The Good and Beautiful Community
Published: Mon, 11/11/24
Updated: Mon, 11/11/24
Sessions Include:The Good and Beautiful Community, Lesson #1
|
The Good and Beautiful Community by James Bryan Smith explores what it means to live as a Christ-centered community. Part of Smith’s Apprentice series, this book digs deep into the practices, principles, and habits that help foster authentic, spiritually grounded Christian communities. It emphasizes the essential role of personal transformation in building a community that reflects Jesus’ teachings. Smith begins by contrasting “shallow” community with a “good and beautiful” community. While shallow communities may gather around shared interests or surface-level connections, good and beautiful communities are spiritually transformative. They draw members together through a shared commitment to love, grace, and spiritual growth. For Smith, these communities are marked by authenticity, forgiveness, and an earnest desire to become more Christlike. Smith argues that community transformation begins with individual transformation, and he devotes a large portion of the book to practices that help individuals grow spiritually. He advocates for habits like forgiveness, hospitality, and intentional kindness, highlighting their collective impact on the whole community. Each chapter introduces practical exercises called “soul training” to help readers internalize these values in their daily lives. By doing so, Smith contends that believers gradually become more Christlike, which in turn creates healthier and more authentic communities. One of the book’s central ideas is that communities should mirror the love and compassion Jesus modeled. Smith describes how to practice “loving unity,” wherein people from diverse backgrounds come together, embracing differences rather than letting them divide. He explains that this unity isn’t just about harmony within the group but also about actively reaching out to others with grace. For instance, he encourages community members to engage with marginalized or forgotten individuals, embodying Jesus’ heart for those on society’s fringes. Smith also tackles the challenges that arise in community, such as conflict, disappointment, and the temptation toward exclusivity. He addresses the tendency to form “in-groups” and highlights how authentic Christian communities must resist this impulse, welcoming everyone and valuing each person as part of the body of Christ. By practicing forgiveness and seeing others through God’s eyes, community members learn to overcome relational difficulties and build stronger bonds. One of the book’s most practical insights is how a Christ-centered community impacts society. Smith suggests that communities dedicated to love and service become powerful witnesses, offering an alternative to the divisiveness and self-interest often seen in the world. He sees community as a bridge between individual faith and societal transformation, suggesting that when believers come together with a shared purpose, they not only strengthen each other but also have a profound effect on the world around them. The book’s emphasis on small, intentional actions is refreshing. Instead of calling for grand gestures, Smith highlights everyday practices that create a culture of compassion and integrity. This approach makes The Good and Beautiful Community accessible, offering both new and seasoned Christians practical ways to deepen their faith and relationships. In summary, The Good and Beautiful Community is a guide to forming spiritually grounded, inclusive, and compassionate communities. Through self-examination and intentional practices, Smith shows how individuals can contribute to a community that reflects the love, unity, and mission of Jesus, encouraging believers to create a positive, faith-filled impact in the world.
If you would like to explore this new study, it is available on Amazon, as well as part of Good Questions Have Groups Talking Why Study Books?My church recently transitioned to using books as curriculum in our Sunday School. The reason is simple. My life has been profoundly influenced by the reading of books. I don’t think my life has ever been changed by any curriculum piece I have ever read. Ever. I have actually surveyed a number of groups I have taught over the years, asking: Has your life ever been changed by any curriculum? The most common response is for people to laugh out loud. Our first study was the Bless book by Dave and Jon Ferguson. It is a great study on relational lifestyle evangelism. About half-way through the the study, we did a survey to help determine what we would study next. No one wanted to go back to the curriculum. Not. One. Person. The #1 choice for what to study next was a tie:
We will be studying these two books over the next year and a half or so. Here is what Amazon says about Ortberg’s book: The Me I Want to Be will help you discover spiritual vitality like never before as you learn to "live in the flow of the spirit." Why does spiritual growth seem so difficult? God's vision for your life is not just that you are saved by grace, but that you also learn to live by grace, flourishing with the Spirit flowing through you. And this book will show how God's perfect vision for you starts with a powerful promise: All those who trust in God "will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit" (Jeremiah 17:7-8). Pastor and best-selling author John Ortberg first helps gauge your spiritual health and measure the gap between where you are now and where God intends you to be. Then he provides detailed tasks and exercises to help you live in the flow of the Spirit, circumventing real-world barriers - pain and sorrow, temptations, self-doubt, sin - to flourish even in a dark and broken world. As you start living in the flow, you will feel:
God invites you to join him in crafting an abundant and joy-filled life. The Me I Want to Be shows you how to graciously accept his invitation. I have just completed a new, 22-week study of John Ortberg’s book, The Me I Want to Be that we will be using in my church. (I had previously done a 7-week study.) I have always thought that using books as a curriculum would be a good idea, and I have written a lot of book studies over the years. One of the things that actually using books as curriculum caused me to realize has to do with cost. By writing a study on every chapter of this book, instead of my previous study that had a lesson for every section, the cost drops to below what we were paying for curriculum. Better curriculum. Cheaper cost. Win. Win.
|
