Church of the Hills

We are finishing up a series of messages at Church of the Hills called "Wonderful".  I have been selecting some themes from the 1946 Frank Capra Christmas Classic, "It's a Wonderful Life" and looking at them from a Scriptural perspective.  Last weekend, we came to the conclusion that the major difference between George Bailey and Mr. Potter was, Mr. Potter used people and George Bailey invested in people. 

In Paul's letter to the Philippians, he challenges his readers to move away from selfishness and move towards selflessness.

"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."  Philippians 2:3-4 ESV

In his book, "Life Together", Deitrich Bonhoeffer offers seven principles for eradicating selfish ambition from Christian communities.  I have summarized these and provided some related Scriptures...

1. Hold your tongue (James 4:11-12)
2. The foremost sinner, (1 Timothy 1:15)
3. Listen patiently, (James 1:19)
4. Surrender your calendar to God, (Mark 10:13-16)
5. Bear one another's burdens, (Galatians 6:2)
6. Speak God's Word to one another, (Colossians 3:16)
7. Serve without seeking or expecting recognition, (Matthew 6:3-4)

That is an intimidating list!  Without the Holy Spirit, the Word of God and the Christian community, I think it's impossible.  Over the next several days, I would like to have a conversation about the challenges these principles present.  Also I would like a dialoge on how we can put these principles into practice, journeying from selfishness towards selflessness.

I, for one, need to make the move.

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