Meaningful Community

Introduction:

Family

Disc Golf

You ever felt alone at some point in your life?

Without going deep into my story my parents were never married and I was raised with my mom. I was her only child and we live in the country. For many years there was no one to play with or hang out with. I joke with my kids that my friends were the trees. Do you know how hard it is to play soccer with oak trees? They never pass the ball where you running too. Maybe that is why I hit so many tree’s when I play disc golf now.

Later on in life right after I surrendered my life over to Jesus I really struggled with friendships. See my friends that I had at the time when I surrendered my life to Jesus didn’t want anything to do with Jesus and they just wanted to continue to party and I was convicted by Holy Spirit that, that life was no longer for me. That life did not reflect the life of Jesus.

I felt very alone during this time because these were my closest friends that I had done life with. I knew deep down there was something more, something more meaningful but I just didn’t know what it was yet, or I didn’t know how to explain it, or describe what my heart yearned for. What I was missing was meaningful relationships with other brother and sisters of Christ, the church body.

I lived in this tension of desiring meaningful relationships but I was still struggling with the sin that was in my life. I felt so torn…I felt so lonely.

Sin separates us. This is a three-part separation:  

Us from God  - the ‘chasm’ the gospel scales

Us from meaningful community

Us from our calling to serve & provide hope to the hopeless

Today, we are talking about how sin separates us from meaningful community. This middle truth is the link in our faith between who God is and what he’s calling us to do. 

We cannot live in right relationship with God if we are not in right relationship with our Christian brothers and sisters. And we cannot live out our calling to bring hope to those outside the family of Christ if we are not being encouraged in our calling by our brothers and sisters in the family of Christ. 

To explore this topic further, turn in your Bibles to: Acts 21:37–22:21

I want us to read this passage together and then we will go back and make some observations and see if we can apply anything to our life.

“As he was about to be brought into the barracks, Paul said to the commander, “Am I allowed to say something to you?” He replied, “You know how to speak Greek? Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt some time ago and led four thousand men of the Assassins into the wilderness?” Paul said, “I am a Jewish man from Tarsus of Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. Now I ask you, let me speak to the people.” After he had given permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people. When there was a great hush, he addressed them in Aramaic: “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.” When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic, they became even quieter. He continued, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strictness of our ancestral law. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, arresting and putting both men and women in jail, as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to arrest those who were there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished. “As I was traveling and approaching Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ “I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’ Now those who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. “I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ “The Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that you have been assigned to do.’ “Since I couldn’t see because of the brightness of the light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and went into Damascus. Someone named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, who had a good reputation with all the Jews living there, came and stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And in that very hour I looked up and saw him. And he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the words from his mouth, since you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard. And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’ “After I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance and saw him telling me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ “But I said, ‘Lord, they know that in synagogue after synagogue I had those who believed in you imprisoned and beaten. And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I stood there giving approval and guarding the clothes of those who killed him.’ “He said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”

Paul has just been arrested in Jerusalem. The mob is angry, confused, and ready to tear him apart. The Roman commander lets Paul speak to the crowd — and here Paul tells his story.

This moment shows us a powerful example of how God’s grace can break through the separation that sin causes — and how meaningful community leads to intimacy and encourages our calling as believers.

1. Sin separates us from God

Acts 22:3 “He continued, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strictness of our ancestral law. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.”

Paul begins by describing his life before Christ:

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.”

Paul was deeply religious, but completely cut off from God. His sin blinded him. He was zealous, but spiritually dead. This is the first and ultimate separation: sin pulls us away from the God who made us.

?White washed tombs?

Thought Grenade:

Many of us can be “busy for God” but distant from God. Sin isn’t always an obvious rebellion — sometimes it’s spiritual pride, self-sufficiency, or fear that keeps us from intimacy with God.

Do you have spiritual pride?

Do you look down on others? Do say things like at least I am not like them. Or I don’t do what they are doing. Do you compare yourself to others thinking at least I am not like ____

2. Sin separates us from meaningful community

Acts 22:4–5 “I persecuted this Way to the death, arresting and putting both men and women in jail, as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to arrest those who were there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.”

His sin didn’t just distance him from God; it made him an enemy of God’s people. When we hide sin, harbor unforgiveness, or refuse to be honest about our struggles, we cut ourselves off from the support and unity we were designed for in the family of God. We isolate ourselves from real-world relationships with God’s people and the benefits that God designed for his family to experience together. .

Thought Grenade:

Who really knows what you’re battling? Is there anyone in your life who sees the real you? Without authentic, confessional relationships, we remain isolated — even in a crowd.

3. Sin separates us from our calling to serve & bring hope Acts 22:6–10 ““As I was traveling and approaching Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ “I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’ Now those who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. “I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ “The Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that you have been assigned to do.’”

In that moment, Paul’s life is interrupted — not just to save him, but to redirect him toward his true calling:

Acts 22:15 “since you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard.”

Sin had separated Saul from the calling on his life to bring hope to the hopeless. But God’s grace called him home. 

Application:

The same is true for us. When we’re living in secret sin or disconnected community, we forfeit opportunities to serve others, to disciple, to bring hope to the hopeless. Confession isn’t just about healing; it’s about freeing us to live the mission God designed for us.

The power of meaningful community: Confession and calling Acts 22:16 “And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’”, Acts 22:21 ““He said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ 

Notice how this calling was only made possible by the equipping and encouragement of other Christian brothers… 

Confession leads to cleansing. Cleansing leads to calling. And calling leads to community — a people on mission together.

[Transition]

Like Paul, we need someone like Ananias in our life — someone who sees us, challenges us, and helps us step into what God has for us. Meaningful community begins when we’re honest about our sin, receive God’s grace, and step into serving others.

Sin separates, confession restores, community empowers.

Call to Action (3 minutes)

As we consider Paul’s testimony, how can we begin to take steps to implementing the truths we’ve discovered together? 

Here are three ways to step into meaningful community:

Confess your sins and your shortcomings. 

Who sees the real you? Does anyone in your life know who's behind the mask you wear?

2. Practice unity through transparency and encouragement. 

Transparency is measured in moments of confession. Encouragement is verbal and memorable (it’s not a thank-you it’s an ‘I see in you’). 

3. Ask someone to disciple you and consider who you can disciple. 

What is your plan of action? How will you serve the body of Christ? 

Ultimately, remember…

Sin separates, confession restores, community empowers.

How did God convict you to stop isolating yourself from meaningful community? How did intimate relationships in your life help you get back on track for God’s calling on you to serve others?] 

When I finally was honest about the sin that was separating me from God and from others, I stepped out of isolation and into meaningful relationships. These relationships helped me unlock a deeper sense of purpose and calling to bring the same hope I experienced to others around me. 

[Transition] 

God wants to author a story in your life like the one he’s authored in mine. He wants you to experience the intimacy, unity, and accountability that comes from being in right relationships with your Christian brothers and sisters. 

Today, we’re going to unpack how to participate in deep discipling relationships. This is a topic that has the potential to unleash the Spirit of God on the disc golf community in incredible ways. 

But to see that happen, we need to be very honest about the sin in our own lives which might be separating us from meaningful community. I hope you’ll press in and allow the Holy Spirit to convict you of your shortcomings today and call you out of darkness and into God’s wonderful light. 

Let’s pray.