Made For Communion

A few days ago, a young man got in touch with me wanting to talk. David is now a brilliant student in a university and I was his pastor while he was growing up. I will never forget how David came to me when he was in elementary school and told me his desire to really know and walk with God. Even today, as a busy college student, I regularly see verses David is highlighting on YouVersion, the Bible App. He is involved with a Christian ministry on his campus and continues to seek God’s will for his life.

David wanted to talk with me because he has had many fearful thoughts lately. He asked, “Is it possible that I have committed a sin that will cause God to kick me out of His family and I am doomed to eternity in hell?”

Do you ever have thoughts like that? Do you constantly think God is angry at you and that He wants nothing to do with you? Do you pull away from God because you can’t imagine how He can love a sinner like you?

If those are your thoughts...

You are normal!

Today, I hope you begin to know deep inside you how much God loves you and wants to have a deep communion relationship with you. In fact, God made you so that you can know Him and He can know you! Here are some important truths from the Bible...

You are made for deep, loving relationships.

Do you remember the story of Creation in Genesis 1? Over and over, God saw what He had made and it was good. Then, God saw something that was NOT GOOD.

Genesis 2:18 (NASB 2020)

18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

That word “alone” means Disconnected, Separated

When I was growing up, one of the most popular songs was, “I am a rock; I am an island.” The idea was that I don’t really need anybody else. That’s a lie! God created us to need each other.

But we have a problem...

Sin destroys relationships.

Have you ever seen two tiny children in a room with a few toys? One of the kids likes a certain toy. What does the other kid want to play with? The second child goes over and snatches the toy from the first child and says, “Mine!” There are other toys in the room, but both children want to control all the toys.

We know a couple that is going through a divorce. The husband has a problem with alcohol. His way is dealing it is by trying to control every person in his family. He gets angry and says horrible things to them. For a while, he got help, but his heart never changed and his anger just got worse. One day his wife told him he wasn’t changing. He got angry, told her he didn’t need to change, then told her he was leaving them. Here was a marriage of two people who loved each other and were raising a family together. Now the relationship is destroyed because of sin. It’s what sin does.

We must humble ourselves before God and each other to be re-connected.

Do you remember what the man and woman did when God came to spend time with them after they sinned? Day after day, they had spent time with God in the Garden. I can imagine how God loved spending time with this couple He had created and loved with all His heart. But they sinned. This time, when He came...

THEY HID!

Please understand that this is exactly what we do because of our sins. We hide from God. But we also hide from each other! I mentioned the husband who left his family. He was hiding his problem with alcohol from his family. He wanted control of everything so they couldn’t find out how much this sin was messing him up. His wife was hiding her feelings from him because she more and more wanted nothing to do with him. Instead of enjoying a loving relationship they were separated in their hearts.

We hide among other Christians, too. A couple of years ago, in the home group Cathy and I attend a man we love very much admitted, “I have a problem with tobacco.” It turns out he was deeply ashamed that he hadn’t given up tobacco when he became a Christian, but he didn’t want anyone else to know about it. He was hiding. Just recently, that same man shared that he gave up tobacco after telling the group about it and has never gone back to it. When he quit hiding, he was set free.

I love this verse:

Proverbs 28:13 (NASB 2020)

13 One who conceals his wrongdoings will not prosper, But one who confesses and abandons them will find compassion.

What do you hide from others here in the church? In the past, I have had to confess things like selfishness, pride, lust, and anger to the Christians I know well. I recently told you about the way I am sometimes selfish when I am driving.

Something else I have had to reveal is that I don’t have all the answers! For years, people came to me for help with life’s deepest problems, but I don’t always know what to do. I also have seen that many times others in a group have better answers than mine. I’m glad to be coming out of hiding.

There is some great news in all this...

Jesus came to re-connect us to God and to each other. We must learn to become real with each other.

James 5:16 (NASB 2020)

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.

Each of our Sundays in January were spent in some sweet fellowship with each other. Each week, we spent a little time opening our hearts to one another. Does anyone have anything you would like to share with the group that you have been hiding?

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