May 2024 Vogel SP

At the church I pastor in Blairsville, we have Bible study on Wednesday nights.

A few weeks ago we began studying the Bible in relation to current events.

This past Wednesday we had a lesson that dealt with a headline that talked about the continued decline of communal participation.

The article that came with our lesson cited a study by social scientist Ryan Burge who said:

… tens of millions [of] [are] people [are] retreat[ing] into TikTok and Instagram," Burge said, "Instead of being shaped by in-person interactions at the town council meeting, the local … Church, or the halls of the local community college or university, they are holed up in their rooms, letting algorithms feed them more of what they think they want to see," he said.

"And they are worse for it. And so is democracy," Burge said.

Our study made the assertion that when people withdraw from in-person communal interactions…

there are two losses involved:

One [loss] is what such individuals might have received from communal participation,

and the other [loss] is what they might have contributed through such involvement.

The Bible tells us the blessings of being in relationship with others:

In fact, the first negative statement of the Bible is where God said in Genesis 2:18 (NKJV) … “It is not good that man should be alone; … ”

And on this Mother’s Day 2024 we remember that in response to His assessment of the situation, God created woman.

Woman who would become Mother.

Thank God for mothers who stay involved with their children!

I do see moms who zone out on the phone, who give their crawling babies a phone or tablet to entertain them, or who allow their elementary and teens unlimited access to screens.

But praise the Lord, there still a lot of hands-on, head-in-the-game moms and grandmoms who refuse to allow social media to raise their children and grands.

I applaud you!

And then we read in:

Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 (NLT) Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

I may be preaching to the choir here…

I mean, can you be a camper and avoid human interactions?

I’m sure there are plenty of backpackers who avoid people and go out in the woods alone.

But here at a state park?

Nah!

I’m sure there are some who are more outgoing than others — but it seems that if you are going to be a camper — you WILL have LOTS of human interaction.

And as far as needing help — from what I can tell, there are plenty of opportunities to ask for and give help.

I mean, just getting parked in an RV spot could take several ground guides.

Unless you camp like I do… whereas I have a house in Blairsville — that’s where my adult children and 2 grandkids live.

My wife and I like a quieter, cleaner, less screaming kind of life.

So we live in a 41 foot 5th wheel parked in the church parking lot.

I don’t even own a vehicle that will pull it.

THAT kind of camping doesn’t require a lot of human interaction — but then I have PLENTY of communal participation with our church of about 75 to 100 people (about 60 of which attend any given Sunday).

But beyond help with your RV or tent, I see here in Ecclesiastes other blessings in human interactions — in communal participation:

The Soul Care Bible says about this passage:

God created people to be in relationship with Him and in relationships with one another.

Friends who work on a task can rejoice together in its accomplishment.

Friends can help each other …

Those who have strong relationship with God and strong relationships with other believers will have bonds that strengthen life’s joys and limit life’s sorrows.

We should both FIND good friends and BE good friends.

That type of communal participation, in the church it is best characterized by the Greek word “koinonia” means that, as it says in ....

Vs. 9 - Help each other succeed.

There are a lot of kinds of success.

Certainly there are business ventures that require the communal participation of many people.

The successful education of our children requires many people interacting together.

But the MOST important success is succeeding in living for Jesus ALL of our lives.

We can help each other do that.

Sometimes just a hand on the shoulder as we say, “I’m praying for you! God is going to get you through this.

We speak into other people’s lives and then others, speak into ours.

As Philippians 2:3–5 (NLT) Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Jesus DIED that we might have a successful reconciliation with the Father.

He rose from the dead and as Hebrews 7:25 says … "… He always lives to make intercession for [us].”

That we might SUCCESSFULLY LIVE every day for Him — all the way to the shores of eternity.

Vs. 10 - When we are in communal interaction with other, we have Help when we fall.

There is really not a question of IF we will fall, but WHEN we will fall.

In those times, there really is NO substitute for Christian brothers and sisters who will stoop down beside us and either assist us in our own efforts to get up or they will do ALL the heavy lifting because we are completely incapacitated.

Obviously this applies to physical falls.

But it is also true in spiritual falls.

As gets pointed out repeatedly in the circles in which I travel, if the devil is leaving you alone, it’s because you are doing nothing to threaten him.

Nothing to impede his progress in hindering the advance of the Kingdom of God.

As we walk hand-in-hand with Jesus AND hand-in-hand with others we can stand, we can walk and move forward.

Ah, but how many times do we pridefully tell ourselves, “I don’t need anyone! I can do this.”

Proverbs 16:18 (NLT) Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.

As we humble ourselves and ask others to come alongside of us, we can bee lifted up in our stumblings and falls.

Vs. 11-Help when you are cold.

How are you liking “Blackberry winter?”

In these chilly temperatures it is nice to cuddle up with another and keep each other warm!

What is true physically is true spiritually.

When the church gathers and embraces communal interaction with one another, we can fan the flameess of spiritual heat.

And this applies, not just when we are cold, but when we are lukewarm — a really bad place to be

Revelation 3:15–16 (MSG) [Jesus says…] “I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! 16 You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit.

Interaction with other believers can help us avoid being in such a despicable spiritual condition.

Finally, in Vs. 12 we see that communal participation means -Help when we are attacked.

As I said a moment ago, if we are living for Jesus — successfully accomplishing HIS purposes for our life — we will be advancing the Kingdom of God.

And whereas Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 (LSB) … I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

That doesn’t mean the devil will not counterattack.

What a powerful thing to be surrounded by fellow warriors of God!

Standing back-to-back, guarding each other in the inevitable attacks of the enemy (again, if we are doing anything for God).

Altar

So, this morning, are you regularly involved in communal participation with others who are walking with Jesus?

Are you part of a team accomplishing the purposes of God?

His Kingdom come, His will being done on earth as it is in heaven?

If not, can I urge you to enthusiastically join hands and hearts with those of like precious faith

And thereby live life to the fullest?