Life Is Better Together

A few months ago I purchased a book that was published this year and is entitled:

The Reason for Church: Why the Body of Christ Still Matters in an Age of Anxiety, Division, and Radical Individualism

By: Brad Edwards and Michael Keller

Though I have yet to read it cover-to-cover, I have seen some interesting thoughts.

In the Foreword, Michael Keller writes:

In today’s culture, which Charles Taylor refers to as “A Secular Age,” many of our most common narratives push us toward radical individualism, leaving us feeling empty, lonely, burned-out, and searching for a sense of belonging. [This book was written to] help us see that the real solution to our deepest longings for meaning and significance is not found in turning further inward or liberating ourselves, but rather in devoting ourselves to a redemptive community: the local church.

In a chapter called: Counterfeit Institutions: How Social Media Unmakes Disciples, Undermines Churches, and Unravels Society, the authors write…

Starting as early as 2014 or 2015, most pastors began noticing a subtle change in the Sunday morning vibe. The typical visitor walking through the front doors of a church went from expecting to be shaped and formed by the church, to expecting a church to be shaped and formed by them. We’ve gone from entrusting our formation to a church, to insisting a church conform to us.

This change in posture, from entrusting to insisting, is but one symptom of a well-documented trend called Main Character Syndrome (MCS)—the tacit belief that WE are the protagonist at the center of every story, and go about our day “as if [we’re] the only person whose life matters, as if [we’re] a player character among a gaggle of NPCs” (for all you non-gamers [ME!] “Non-Player Characters”). And where we presume to be the essential protagonist, others become tangential to our story. We insist [everyone else] play supporting roles and [we] treat them like we do the virtual and discardable figures populating video games.

Wow!

As a pastor for over 37 years, I definitely see what they are saying.

Just recently, through a situation I encountered, I had my own revelation along these same lines:

The younger generation (and, in fact, many of EVERY generation) do NOT find value in attending and participating in church services.

I tend to think they believe that GOD is blessed should they choose to attend.

These folks do not even have the attitude of many church attenders in the past, which was:

“I can’t miss a service! The Holy Spirit might show me something critical that I absolutely NEED RIGHT NOW! Someone might pray for me or encourage me or share a blessing with me.”

You’ll notice all of these are about me, me, me.

Let me point out that whether we decide attending church service is entirely optional or we come to service strictly looking for MY blessing, both of these attitudes play right into the Main Character Syndrome I just mentioned.

I am the most important one — no one else matters.

This is a self-centered, CONSUMER mentality.

I believe God has given us a different — a better approach — through His Word.

1 Corinthians 12:27 [tells us] “Now you [plural - ALL of you] are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.”

This Biblical approach tells me that my attitude needs to be: “I am part of the Body of Christ.

That in every gathering I perform an essential, irreplaceable role.

And when I miss, I fail God. I fail Him because God intends for me to minister as the part of the Body that I am.

Someone misses out on receiving from God when I choose to not attend.

Again, I fail God, the One who loves me and saves me, because because I fail to do what God intends for me to do.”

The reality is that I am not here for myself — I am here to please God.

And it pleases God when I have what Philippians 2 says is the “mind of Christ.”

It pleases God when I have the same attitude Jesus had which according to Philippians 2:3 is to “regard OTHERS as more important that myself.”

These attitudes of selfLESSness, of OTHERS being more important than ourselves and “I am here to be a blessing to someone else,” SHOULD form the basis of ALL our services, but it is especially evident in our Sunday evening 14:26 services based on:

1 Corinthians 14:26 (NLT) Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.

So, my prayer this morning is that we would gain a better understanding of what it means to be a part of a local church.

The value it has for us.

To do that we will look at 3 different passages.

If we are to be able to move beyond a fleshly, humanistic understanding we absolutely need to anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Could you pray with me for 2 things?

That our minds would have the blinders removed so that we might see what God wants us to see?

And that God will anoint my mouth and your brain, so that I might be able to communicate God’s truth?

