Meeting

Hebrews 10:23–25 CEB

Let’s hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, because the one who made the promises is reliable. And let us consider each other carefully for the purpose of sparking love and good deeds. Don’t stop meeting together with other believers, which some people have gotten into the habit of doing. Instead, encourage each other, especially as you see the day drawing near.

Big Idea of the Message: God never intended for us to walk alone. Authentic community in which we deeply know others and are known by others is necessary for a victorious faith life.

Spiritual Practices

Sunday AM, January 28, 2018

Booneville First United Methodist Church

Christianity is not a religion for solitude and solitary. The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.

CEB

23 Let’s hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, because the one who made the promises is reliable.

24 And let us consider each other carefully for the purpose of sparking love and good deeds. 25 Don’t stop meeting together with other believers, which some people have gotten into the habit of doing. Instead, encourage each other, especially as you see the day drawing near.

Christianity is not a religion for solitude and solitary. The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.

Big Idea of the Message: God never intended for us to walk alone. Authentic community in which we deeply know others and are known by others is necessary for a victorious faith life.

Application Point: To follow God faithfully, we must share our lives with other believers.

Sermon Ideas and Talking Points:

1. American individualism has emphasized a personal relationship with God to the point that many people who call themselves Christians think church is optional. But intentional Christian community is a nonnegotiable part of being a healthy and effective believer.

“Christianity is not a religion for solitude and solitary. The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.”–John Wesley

2. Light a fire: Ouch! Yet “sparking” (see v. 24) is exactly what Hebrews says we are to do. Sometimes authentic community can be painful because we must be honest with ourselves and with other people about the junk in our lives—and that’s usually uncomfortable, at least at the beginning. But we all need a swift kick in the pants every once in a while!

3. The devil is like a lion, looking for someone to devour (see ). This video shows how lions like to hunt by isolating a target:

CEB: “Your accuser, the devil, is on the prowl like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/worlds-deadliest/deadliest-lions-zebra?source=relatedvideo. As the video say, the “first rule of the safari” is this: “always stay with the group!” (see 1:38 in the video). The same rule applies to believers. If we become isolated, we weaken ourselves and become more vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy.