You're listening to Mountain View Church Audio, Christ-centered teaching from the Wilderness City, Whitehorse, UConn. Here's this week's message. I've been playing soccer my entire life. The one thing you'll learn quickly about soccer is the importance of boundaries. The outer lines mark the edge of the playing field and shouldn't be crossed. If a player kicks the ball across these lines, it's a turnover for the other team and a throw-in. Now the halfway line divides the field into equal sides for each team and can only be crossed when the ball is in play. But it also determines when the offside rule should be applied. Then there's the 18-yard box. It's a boundary line that comes with high stakes for the defending team. If a player on defense commits a foul within this box, the opposing team is awarded a penalty kick, which often leads to a goal. And finally, there's that goal line.
If the ball crosses the boundary, the team on offense celebrates a goal while the defending team hangs their heads in disappointment. You see, in soccer, every boundary line has a purpose with a potential outcome. Assuming that every player respects these boundaries, the flow of the game and the integrity of fair play remain intact. In life, much like soccer, we encounter boundaries meant to guide and protect us. Some boundaries are set by society or culture, like rules on how we should treat each other in public settings. And yet, other lines are personal boundary lines that we draw for ourselves to maintain our own integrity and avoid situations that could lead us down regretful and destructive paths. Now, unlike soccer, where the lines are already painted for us, in life, we have to establish these boundaries ourselves. Establishing boundaries in relationships is essential for building and sustaining those relationships. But they're also for protecting ourselves from falling into temptation.
Just like soccer players who need to be aware of the boundary lines on the field to play the game, we need to know and respect certain relationship boundaries to ensure we're living in a way that honors God and keeps us from harm. Welcome to Mountain View Church. We've reached our fifth strategy in the series, The Battle, How to Master Temptation. Today, you'll learn how to establish boundaries to safeguard your relationships. If you're new or want to learn more about our church, please connect with us. You can visit mountainview.church slash connect or text connect to the number on the screen.
For those in-house, use the Connect card found under your seats and hand it in to the welcome desk. For families, our children's program, called Basecamp, is a wonderful way for your kids to learn about Jesus in an engaging, yet age-appropriate environment. We offer sessions in-house every Sunday at 9.30 or 11 a.m. And for those who prefer online options, you can access all the video lessons and activities anytime at mountainview.church. Additionally, our youth groups provide a fantastic community for preteens and teenagers to grow in their faith. The junior youth group kicks off tonight at 6 p.m. for middle schoolers.
And the Senior Youth Group launches next Sunday at 6 p.m. for our high schoolers. For more details, visit mountainview.church.youth. Before we dive any deeper into today's message, here's our intro video, followed by today's scripture reading. I'm Herbert, and I'm reading from 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 30 to 34. Why are we in danger every hour? I protest. Brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day. What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fall with this at Ephesus? If the dead are not rise.
Maybe you've never put much thought into establishing boundaries for your relationships. As you just heard, there's actually a strong biblical defense for making it a priority. If you've been with us for the entirety of the series, you'll remember our very first strategy, monitoring the nouns, emphasizing the importance of identifying and avoiding certain people, places, and things that drag us toward temptation. But today's strategy is a deep dive into the noun of people, learning how to establish boundaries with the people that we form relationships with. Thankfully, the Bible offers some clear guidance on establishing those boundaries with certain types of people. Consider this single phrase from today's scripture reading. Do not be deceived. Bad company ruins good morals.
This verse is a great starting point. It draws a hard boundary line between us and individuals who would negatively influence our behaviors and values. In the battle against temptation, spending significant time with people who have a shifty moral compass can cause our own moral compass to shift. This concept gets even more serious in this Old Testament proverb. Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it. Do not go on it. Turn away from it and pass on. Listen to the repetitive nature of this ancient scripture in drawing a boundary line between us and wickedness or evil.
