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40 Days of Community -

Part 1:

Why We Need Each Other

Thesis: God designed us for community.

Action: We need to come together in Community in order to fulfill God’s purposes for our lives.

Text: Topical

Transcript of Message by Rick Warren

October 2-3, 2004

Introduction

A. Revolution

1. Have you thought that we could be in the midst of a revolution?

a) 650 churches all across America, participating in the 40 Days of Community this year

b) About 20 right here in MA:

c) This year alone – from January to now – approximately 1600 churches from all over the US have joined in this 40 Days journey to do the exact same ministry

(1) Connecting people into relationship with God

(2) With one another

(3) With their communities

B. Ever Revolution Needs a Radical Message

1. America’s Radical Message was a Government Run by the People

We love our Independence

a) “I got to be me.”

b) “I did it my way.”

c) “I don’t need anybody to tell me what to do with my life.”

2. We have been taught that happiness is the result of independence

a) If I’m financially independent

b) if I’m relationally independent

c) if I am independent in every way, then I will be the happiest.

3. Yet, we have never had more unhappy people, and suicide rate continues to go up.

Why?

Because that’s not the answer.

4. The anecdote to all of those things is the concept of community.

The truth is, happiness does not come from being independent, isolated, living your life with all the barriers up and all the masks and keeping people at an arm’s distance.

That’s not the way to be happy.

Happiness comes from interdependence, from community.

We’re going to start with a message today that really is pretty radical.

It’s pretty countercultural.

It’s the exact opposite of what you’ve been taught your entire life.

5. Radical Message: We need each other.

…so it is with Christ’s body.

We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

(Romans 12:5 NLT)

We just don’t realize how much we need each other because we are taught independence.

6. Purpose Driven Life Series

a) The Big Idea

This summer, when we studied “The Purpose Driven Life”, the big idea was that God put you on this planet for five reasons and we talked about those five purposes that God put you on earth to fulfill.

That’s the big idea.

(1)

b) Let me give you a bigger idea.

You cannot fulfill any of those five purposes on your own.

You can’t do it by yourself.

It’s impossible.

God wired you and wired all of us in such a way that we can only fulfill his purposes for our lives in community, in his family, in relationship to each other.

We need each other.

That’s the big idea we’re going to look at for the next 40 days.

C.

D.

C. We’re going to look at relationships throughout this series.

We’re going to look at:

1.

Why do relationships go bad?

2. How do you turn a bad relationship into a good one?

3. What does it mean to really love and be loved?

4. What does it mean to really have intimacy with somebody?

To have soul-to-soul fellowship

5. What is the purpose of God’s church in all of this?

Transition

Now, today I’m going to give you a little introduction.

And we’re going to look at why we need each other.

The five reasons why you need a church family, and more than that, five reasons why you need to be in a small group with a few other friends who you get to know on a deeper level than just casual acquaintance.

The five reasons that the Bible gives us

I need relationships because:

I.

I Need Others to Walk with Me

A. Number one, I need others to WALK with me.

I need others to walk with me.

In other words, I need people to help me grow spiritually.

1.

Now the Bible often calls your spiritual life, your walk.

It calls it “the Christian walk” or “the spiritual walk.”

The Bible says in Colossians 2:6 and 2:7, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him…” (Colossians 2:6 ESV)

Why?

Because life is not just a sit-down thing, it’s a journey.

You’re always growing.

You’re always moving, and your life is a journey.

There is a destination to get to.

And the Bible says that as you walk through life, God wants you to do certain things.

Now all through scripture, it tells us, particularly through the New Testament, we’re to walk in the light, we’re to walk in love, we’re to walk in obedience, we’re to walk in the Holy Spirit, we’re to walk as Jesus walked, we’re to walk in wisdom.

Many, many ways the Bible tells us how to live this kind of life.

2. God never intended for you to walk through life alone.

In this scene, a college basketball coach has told one of his players that he needs to improve his grades.

He needs someone to come along side him to make good decisions and grow

Slide 4 Glory Road Movie Clip

B. Spiritual Growth Requires Relationships

1. Look again at one of the most important passages in the bible: The Great Commandment

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

There is no commandment greater than these.”

(Mark 12:29-31 NIV)