Stephen Eckert is one of our teaching Elders. He taught this week regarding “come as you are”—one of the core values of the Rockhills faith community. “Come as you are” is not only one of our values, it is a principle taught throughout Scripture. It was modeled by Jesus. We hope to live it out every day. It is a short, simple statement of the “how” we do our mission, which is: Love God, Love Others, Helping People Find and Follow Jesus.
Values are not just platitudes. They actually help us figure out what to do and how to act. It's good to know what the core values are of a corporation or a church. Even many families have statements of values. Values help set priorities and determine actions. You are our neighbor, whether you live in San Antonio and come to Rockhills on a regular basis, or participate in our online services, or maybe even participate as part of our weekly Bible Study called “Ten Minutes With God.” You are welcome in this place. So please - - come as you are! We value you.
INVITATION: You are invited into this week’s Bible study that goes into what our value of “come as you are” DOES NOT mean, in order to know and understand more about what it actually means. Some things it does NOT mean are: 1) Come dressed to impress; 2) Come only if you are righteous; 3) Stay as you are; 4) Come only if you feel like it. Do you have a “come as you are” value in your life? Do people feel comfortable and not judged when in your presence? Could cultivating a “come as you are” value be an invitation in your life and heart as you go about your week? Join in to see what Scripture has to say about what a value of “come as you are” is - - and is not.
MONDAY: James 2:1-10: A wise rabbi once said, “We know that light has appeared out of darkness when someone can look in the face of any human being and see the face of a sister or brother.” Verse 10 points out that “whoever …stumbles on just one part of the law is guilty of breaking all of it.” Do you show favoritism in your life and actions? Are you willing to ask God to “search you and know you” about this topic? How might you pray this week for Jesus to shine a light in your life and heart and make some changes regarding this topic?
TUESDAY: Mark 2:15-17 “To die to our neighbors means to stop judging them, to stop evaluating them, and thus to become free to be compassionate. Compassion can never coexist with judgment because judgment creates the distance, the distinction, which prevent us from really being with each other. Often quite unconsciously we classify people as very good, good, neutral, bad and very bad. These judgments influence deeply the thoughts, words and actions. These self created limits prevent us from being available to people and shrivel up our compassion". Henri J. M Nouwen in “The Way of the Heart." This quote mentions being “free to be compassionate.” Do you feel at a stuck place regarding how you might judge people? It is often very deep in our upbringing or our experiences. Are you willing to ask Jesus for this freedom and for healing in your heart of any hurts, wounds or other experiences that may have played a part - right or wrong - in the judgments you picked up over time?
WEDNESDAY: Matthew 7:1-5 & Romans 3:23: Are you willing to look at the “log” in your own eye with the light of God?” In the Romans verse, Paul is pointing out that, regardless of how “nice” or “good” we feel we are, to be human is to be deeply and terminally flawed. God in Christ Jesus covers us perfectly and fully with righteousness - flaws and all. Jesus loves you so much he redeemed you at the price of his own life. How can you express gratefulness to Jesus today for His sacrifice?
THURSDAY: Colossians 1:9-10 & I Timothy 4:13 & Hebrews 10:24-25: Even though “come as you are” is a value from Scripture and around the Rockhills faith community, it doesn’t mean to STAY as you are. God is continually inviting us to be filled and to grow in the “grace and the knowledge” of Christ and His will for our lives. This means constant growth through learning more about Scripture and meeting together within a faith community for the purpose of teaching and worship. Are you willing to grow and change for the cause and glory of Jesus Christ? Do you meet regularly with a body of believers as Hebrews instructs us to do? Stephen pointed out how easy it is to get out of the habit of going to church. In fact, in our current culture it is counter cultural to actually go to church!
FRIDAY: Ephesians 4:14-16 & I Thes. 5:11: Love is never lived out in isolation: rather, it is integrated into every relationship. As we become rooted in the love of Jesus, we grow in integrity and truth. We need other believers within a faith community. They need you and you need them. Being part of a community of believers isn’t only for when you “feel” like it. As you can see from many of the scriptures in this week’s study, it is a command of Jesus to meet together with other believers. How are you doing with that in your life? Are you instilling this value in your children? It is continually amazing how many parents take their kids to church on a hit or miss basis and then wonder why their kids leave the faith as they get older. Is being a regular part of a faith community something you might need to work on in your spiritual life and journey with Jesus? God’s character CAN be trusted - - it is for our own good.