The author writes, do not enter, do not walk, avoid it, don't go, turn away, pass on. The author of this proverb couldn't get more direct in his instruction on the importance of consciously avoiding shady people who would encourage us to engage in sinful behavior. Now, this might sound harsh, but these two opening passages draw that hard boundary line between us and them when it comes to certain values and behaviors. Let's dig a little deeper into proverbs. Check this out. Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Establishing relationship boundaries also means aligning yourself with those who will help you grow spiritually and morally, while distancing yourself from those who could lead you astray and cause you harm. It's a hard truth, I get it, but sometimes the battle against temptation requires a firm commitment to remove people from our lives that cause us to stumble in our spiritual walk with Jesus. Recorded in Matthew's gospel, Jesus said, and if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. Jesus' teaching seems shocking. Kind of harsh. I get it. To cut off your hand? That's crazy. Until you understand that he's using the shocking metaphor to emphasize the lesson we've already been highlighting. That sometimes we have to draw that hard boundary line. Jesus calls us to remove anything or anyone from our lives that causes us to sin. It's a hard truth, I know. But if something or someone consistently pulls us down, we need to make that hard decision. We need to draw that line.
Perhaps you're pushing back a little bit at this point. I get it. So far, we've talked about clear right and wrong scenarios. But we all know that relationships are complex. Most situations where people aren't so black and white, aren't so cut and dry. What about situations where it's difficult to determine a boundary line? It's a valid question. Over the next 20 minutes, we'll walk through some relationship situations inside the church and then relationships outside the church that are complex and sometimes difficult to find that boundary line. Let's start with the inside of the church. How should we establish healthy relationship boundaries inside our faith community?
The Bible provides a few great boundary lines that are given to protect the integrity of church relationships. Jesus taught us to love one another just as he has loved us. He also taught us to keep a short record of wrongs. If someone sins against you, you should go and tell them their fault between you and them alone. Then in Paul's letter to the Galatians, we're reminded to show grace for each other. That if anyone is caught in any transgression, we should restore them in a spirit of gentleness and bear one another's burdens to fulfill the law of Christ.
For our church community, we accept that we're all fallen and we all struggle with sin. And yet, we make a conscious effort to choose trust until proven otherwise. Then we show grace and restore people who have stumbled and sinned against us. Related to a boundary line, there's really no line at all until someone draws that line with their poor decision or regretful decision. And even then, we try to make it a dotted line or maybe a dashed line with room to cross over. You see, our hope is that that line is temporary and it'll be erased through the process of reconciliation and restoration. And this goes for everyone in the local church, by the way.
You see, sometimes a group within a local church becomes exclusive. They end up drawing a line of their own, like as if they have a greater importance around themselves. For example, imagine a community group that prides itself on its deep theological knowledge and scholarly approach to scripture. This group meets regularly and they discuss complex theological concepts. And while this is an amazing pursuit, it's wonderful, don't get me wrong, their attitude in it becomes problematic. They start to develop an exclusive mindset.
They start to see themselves as more knowledgeable or spiritually superior to others who maybe don't engage to their level of depth in the study. They look down on groups that focus on different aspects of faith, such as those who prefer a more practical Bible study or those who are more focused on community outreach or service. Unknowingly, their minds and hearts have hardened, and they've drawn a boundary line, a relational boundary line that should never exist. And from this heart condition, they might make snide remarks about other groups. They might say, they just don't have the depth we have in our studies. Or maybe they'll say, they're all drinking milk while we're sitting here chewing on the meat. These comments might start within the group, but eventually they will slip out into the larger gatherings, and it'll sow discord and division. They create an environment where members of other groups feel judged and belittled. This attitude undermines the unity that should be characterized in the body of Christ. It creates an invisible boundary line that prevents open fellowship and mutual respect.
In the context of the local church, these kinds of boundaries should be called out and erased. The quicker, the better. We should never perceive ourselves as greater than someone else because we're all made in the image of God. We're all valued and cherished by him. Instead, we should recognize the diversity of spiritual gifts, interests, and approaches within the church. Each member of the church brings something valuable to the greater body. We should celebrate the different ways people connect with Jesus and the different ways they grow in their faith. We need to understand that the Holy Spirit can speak through a variety of experiences and expressions. We should make a conscious effort.
to foster unity whenever and however possible, seeing each person or each group as a part of a larger cohesive body, and that we're all working together to serve and reach the community at large. You see, the local church should remain a place of love and grace, of encouragement and exhortation, and of reconciliation and restoration. Next, let's talk about establishing healthy relationship boundaries with people outside the local church. In his second letter to the Corinthian Christians, the Apostle Paul wrote, Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Now, if you grew up going to church like I did, you likely heard this passage taught as it relates to dating and marriage, which is valid, and we're going to get there. But this principle is wider than just romantic relationships. The imagery of being unequally yoked refers to two different types of animals being harnessed together to plow a field, which would result in an uneven and ineffective row or rows for planting.
