day on May 30, 1868, which was then known as Decoration Day.
This day was chosen to honor the soldiers who died during the Civil War. By the late 1800s, many cities and communities observed Memorial Day, and several states had declared it a legal holiday.
In 1971, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, establishing Memorial Day as a federal holiday to be commemorated on the last Monday of May. This change was made to provide a three-day weekend for workers and to honor all American veterans who died in all of America’s wars.
Today, Memorial Day is commemorated at Arlington National Cemetery with a ceremony where a small American flag is placed on each grave. It is also a day for visiting cemeteries and memorials to mourn the military personnel who died in the line of duty.
Memorial Day: A Time for Heroes
A teenager learns the importance of Memorial Day.
I leaned against an oak at the side of the road, wishing I were invisible, keeping my distance from my parents on their lawn chairs and my younger siblings scampering about.
I hoped none of my friends saw me there. God forbid they caught me waving one of the small American flags Mom bought at Ben Franklin for a dime. At 16, I was too old and definitely too cool for our small town’s Memorial Day parade.
I ought to be at the lake, I brooded. But, no, the all-day festivities were mandatory in my family.
A high school band marched by, the girl in sequins missing her baton as it tumbled from the sky. Firemen blasted sirens in their polished red trucks. The uniforms on the troop of World War II veterans looked too snug on more than one member.
“Here comes Mema,” my father shouted.
Five black convertibles lumbered down the boulevard. The mayor was in the first, handing out programs. I didn’t need to look at one. I knew my uncle Bud’s name was printed on it, as it had been every year since he was killed in Italy. Our family’s war hero.
And I knew that perched on the backseat of one of the cars, waving and smiling, was Mema, my grandmother. She had a corsage on her lapel and a sign in gold embossed letters on the car door: “Gold Star Mother.”
I hid behind the tree so I wouldn’t have to meet her gaze. It wasn’t because I didn’t love her or appreciate her. She’d taught me how to sew, to call a strike in baseball. She made great cinnamon rolls, which we always ate after the parade.
What embarrassed me was all the attention she got for a son who had died 20 years earlier. With four other children and a dozen grandchildren, why linger over this one long-ago loss?
I peeked out from behind the oak just in time to see Mema wave and blow my family a kiss as the motorcade moved on. The purple ribbon on her hat fluttered in the breeze.
The rest of our Memorial Day ritual was equally scripted. No use trying to get out of it. I followed my family back to Mema’s house, where there was the usual baseball game in the backyard and the same old reminiscing about Uncle Bud in the kitchen.
Helping myself to a cinnamon roll, I retreated to the living room and plopped down on an armchair.
There I found myself staring at the Army photo of Bud on the bookcase. The uncle I’d never known. I must have looked at him a thousand times—so proud in his crested cap and knotted tie. His uniform was decorated with military emblems that I could never decode.
Funny, he was starting to look younger to me as I got older. Who were you, Uncle Bud? I nearly asked aloud.
I picked up the photo and turned it over. Yellowing tape held a prayer card that read: “Lloyd ‘Bud’ Heitzman, 1925-1944. A Great Hero.” Nineteen years old when he died, not much older than I was. But a great hero? How could you be a hero at 19?
The floorboards creaked behind me. I turned to see Mema coming in from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.
I almost hid the photo because I didn’t want to listen to the same stories I’d heard year after year: “Your uncle Bud had this little rat-terrier named Jiggs. Good old Jiggs. How he loved that mutt! He wouldn’t go anywhere without Jiggs. He used to put him in the rumble seat of his Chevy coupe and drive all over town.
“Remember how hard Bud worked after we lost the farm? At haying season he worked all day, sunrise to sunset, baling for other farmers. Then he brought me all his wages. He’d say, ‘Mama, someday I’m going to buy you a brand-new farm. I promise.’ There wasn’t a better boy in the world!”
Sometimes I wondered about that boy dying alone in a muddy ditch in a foreign country he’d only read about. I thought of the scared kid who jumped out of a foxhole in front of an advancing enemy, only to be downed by a sniper. I couldn’t reconcile the image of the boy and his dog with that of the stalwart soldier.
Mema stood beside me for a while, looking at the photo. From outside came the sharp snap of an American flag flapping in the breeze and the voices of my cousins cheering my brother at bat.
“Mema,” I asked, “what’s a hero?” Without a word she turned and walked down the hall to the back bedroom. I followed.
She opened a bureau drawer and took out a small metal box, then sank down onto the bed.
“These are Bud’s things,” she said. “They sent them to us after he died.” She opened the lid and handed me a telegram dated October 13, 1944. “The Secretary of State regrets to inform you that your son, Lloyd Heitzman, was killed in Italy.”
Your son! I imagined Mema reading that sentence for the first time. I didn’t know what I would have done if I’d gotten a telegram like that.
“Here’s Bud’s wallet,” she continued. Even after all those years, it was caked with dried mud. Inside was Bud’s driver’s license with the date of his sixteenth birthday. I compared it with the driver’s license I had just received.
A photo of Bud holding a little spotted dog fell out of the wallet. Jiggs. Bud looked so pleased with his mutt.
There were other photos in the wallet: a laughing Bud standing arm in arm with two buddies, photos of my mom and aunt and uncle, another of Mema waving. This was the home Uncle Bud took with him, I thought.
I could see him in a foxhole, taking out these snapshots to remind himself of how much he was loved and missed.
“Who’s this?” I asked, pointing to a shot of a pretty dark-haired girl.
“Marie. Bud dated her in high school. He wanted to marry her when he came home.” A girlfriend? Marriage? How heartbreaking to have a life, plans and hopes for the future, so brutally snuffed out.
Sitting on the bed, Mema and I sifted through the treasures in the box: a gold watch that had never been wound again. A sympathy letter from President Roosevelt, and one from Bud’s commander. A medal shaped like a heart, trimmed with a purple ribbon. And at the very bottom, the deed to Mema’s house.
“Why’s this here?” I asked.
“Because Bud bought this house for me.” She explained how after his death, the U.S. government gave her 10 thousand dollars, and with it she built the house she was still living in.
“He kept his promise all right,” Mema said in a quiet voice I’d never heard before.
For a long while the two of us sat there on the bed. Then we put the wallet, the medal, the letters, the watch, the photos and the deed back into the metal box. I finally understood why it was so important for Mema—and me—to remember Uncle Bud on this day.
If he’d lived longer he might have built that house for Mema or married his high-school girlfriend. There might have been children and grandchildren to remember him by.
As it was, there was only that box, the name in the program and the reminiscing around the kitchen table.
“I guess he was a hero because he gave everything for what he believed,” I said carefully.
“Yes, child,” Mema replied, wiping a tear with the back of her hand. “Don’t ever forget that.”
I haven’t. Even today with Mema gone, my husband and I take our lawn chairs to the tree-shaded boulevard on Memorial Day and give our three daughters small American flags that I buy for a quarter at Ben Franklin.
I want them to remember that life isn’t just about getting what you want. Sometimes it involves giving up the things you love for what you love even more. That many men and women did the same for their country—that’s what I think when I see the parade pass by now.
And if I close my eyes and imagine, I can still see Mema in her regal purple hat, honoring her son, a true American hero.