TXT3

According to Yahoo maps, that’s how far away we are from you, but it also takes you to Georgetown via San Antonio and that makes no sense!  Several of our TXT3 students and adults flew to Oceanside, California, to serve Jesus and Generation Church.  So far we have gutted an entire house (EVERYTHING was taken out of the house), pulled all the floors up, built a retaining wall, tore down and rebuilt a chain link fence, passed out over 200 flyers, and played with kids at an after school program.  That was just today!  Needless to say we are exhausted, but God is doing some good stuff.  I just want you to know that I missed bowling with everyone on Sunday night.  I was looking forward to connecting with the everyone a little bit more.  We’ll definitely have to do it again.  I heard it went great and I hope you had a great time singing together and doing community together!  Looking forward to this Sunday night!

On the right side of the txt3.tv website, there’s a spot where anyone can suggest a topic for a blog post. Today’s post tackles the first suggestion we ever received: Texting has nothing to do with the Bible, so don’t do it.

At TXT3, texting allows us to communicate to a large group of people and also allows TXT3ers to interact with the night’s speaker, to close the gap, so to speak, between the platform and the pews. Passive listening becomes active involvement.

Texting is a technololgy of communication, just like email, television, the internet, cellphones, telephones, radio, magazines, newspapers, and books, all of which have been used, both for good and for ill, to amplify the message of Christ.

Whether this suggestion was made as a lark or not, I believe there is a readily apparent similarity between texting and the Bible. Both are means of personal communication. God chose words, of all things, to communicate His love for us. We have a book, called the Bible, composed of smaller books. These books point to Jesus, whom John calls “The Word.” It’s hard to imagine Christianity minus the written Word, God’s text message to us.

Texting is simply another technological innovation springing from Gutenberg’s doorstep. The church has typically adopted new communications technologies to amplify Christ. At TXT3, we’re trying to do the same.

Can someone come to know Christ through 140 characters or less?
Probably not.
But can that 140 characters begin a relationship with another person that leads to following Christ?
Definitely.

Hidden in the middle of the new U2 song Get On Your Boots are these words:

Here’s where we gotta be, love and community
Laughter is eternity, if joy is real
You don’t know how beautiful
You don’t know how beautiful you are
You don’t know and you don’t get it, do you?
You don’t know how beautiful you are.

The thing I love about great lyrics is they can often be interpreted many different ways. Without knowing exactly what this song may be about, I can give my interpretation of this lyric.

Here’s where we gotta be, love and community. What if this is a reference to Jesus’ prayer in John 17? If you are familiar with this passage you know that Jesus is praying for the unity of his disciples – “that they may be one, even as we are one” (v. 11, ESV). But Jesus is also praying for the unity of all believers, including you and me when He said, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me..” (v. 20-21, ESV).

You don’t know how beautiful this image is to Jesus, do you? Have you ever asked yourself why Jesus offered this prayer just before he was arrested? Why does anybody pray? Isn’t it because we believe the answer to our prayers is possible? Jesus prayed for the unity or community of those who would believe in Him because He believes the answer to that prayer is possible. Not only is it possible, it is beautiful, so beautiful in fact that the world will believe that Jesus was sent by God. Wow! The community we show or do not show as Christ’s church will have an eternal impact on those who are watching us.

You don’t know and you don’t get it, do you? This sounds like a challenge. U2 for many years has written songs that in many ways challenge the church to rethink or reconsider some of the things we say we believe in. The lyric hidden in the middle of this song may in fact be a challenge to the church to rethink how we are portraying community to the world.

What would the local church look like if it really got serious about biblical community and made it accessible to everyone?

You don’t know how beautiful you are.

Application Ideas

• Join a cell group. They start March 22nd. (If you haven’t already, fill out this form so we can be prepared for you)
• RSVP to go bowling next week after TXT3 (Send an email to kclark {at} fbcgt(.)org with how many you’re bringing)
• Invite people over for dinner, a movie, or a creative get together at your house
• Combine last weeks message with this week’s by reading all the New Testament passages with the phrase “one another” in it.  You can search for them at www.biblegateway.com
• Grab a bunch of guys and buy some inexpensive tickets to watch the #1 ranked Texas Longhorns play the #5 ranked  Baylor Bears in baseball on Wednesday, March 11th.  If you do this, I’d suggest eating dinner at Freebirds (you’ll want the Hancock location in Austin)!

Text Answers

[Brett profusely apologizes for forgetting to talk about the answers you all sent in on Sunday!]
This week’s question was: Name a place or a group of people where you feel deeply connected.

• church.. sometimes
• dinner out
• Sunday morning life group.
• the church
• my wed small group!
• home
• my accountability group of 5 girls
• i feel deeply connected to the people i show horses with
• home
• with my friends <:) TERA >
• small group
• running group
• Wednesday small group
• small group
• the youth group at fbcgt
• camp, retreats
• with my christian buds and the country
• Family and church
• FBC ladies bible study
• My friends:)
• co-workers at school and my family
• To my small group bible study here at the church.
• my girlfriends
• with family
• friends and family
• family
• with my accountability group of 5 girls
• with women seeking seeking God
• Life group mens night out.
• Small Group on Wednesday’s
• my answer is with the people i show horses with
• My family & my church singles group.
• with cats
• with choir

Music

Majestic, Lincoln Brewster
If We Are the Body, Casting Crowns
Hosanna, Hillsong
Overcome, New Life Worship

Video

MeChurch

You’ve probably never thought about what gangs and the church have in common, huh?  Hopefully the number of answers are few and far between, but there is one element that should be shared, and unfortunately gangs do a better job at it.

It’s community.  Why do people join gangs?  Some are in it for the money, but most are in it for the security and belonging.  Your average gang member probably wouldn’t use those exact words, but there is a lot of truth to it. 

It can be a cruel world.  No one wants to face that alone.  Give me some other people who will walk with me.  Surround me with some people who’ve got my back when I’m in trouble.  I want some people that I can share life with and have a sense of belonging.

Am I describing a gang member or the average person’s desire?  The answer . . . both!

When the church begins to care for people like Jesus does, we might just pass gangs as the place to connect and find life!