And by the time the full harvest comes about, it would be a mess. In the same way, entering partnerships or close relationships with those who don't share our faith can lead to an uneven and ineffective result in the relationship with increased discord, confusion, and a lack of direction. Paul is highlighting the importance of aligning ourselves with others who share our core values and beliefs that are centered on Jesus Christ, especially in close relationship. As an example, let's say someone wants you to be their business partner for a new venture. They're asking you to include them in a close financial relationship. You'd be drawing a financial boundary around the two of you. Paul's instruction on avoiding being unequally yoked should be applied before you establish that boundary.
In business partnerships, shared values are vital because discussing money, ethics, and business practices can deeply affect both parties. When you own a business, it's very difficult not to take that business home with you. It becomes central to your life. As a follower of Jesus, you would want to prioritize integrity, honesty, and fairness in your business dealings. You would want to seek to honor God in all aspects of your work. You might even want to give a portion of your profits to the church or a local charity. If your partner doesn't have the same gospel-centered convictions as you, there's going to be conflict. If your partner doesn't share the same faith-based values and moral standards as you,
You've yoked yourself unevenly. Perhaps your partner is comfortable with cutting corners, engaging in dishonest practices, or prioritizing profit over people. Maybe they want to do more cash jobs so they can weasel out of paying taxes. But you're committed to ethical business practices, serving people before profit, and paying all the taxes that are due. This behavior stems from your faith, knowing that every financial blessing comes from God. Therefore, you submit to his standard for work, but your partner is heading in the opposite direction.
The rows of your financial field are going to be lopsided and winding back and forth and back and forth. And before you know it, you're going to realize that the harvest isn't just about money. The time and emotional energy that you're reaping now isn't worth any of the money you're making. To avoid this outcome, we come back to Paul's instruction to establish clear boundaries from the onset. Either choose to partner with another Christian business owner or at least put your desired practices in writing so that you have something to point back to when the plow starts to swerve. And you have a written dissolution policy when your desired values and ethics start to decline completely.
You see, the boundary line is non-negotiable for business practice, or even choosing not to enter into that business practice in the first place might be better, and then you don't have to spiritually compromise. This line will ensure that your professional life remains aligned with your faith, that your work always honors God first. All right, now let's unpack establishing boundaries in romantic relationships. We were bound to get there, specifically with someone outside of the church. Why outside? Well, because if you are seeking a romantic partner inside the church, there's going to be an assumption, I hope, that they're more in love with Jesus than they'll ever be in love with you, which is how it's supposed to be. Keep it that way, and you'll have an incredible life together. Romantic relationships are the most intimate form of partnership. Therefore, being unevenly yoked can have the most significant impact on one's life, on everything inside of you. Romance is a close fellowship that needs to be centered on the light of Jesus.
But maybe you're thinking, isn't love enough? I know they don't follow Jesus, but my heart tells me that he's the one or she's the one. I hate to break it to you, but love isn't enough. Romance that lasts includes a lifelong commitment to one person, and it's more than just feelings. You'll need to engage your heart, your mind, and your soul. And when those three come into alignment, you can release the body as well.
Entering into a romantic relationship with someone who doesn't share your faith in Christ can lead to deep emotional and spiritual conflicts for a long time. For example, the Christian view is marital commitment before sexual intimacy. That a spiritual covenant is made before the covenant is consummated. An unbelieving partner may feel that sexual intimacy should be experienced right away and throughout the dating relationship without any need for any sort of marital commitment. If the believing partner gives in, the harvest of that field will be disastrous. The likelihood of pain, shame, and regret is extremely high.