PRAYER

Scripture: Matthew 18:20 // Ecclesiastes 4:9-10// Hebrews 10:24-25

WE WERE CREATED FOR CONNECTION

Matthew 18:19–20 (NASB95) “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 20 “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

Esp. VS. 20

Last week I read Matthew 16:18 [where Jesus told Peter… ]… upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

Jesus WANTS us to gather in His Name because His Name, His Person, His character is trhe Rock upon which we are to build our gatherings.

Not only that, but we, the church, are His Bride.

A Bride for which He suffered and died.

Ephesians 5:25–27 (NASB95) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

So, we, the church, gather together in the Name of Jesus and believe He is Here.

And we connect to Him even as we connect to one another.

Last year I preached 3 messages on the Biblical concept of Koinonia :

The very first use of that Greek word, “Koinonia” is in Acts 2.

Where it is translated “fellowship, sharing together, united together,

The NET Bible footnotes says: The word “Fellowship” refers here to close association involving mutual involvement and relationships.

From the very beginning, God designed us for relationships.

In Genesis, when God said, “It is not good for man to be alone,” He wasn’t just talking about marriage—He was revealing a deep truth about human nature.

We are made in the image of a relational God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

That means we are wired for community, not isolation.

We are meant to be connected to God and in doing so, we can experience a deeper connection with one another.

Many of us have heard the old STORY:

… about a man who stopped going to church. He didn’t make a big deal about it— he just slowly drifted away.

One cold evening, his pastor stopped by for a visit. The man welcomed him in, and they sat by the fireplace in silence.

After a few minutes, the pastor picked up the fire tongs, grabbed a single glowing coal, and set it aside on the hearth.

As they watched, the coal slowly dimmed and turned gray.

Still, no words were spoken.

A few minutes later, the pastor picked up the cold coal and placed it back into the fire. Within moments, it began to glow again, bright and hot.

The man looked at the pastor and said, “I’ll be at church on Sunday.”

This man recognize…

Alone, we cool down.

Together, we stay warm.

That’s the power of connection—and the kind of belonging God designed us for.

When we isolate ourselves, we miss out on one of God’s greatest gifts: each other.

True connection helps us carry burdens, celebrate victories, and grow in our faith.

As we walk together, we have the opportunity to reflect God’s love in powerful ways, and the world can see the beauty of Christ-centered community in action.

In Matthew 18: 20 Jesus is making a very important point…

No gathering is too small to matter to God.

We don’t have to be a mega-church to have the Presence of God.

Even in small churches, Jesus promises to be with us when we come together with Him at the center.

It’s both an invitation and a promise: when we seek Him together, He shows up.

The Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes also helps us understand what the church is all about.

YOU + ME + JESUS = STRENGTH

Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 (NASB95) Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 10 For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. 11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

Ecclesiastes is an Old Testament book in the wisdom tradition.

It is interesting to me that a portion of what the author writes about as wisdom is concerning relationships.

The author makes a simple observation, “two are better than one” – I have heard it said before that alone we can go fast, but together we go far.

When people work together, they can accomplish more than they could alone.

Life inevitably includes moments of failure or weakness, but having someone to help in those times is invaluable.

The author then uses an illustration to communicate the need to be in connection with others.

He says one, by themselves can be overpowered, two can defend themselves better, but a cord of three strands is not easily broken.

As we read this passage we tend to put ourselves in the position of the person who needs help, who needs warmth, who needs a fellow warrior to come alongside us.

But what if WE are the one who helps another when they fall.

Who embraces a cold brother or sister to warm them up.

Who lifts up sword and shield and comes to the aid of the defenseless one.

When we gather in the Name of Jesus, and He empowers us through the Holy Spirit, we can make a difference in the lives of others.

If we indeed have the mind of Christ which values others more than ourselves — that is what we WANT to do.

With the Presence of Jesus in our lives, we are equipped to be change agents and difference makers in the world around us.

I have seen the Church rise to the occasion so many different times to provide for others in need, to rebuild after tragedy, and to offer hope when times get tough.

In fact, the late Anglican priest, William Temple, once said, “The church is the only cooperative society in the world that exists for the benefit of its non-members.”

And that’s exactly the kind of community Jesus calls us to be, a people who don’t just gather for our own sake, but who exist to bring light, love, and hope to a hurting world.

