COMMUNITY: We have been looking at the Spiritual disciplines for the last 5 weeks. This specific discipline of being in community is not necessarily going to church but it is actually taking the next step to get to know people and spend time with people that you meet in church. The springboard passage I have been referring to is Mark 12 about loving the Lord and loving your neighbor. So tonight we are going to look at the Spiritual Discipline of being in community together with other believers.
In order to study this we are going to look at the first church in Acts 2:42-47. I believe this tells us at least 4 things about “how to successfully live in community with other believers”
To successfully live in community we need…
-A redeemed soul: (saved) GOSPEL You cannot live in community with other believers and get the fullness of that community unless you are saved. Only the regenerated souls can really connect with one another. At the end of the day we are not totally going to connect with a person who does not love the Lord. 2 Cor. 6:14 “what fellowship does light have with darkness?”
Ask yourself this question…Are the closest relationships you have with other Christians?
-Willing mind: To learn the “Apostles teaching” which is Scripture. When we are in community with other believers there is always an opportunity to learn from one another. One of the great things that the reformation brought to the church was the understanding that every person has the ability to understand Scriptures, that means when we are in community with others there is always an opportunity to learn. Community Groups are a great place for this to happen, because the concept is that when we come together in community groups we are sharing life and how we have personally applied Scriptures to our lives. How did you deal with that? How did you get through that? What was helpful to you? What would you avoid?
Someone once said “One can acquire everything in solitude except character.”
Ask yourself this question…Who have you learned a great deal from by just spending time with them?
Here is a little pastoral advice for you…go thank them.
-Generous heart: When we love the Lord with all our heart it becomes generous. The example that was set by those early followers of Jesus was marked with generosity. With their belongings and their willingness to open up their homes and use their resources. A generous heart deepens the bond of unity because others display their love for God and others by their willingness to share. We are supposed to be generous Galatians 6:10 tells us to do good “especially to the household of faith”
Ask yourself this question…When was the last time you gave something to help another in your spiritual community?
-Renewed strength: In order to live in close community with other people you will need strength. The closer we get to other people the more problems will occur and you will need the strength of the Lord to work you through it. Many times people want to call it quits, they get sick of problems and issues. They respond in cutting off relationships, many families do this, they have people in the family they don’t talk to.
So what do you do when your community forsakes you?
1. bring it to them.
2. don't hold it against them. forgive
3. don't take revenge (wish ill on them)
4. don't forsake them
5. realize the Lord is with you (that is why He should be first)
Vrs 47 The result of believers living in community with one another are others being “saved”. Some of the best witnessing we can do is rightly relate to one another in community.
No comments:
Post a Comment