This is why establishing a romantic boundary before you ever meet someone is extremely important. If you're currently in a dating relationship with someone who rejects Jesus, you might have to make the hard decision to let them go and ask God to send you someone better and more aligned with the gospel. That being said, a caveat should be issued here. Some of you might be married and in covenant to someone who doesn't follow Jesus, and you've been praying daily that they would accept him. You already know the pain of being unevenly yoked. I don't need to go on anymore.
Please don't hear my words as judgment. Keep praying and bring Christian friends into your prayer circle, trusting that one day your spouse's heart might be open to the gospel. Lastly, if you're a teenager just entering the concept of dating, make sure that person aligns with your fate before you risk falling in love with them. Ask yourself, will this person contribute to my spiritual growth and bring me closer to Jesus? Or will they hinder my growth and draw me away from him? It's important to ask that question.
Now, maybe you're wondering, what about other relationships? Maybe you're thinking, what about my friends and family and co-workers and neighbors and just acquaintances? These are important questions to dig into, and results may vary. Friendships have a significant influence on our thoughts, behaviors, and our spiritual growth. Because of this, there are some Christians who take a circle the wagons type approach, and they cut off all relationships with people outside of their faith community. These Christians really miss the mark. It's a misinterpretation of Paul's teaching of being unevenly yoked. More importantly, it's misaligned with the gospel mission that we've been called to.
We're called to align ourselves with God's word, yes, but we're also called to serve and reach this world for Christ, which includes our family, our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers, and even those acquaintances. With that in mind, we should never cut someone out of our lives just because they don't follow Jesus. And yet, depending on their influence on us, we should be cautious in how much time we spend with them. Coming back to the Proverbs, we read, Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. This piece of wisdom highlights the importance of surrounding ourselves with friends who encourage us in our faith, that they challenge us to grow and support our commitment to living a life that honors God. Again, this doesn't mean that we avoid friendships with unchurched friends and family. Jesus himself was a friend of sinners and spent time with those who were far from God. The key is to set a healthy boundary that allows us to be a positive influence without allowing ourselves to be negatively influenced. This might involve being mindful of the environments we place ourselves in, avoiding situations that could lead us into temptation, or ensuring that our closest friends are those who share our commitment to follow Christ.
For you, find a balance where you can be a light to the world around you without compromising your own spiritual health. By maintaining this boundary, you'll be able to nurture friendships that are supportive and uplifting while still reaching them with the grace, truth, and love of Jesus. By establishing and respecting these boundaries inside and outside the church, you'll be better equipped to avoid temptation. I want to encourage you, take these boundaries seriously. Take steps to protect your spiritual life and promote unity in your church while reaching out to your community. Just like the boundaries of soccer from our intro, keep the integrity of the game intact. The relationship boundaries we set aid our personal integrity. The Christ-centered lines that we draw help us honor God and avoid situations that would lead us astray. They promote a safe, nurturing environment for spiritual growth and for your maturity. As we close, will you say this prayer with me? Dear God, we thank you for the wisdom of your word.
We thank you for the boundaries you have set to guide and protect us. Help us make wise relationship decisions. Give us the courage to trust that your ways are always for our good. May we grow together as a community, honoring you in all we do. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Thank you for watching or listening to this week's message. Before we conclude today's online gathering, we have a few important updates, followed by this week's discussion and prayer focus. All right, today marks the beginning of a new ministry year here at Mountain View Church. That means we're welcoming some leaders back on the team, we're meeting some new faces who have stepped up to serve, and sadly we're saying farewell to some who have completed their season of ministry. First up, we're excited to welcome back Katerina and welcome the whole MacArthur family. They've been on sabbatical for a year, and Katerina serves as our board secretary. We're thrilled to have her back on the team.
Hi there, my name is Katerina MacArthur. I serve as the secretary of the board at Nomenview Church. I have been at this church for a number of years and have served in different capacity. Last year, my family and I took a hiatus. We spent a year in Germany, my home country. This was for our kids to polish their language skills a little bit and for us to just spend some time with my family. We are back now and I am just getting back into the swing of things here and restarting back into this role and I'm just really glad to be back.