We gather not only to be filled but to be sent out.

Church isn’t just about what happens in this building—it’s about how we live outside of it.

When we are united in Christ, we become a force for good, stronger together, shining God’s love in every neighborhood, school, workplace, and community we exist in.

Finally, the book of Hebrews is a letter written to the early Christian church as it began to take shape after Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

The small group of believers was being tempted to throw in the towel on their Christian community because of persecution and pressure.

The author writes a plea for those in the church to stay strong and continue to gather with one another.

COMMIT TO COMMUNITY

Hebrews 10:23–25 (NASB95) Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

In the early church, some believers had stopped gathering—perhaps out of fear, weariness, or discouragement.

But the author of Hebrews makes it clear that meeting together isn’t optional; it’s essential for staying spiritually strong.

The word “stimulate” used in this passage goes beyond a gentle encouragement—it suggests a kind of loving provocation, a stirring that pushes us toward deeper faithfulness.

Picture a cowboy using spurs on his boots—not to harm the horse, but to prompt it forward with energy and purpose.

In the same way, believers are called to challenge and inspire one another.

The only way the church could carry on the mission Jesus began was by coming together again and again—encouraging one another, strengthening one another, and staying united in purpose.

Committing to community means more than just attending church when it’s convenient.

It’s about making a decision to belong, to show up, and to pour into others as much as we receive.

The early church didn’t gather out of habit or obligation; they gathered because they knew they needed one another.

In the same way, we are called to be intentional with our relationships and consistent in our presence.

True community happens when we move beyond surface-level connection and into deep, Spirit-led relationships where we can be known, challenged, and encouraged by one another.

STORY: In his book, Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes about his time leading a secret seminary during Nazi Germany.

It was a small, tight-knit community of young men training for ministry under extreme pressure and threat.

Life was simple, often difficult, but rich with spiritual depth.

They shared meals, prayers, Scripture, and confessions.

One day, someone asked Bonhoeffer why he insisted on maintaining such a close-knit Christian community in such dangerous times.

He replied that the gift of being together in Christ was not something to be taken for granted—it was a divine blessing that many Christians throughout history had longed for and gone without.

Bonhoeffer believed that being with other believers, even in suffering, was essential to faithfulness.

He wrote, “The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer.”

When we commit to a community, we are saying “yes” to the kind of transformation that only happens in the context of real people doing real life together.

And in so doing, we become part of something bigger than ourselves, a movement of love, grace, and truth that reflects the very heart of Jesus in the world.

So, we don’t just attend, we belong.

We don’t just visit, we invest.

And being a part of a community isn’t about convenience; it’s about a calling to a heavenly family.

Conclusion

As the Worship Team comes…

Perhaps you long for connection.

To be a part of something that truly helps others.

To be a part of a Body of believers that encourages and strengthens one another through the hard times that we all face.

That connection begins with a relationship with Jesus.

Have you repented of your sins?

Have you surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus over your life.

If not, I encourage you to start with that.

Prayer of salvation:

Lord, I am sorry for my sins.

I understand I have offended a HOLY God.

Please forgive me help me walk a different path.

Be the Lord, the Master of my life.

I ask this in Jesus’ Name.

As we are gathered this morning, I want to encourage each of us to consider making a commitment to this church, to make it a place you truly call home.

We believe that we are better together and that includes you!

This church is more than a building; it’s a family where we support, grow, and encourage one another.

So, take a step today.

Join us on Sunday nights and Wednesdays where deeper relationships are formed, where you can share life, pray together, and grow in your faith.

Consider serving in one of our local mission efforts.

There’s something powerful about coming together with others to make a difference in our community and reflecting God’s love to those around us.

This is your chance to invest in something that will last—community, faith, and relationships that can change lives.

Take that step today, and let’s walk this journey together.

We promise, you won’t regret it.

Because when we are meeting in Fellowship with Christ

When we recognize the strength and value of being in connection with one another

When we understand one of the great purposes of our life in Christ is to encourage one another in a world that is hostile to Christianity.

Our lives come into alignment with God’s plan.

There’s no better place to be!