It seems that in our day amongst those who call themselves Christians, the normative experience of Christian community is shallow. In other words, the level of involvement and commitment to the church is very low. In this last message of the Bloom series, Pastor Scott discusses some of the reasons for this superficial approach to community and then lays out a clear vision from Scripture of the kind of depth of love the church should be marked by. Lastly, several practical encouragements are given on how we can become this sort of vibrant devoted community that alone will demonstrate to the watching world that Christ is real, good, and beautiful.
Bloom: Meek
One of the most important virtues in the life of a follower of Jesus is meekness; it is the opposite of sinful anger. In this message, Pastor Scott discusses the effects of anger and where anger comes from. The message then unfolds a clear vision of how Christians are called to be meek. It is okay to be angry about the injustice in this world; however, selfish anger and anger filled with pride is not okay and must be dealt with. As the sermon concludes, Scott gives several practical ways to deal with our anger when we find ourselves struggling. We must learn to forgive others as God has forgiven our sins, and rest in the peace that we are children of God covered in His protection.
Bloom: Loyal
Jesus is passionate about us knowing the truth and being loyal to the truth. There is a flood of false teaching in today’s world that requires discernment, and in order to discern we need to know God’s Word. The majority isn’t always right, and even the most intellectual and wise people can find themselves being swept away in the sea of false teaching. The bible talks about the false prophets that subtly led many people into believing their destructive, false teachings. God is warning us to not be fooled by eloquence or emotion or authority or glamour; we must be grounded in the biblical truth of scripture.
Bloom: Joyful
God wants us to be a people exhibiting the fullness of His joy. Life has a way of beating the joy and beauty out of us; it can harden our hearts and crush us. Pastor Scott delves into Philippians 4, and stories of the suffering Paul experienced, yet Paul was able to find a joy in God that transcended his circumstances. Jesus is a sympathetic Savior; He knows exactly what it is like, to suffer. Rejoicing in God is a command of scripture, and God shares His joy with us when we abide in Him in prayer mixed with thankfulness. We have to continually direct our thoughts towards God, away from the troubles and onto the good, set our minds on things above, and speak that which is edifying and administers grace. No one can take away our joy; people can take away other things, but no one can take away our salvation and joy in Christ.
Bloom: Humble
God wants us to be humble in our hearts; we can struggle to be humble and to see our own pride. Humility is essential to receiving grace and joy and the power of God. It enables us to live out the Christian life. Pride blocks this. Pastor Scott explores the story of the tax collector and the Pharisee in Luke 18:10-14, and urges us to get low before God and examine our heart-motives so He can fill us with humility, and offers up some practical steps about how to do this in deeper ways.
Bloom: Integrity
Paul Moon delivers a sermon about integrity, which means to live out our private and public lives in the same, consistent way. We want to have lives marked by love, compassion, mercy, justice, and honoring God and submitting to Him. Any kind of hypocrisy can be so damaging to our witness; we can neglect our own hearts. If our hearts aren't full of integrity, we can't witness with any credibility. Due to our sinful nature, it's impossible to live a life full of Biblical integrity apart from God's presence. Paul explores different scriptures to give us a fuller picture of what integrity entails, as well as some practical things we can do in our lives to pursue Biblical integrity.
Bloom: Courageous
Delving deeply into the story from Numbers 13-14 about the Israelites' reactions to scoping out the land of Canaan (which had been promised to them by God), Pastor Scott delivers a powerful exhortation to stir us to be people of courage. God wants to give us abundance, and pour out His power and presence; He wants us to be fruitful, and to dream in sync with His dreams. While most of the Israelites saw only the fearful obstacles in the way, Moses, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua heard God's voice and promises. God uses weak and ordinary people in the battlefield; He is our courage and our strength, and He promises to be with us.
Bloom: Hungry
We want to have a burning affection for God, a hunger and thirst for Christ, as an attribute for our lives. The level of our hunger doesn't always match what He deserves. We can develop a dullness of heart, and the world can draw us away, and we can find ourselves in a kind of spiritual apathy. Pastor Scott exhorts us to come back to the simplicity of just being with Jesus for the sake of being with Him; we were created to know God and enjoy Him forever. Scott also offers some practical tips about different things that can either dampen or deepen our hunger for Christ.
Bloom: Missional
We are called to proclaim the excellencies of Christ; we want to be compelling, wise, faithful, and "salty" messengers of the gospel in the world around us. Blooming in evangelism means our words and our lives impact people for Jesus. Does our presence in the world make other people hungry and thirsty for God? We are called to present the person of Christ, and it flows out of our relationship with Him. Pastor Scott explores some of the problems we'll inevitably encounter, and some practical tips to help us be steadfast in prayer, overflowing in the Spirit, and bold in our mission.
Bloom: Hospitable
Hospitality means more than opening up our homes and hosting events. It's a lifestyle – a state of the heart – and how we think about and relate to other people. The church should be the hub of hospitality and grace. It means being warm, welcoming, gracious, full of love, and making others feel welcome, no matter who they are. Pastor Scott urges us to be more aware of the people around us, and step out and take risks by talking to people we don't know, or who are unlike us. Our sharing conversation and taking risks can change the course of a person's life, by stepping out in faith and love for Jesus.