Rhythms of Community

If you have a Bible by the first passage were going to be looking at this morning will come from acts too. But we're going to spend the bulk of our time comes through Hebrews 11. So you can decide if you want to do the finger and Flip or if you want to just hang out and Hebrews skinny chapter 10, that is more than fine with me. Over the last summer we've been talking about rhythms of life and what it looks like in following Jesus and honestly, we haven't gotten as far as I would have liked him. We're going to stretch this into next week as well. And then maybe we'll come back and hit some of the issues that I felt like we missed as we get into 1st Corinthians here in September cuz we've been talking about rhythms. I find that this is going to be a very important Rhythm for our lives in last last couple of weeks. We had Curtis here last week the last couple of weeks. I spoke to all my introverts you guys like that my introverts Cricket's ride cuz you're introverted. All right, I get it this week. I'm going to push you introverts a little bit cuz we're going to talk about really what's been a buzzword and Christian books and articles and sermons and it's his idea of community. But I feel like even that word Community misses really what the scriptures would want to hit at in our hearts and it actually comes down to the more old-fashioned word Fellowship. Maybe a word that is talked about a little bit more in scripture than just that word community. And if you didn't know the history of this facility in 1912, the Presbyterians built this Presbyterian Church that was next door and they gathered at that place and they worshipped at that place and they raid at that place and they took in the word at that place, but as they grew so I'm 30 years later. They felt it necessary to build what a lot of us may be having the back. Warheads you grow up in church something called a fellowship hall. That's what this place was originally intended for. And what I want to key Inn and why I want to talk a little bit about this idea of the fellowship hall is that it's not a special building. It's not something that just makes you a church because you had a fellowship hall but that first Word Fellowship imply something very important for Christians. It's really a word but doesn't get tossed around in any other circle. Is it to describe what we do when we gather you can read all sorts of books today on community weather Christian or secular in the need for community and how there's just a dearth this almost to Extinction and there's this presence of loneliness in the vast majority of Americans lives. If you just Googled it right away and said, what is the percentage of people who declare that they're lonely we see that it's about 50% And it's been books like bowling alone that have come out and they talked about this problem of isolation. And then the response is somehow this idea of community and what the scriptures begin to really hit closely at is this word Fellowship. An understanding that being a Christian is not just coming in and hearing a sermon on Sunday. I'll tell you what it being a Christian is just hearing a sermon you can lay in bed and listen to much better preachers than myself. I promise you that you can lay in bed and stay at home and sing some songs to Jesus by yourself. And this is though the mine said in the idea of what it is to be a Christian is simply to add this kind of country club subscription to your life that no, I don't go to the golf course Sunday morning. I actually come to this place where there's a friendship and I listen to something and pay my juice and that's what it means to be a Christian but we're going to get into this idea of Fellowship this morning that paint a vastly different picture and an ax chapter 2 you have this time when Peter got up on the day of Pentecost and he preached the sermon and you see that there were five thousand added under the church their words were Peter. What should we do? He said confess and be baptized and then what follows after that is an act 2:42, it says and they continued steadfastly in the apostles Doctrine in prayer in the breaking of bread in Fellowship the continued on with one another and there's this picture in ax and axe is a descriptive book not a prescriptive book. So everything we seen act isn't necessarily going to be normative and what we see in today, but it's Descriptive of what took place and the community was formed and they had what we know as Fellowship for Mutual benefit of those who are involved the word that is used during the Greek is Koinonia. It's a mark of the early church and a description of the intimate Fellowship that Believers had with one another as I was thinking on pondering on and just kind of looking up this idea of Fellowship this week and one of my Bible dictionary that came across this great definition and they said in some respects. This becomes a Christian version of the Jewish concept of covenants in the Bible the Sinai Covenant bound all Israelites together into what was ideally a grand Fellowship of mutual obligation and concern You notice Fellowship is not having it Jesus gave New Covenant. There is use talking to his disciples and preparing them for what he was going to do with this idea that we are then brought into Fellowship coming and she'll Fellowship not only with God but as always intended with one another which is always the intention of God when he created human beings still look at Adam there in the garden and said it's not good that you are alone. It's somehow somewhere at some point enough wounded people have come across the stop processing idea that I can have Christianity and I don't need though to have fellowship with others yet Fellowship is talked about preached on throughout all of the New Testament. Paul talks about Fellowship is the bond amongst Christians rated by their common confession in Jesus Christ. This Fellowship is marked by the Spirit Oneness affected by baptism in the bestowal of the spirit. You can look at Galatians 3:27 through 28th was 1st Corinthians 12:4 that it's manifested. It seemed look by the gathered community at the Lord's Supper Christians coming together partaking of the body and the blood of Christ together and it's characterized Above All by self giving love this Fellowship of Believers is dependent upon an expression of the fellowship with Christ Fellowship is not a flippant word that we used to describe and we just kind of hang out and get together this word fellowship and play something much deeper even deeper than the word simply Community cuz you can have Community down at the pickleball courts. You can have Community if you join a sports team or a dance club you can have Community just within your neighborhood, but get this idea of faith. It implies that we're on the same kind of mission and we have a vision and we're moving forward together because of what Jesus Christ has done in our lives that we can have various backgrounds. We can come from different cultures, but were unified because of Jesus Christ Fellowship is incredibly important and it's a word that in a sense. We should probably reach capture and used even though the buzzword today is community community community and Community is the community lacks the idea of a god involved in the fellowship. They were having there's a lot of difficulties with both community. And with Fellowship when we think about gathering with people. We think about joining a church. I think I'll pass problems and issues with it about wounds and hurts with think about betrayal and we've been committed and something bad has happened and what that does he can build something into our hearts will we have someone put walls around it? We say I don't really want to have Fellowship because when I have Fellowship I get wounded. Never hear been bonded Ivory hand should probably be up at some point or another we've all been wounded. And what is it gets locked away in the back of our heads and then we commit and being fellowship and have a friendship with others. That's a little scary because I don't want to get hurt again. Or one of the most prized distinctives of Western culture that we talked about a lot here is found in the word independence individuality. All right, that becomes one of the most distinctive marks that we are somebody apart from the rest of community so much of the early history of the world of mankind prided themselves as being a part of a community to be kicked out of a city to be kicked out of a village was a lot of bad things for you and that you lost protection admitting you lost safety and that you lost connection with others in the gifts and talents that they had and so you really saw yourself not an individual but if somebody a part of a community with reverse that and Western thinking and we think individuality I can do it on my own. I don't need other this sort of Independence has become the most Rise distinction that we can put upon ourselves to say. This is how I'm someone because I need no one. What so many of us have bought into today? Anybody in here like asking for help? Know why couple of things one? You said you would have to reciprocate it. I know my truck, Miss. There's a lot of people in here. I still owe some help to you. So don't cash it in at the same time.