Look forward to connecting with you, and if you have questions, please feel free to connect with me here in person or email me at secretary at mountainview.church. Next up, we're welcoming back Twan Nguyen as our audio tech and our tech team after his time of sabbatical. Here's Twan. Hello everyone, my name is Twan. I have been surfing at Mountain View Church since COVID-19. Sometimes I'm running the soundboard or operate the camera or volunteer as a musician. So in the beginning of September, it's my pleasure to go back to surfing at Tech Ministry again. Hopefully I can see everyone on Sunday and say hi. See you guys.
I want to add a huge thank you to Carl Ko for covering the audio ministry during Twins Time Away, and a thank you to my son Jude Norton for adding an internship of support this summer. Now next up, I want to introduce Alex Deans, who has been a musician on our team for some time, but will be leading music ministry this year. Here's Alex. Hey, Mountain View. My name's Alex Deans. I'm sure you've seen me up on stage playing music with the worship team. Happy to announce that starting today, I'm going to be taking over as music director for Mark. Yeah, just really excited, really looking forward to it. And if you or someone you know has some musical ability and would be interested in joining the team, I'd be happy to have a chat and try to get you up there on stage with us. Thanks. As Alex steps up, we want to extend a huge thank you to Mark, who has served in leadership in our music ministry as he steps down. We'll still see him on occasion playing his guitar and singing. Thank you so much, Mark, for your continued willingness to serve our church.
Now, a special thank you goes out to Rachel Neese, who has been a tremendous asset in our systems administration. Rachel is moving to another church community in Whitehorse. Although we're sad to see her go, we support this next step in her faith journey. Now, please join me in welcoming her successor, Caitlin Kickert, who will continue to ensure our church operations run smoothly. Here's Caitlin.
Good morning Mountain View Church. So for those of you who I haven't had the chance to meet yet, I'm Caitlin Kickert. My husband Ruben and I have been attending Mountain View for the last two years and during that time we were able to do the mentorship program. We were really blessed to do it and during that time we felt that Mountain View was our home church and so we have stayed. I really have a heart for ministry growing up as a missionary kid in Japan and I just love this church family and so in the next couple of weeks I'm going to be starting as your ministry systems administrator. So you'll see a lot of me at the welcome desk and doing things like keeping our online systems flowing and working properly.
But I'm going to be needing your guys' help. If there are people who are wanting to learn how to do the welcome desk, I am going to be training people to do it. So if you're interested in that and helping out in that way and volunteering and serving the church in that way, please find me at church or you could email admin at mountainview.church or just come to the welcome desk and find one of us and we can figure that out. Thanks so much and see you guys around. Bye. Next up, let's move to youth ministry. This year, we have two new leaders, Katie Beaudoin overseeing our senior high program and Eralyn Benitez overseeing our junior youth. Here they are.
Hello, everyone. My name is Katie Baldwin, and I'll be coming in to lead the senior youth group for the year of 2024. I'm really looking forward to meeting all the kids and all the parents and getting involved in youth ministry again. Thanks so much for having me. And if you see me around the church, please feel free to say hello. Hi, kids. Hi, parents and volunteers. My name is Erin Lynn, and I will be helping with junior youth ministry. I'm looking forward to seeing you all and having fun together.
Finally, I can't forget all of those leaders who have served and are continuing to serve this year. I want to thank you. Herbert, Byron, Aaron, Sarah, Allison, Kim, Emma, Haley, and the dozens of volunteers who serve faithfully, keeping Mountain View on mission and reaching our city for Jesus. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who serves, to everyone who volunteers. This year is going to be an amazing ministry year. I know it. We're praying to that end.
If you prayed to receive Jesus today or would like to connect with our church community, visit mountainview.church and click the connect link. If this podcast and radio ministry has been a blessing to you, please consider partnering with us or making a tax-deductible donation at mountainview.church. Thanks for listening to Mountain View Church Audio. Join us next week for more Christ-centered teaching from the Wilderness City of Whitehorse UConn.