Introduction
Community
A place - our community
A people
In true community we encounter a need for a mind shift from individualism to shared life and community.
It means that our:
Schedules
Resources
Decisions
Are collectively built around reaching people (Jeff Vanderstelt)
This means that individually and collectively as community we make a shift away from our Western mindset that our schedules, resources and decisions are made around what suits us and our own needs best.
It is a mindshift because we are used to individualism.
It means that decisions we make as individuals are in reference to how we interact with the community of followers of Jesus and the mission of the community to love God, love each other and to reach other people.
A few weeks ago we wrote down hopes and dreams. As a community how can we work together to help one another achieve God's purpose for our lives? How can we facilitate the hopes and dreams of each other in the context of community?
Acts 2:42-47 NLT
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer. [43] A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. [44] And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. [45] They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. [46] They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity- [47] all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
Christian community - followers of Jesus gathering together for a common purpose
Worship - gathering together to honour God, connect with God in his presence, to be in a place to hear his voice. Notice that they worshiped together at the temple. Individual worship is important but when we read the word we see that even seeking direction from God is never done in isolation but within the context of community.
Meeting together was important.
Fellowship (koinonia):
-association, community, communion, joint participation, the share which one has in anything, participation, intimacy
Note that even in the bigger setting of temple worship they were together. There was a sense of oneness and unity.
Together - the value of being on mission together, of sharing in common - common unity - something that draws us all together for a common purpose
Community builds friendship - and relationships that care about one another.
Some thoughts on creating Biblical community
1. They devoted themselves
Community is about commitment to God and to one another
They devoted themselves, (KJV: continued steadfastly):
to adhere to one, be his adherent, to be devoted or constant to one
to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing
to continue all the time in a place
to persevere and not to faint
to show one's self courageous for
to be in constant readiness for one, wait on constantly
Not only are the early Christians devoted to the word but they are devoted to meeting together. They are steadfast, they persevered and cares about each other in real and concrete ways.
They were devoted to fellowship - meeting together in one place and in different smaller contexts to share and to build relationships with each other.
Jesus said others will know his followers by our love for one another.
John 13:33-35 NLT
Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can't come where I am going. [34] So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. [35] Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
What we notice about this verse is that Jesus is very clear about loving others.
This is the last supper, he's giving his disciples the last bit of teaching, he's washed their feet and then he instructs them to love each other in the same way he loves us.
Notice that this is genuine love for a community of believers committed to each other.
Jesus is clear; when we love this way, others will see, and take notice of how we love each other. Now Jesus loved us and laid down his life for the greater good of mankind. (Maybe we will explore how Jesus loves us at a later date)
This is the kind of love for each other we are to have as we live in community with each other, laying down our self life for the greater good of community. Then, those who don't know Jesus will see this love and know we are disciples of Jesus.
Notice that it is love for each other, not our individual doctrines of belief, that will reach out to and impact others.
What are we doing that shows that we have genuine care for each other?
What can we do more of to better care for each other?
2. A collective mindset
They had everything in common
They shared everything they had with each other.
There was a collective experience and a collective mentality. This is in stark contrast to much of our culture where we have an individual mentality.
Notice that they shared everything and where necessary they sold what they had to help those who didn't have anything. We are often prepared to give to a good cause but I'm interested here in how they care for each other personally.
They did good things for the unsaved but central to their community was a commitment to one another, not just to meet together, but to hold their own possessions lightly and to care deeply about the people they lived with in community.
Scripture speaks about doing good especially to the body of believers.
Galatians 6:8-10 NLT
Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. [9] So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. [10] Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone-especially to those in the family of faith.
Living in relationship with God and with others, doing good, especially towards those in the family of faith.
Notice the context - it's based around the family of faith, the community of believers that God has placed us in.
Hebrews 10:23-25 NLT
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. [24] Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. [25] And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
How are we encouraging and motivating each other to acts of love and good works?
How willing are we to develop and love in this kind of community?
There is a challenge for us because our own sense of community is a group of individuals where the individual is important. Whereas though God places incredible value on individuals this is within the context of life lived in community with one another.
How can we create space in our lives for commitment to community especially in a 2016 environment?