When did that develop in our culture and Society be fascinating study to look into this idea. When did we think that it was all about just what I can do all on my Independence

It keeps us from wanting to join in wanting to be a part of community. We're almost apologetic when we ask for help. Sorry. I'm bothering you. Sorry. I'm interrupting your day as if maybe it's not even on the person's heart that they do want to serve and they do want to help with something within us keeps us from that. In his book on community brat House Road Christian or not. There's a longing for Community those who do not know Christ see community in their neighborhood sports teams playing sports campaigns feeding the homeless and so on. It's a desperate search for identity. These are all attempts to satisfy Community, but they don't address the real problem the cause of isolation. Community has been woven into the fabric of who you are. I think back to those words in Genesis when it talks about man being created. God made us in His image. God himself existing in Trinity. God the Father God the son God the Holy Spirit cover Made In His Image to reflect that God looking at Adam and saying it's not good that man is alone and he makes a woman there for me. He says not go and Multiplex know what happened is sin fractured the relationship aspect Natalie between us and God between us and others the first thing you see after they take of that fruit and they betrayed God Adam and Eve in the garden didn't betray one another as they're hiding out from Godfather than casting blame on each other. What's the woman that made me do this is the serpent that made them do this and they realize that they were naked and ashamed before God and at that point. Who's the fracturing in relationship that has happened? And what God is doing is restoring relationship not only with us but with one another. I want you to hear this this morning not only do we have some of those issues of Pride and Independence that we battle against in terms of why we turn to isolation and not a community already just use up images and presents. Electronic media that we have the day has really compressed time and space 30 years ago and I was five almost 6:30 years ago so my memories but I'm pretty sure there are these times in our house when my parents were scared to death that one of us kids dialed China right now. Maybe you remember the cord phone and my brother is doing something my sisters are doing something and hear you're on the phone and they see me touching numbers. Why didn't they want me to call China? Cuz it was going to cost a ton of money if I called China a long-distance phone calls communication didn't happen to happen today so back then we didn't rely on for communication as much for personal touch as much media as we do today. What is today's day and age we even as just westerners you partaken median reading articles and watching movies almost feel like we partake in the lies of the celebrities. That we enjoy following there are people who will send the celebrities gifts and they'll send them things when they post it on social media and there's in these studies done. And here's how are you we are learning in a bad way to have these perceived relationships without the real presence of relationships. We think we have far more community and we actually have we have lost the art of presents. You know, when God moved acted on human history. Yes, you have Old Testament scripture and riding and you have his verbal word for what did he do the word became flesh and he incarnated himself. They're taking on human form. He was present presents. Church, we have lost the art of presence. horrible actress today my heart is that are hard to move and with conviction. We begin to recover this idea of being with one another now. Listen FaceTime is awesome. I love when my parents are away and my kids want to talk to Grandma and Papa they can physically see them. We should be thankful for this opportunity than those abilities to use that but don't mistake that for what physical presence with other humans bring into our lives. You can't think I just come to church on Sunday and the rest of my community live on the east coast. That's not how this works. That's not what God is calling us to he's calling us to be involved intricately moving in one another's lives. How does this work if I want to reach you out of Hebrews chapter 1014 all the way through 25. So hang in there with me.

It says four by a single offering he has perfected for all those who are being Sanctified the Holy Spirit. Also Bears witness to us for after saying this is the Covenant that I will make with them after those days to clear the Lord. I'll put my law on their hearts and write them on their minds then he adds. I will remember their sins and their Lawless Deeds no more where there is forgiveness of these. There's no longer any offering for sin therefore Brothers. Because of what the author of Hebrews just wrote therefore Brothers since we have confidence into the holy places, but the blood of Jesus for the New and Living Way that he opened for us through the curtain that is through a slash since we have a great priest over the house of God. Let us draw near with a True Heart in full Assurance of Faith with our hearts sprinkle clean from an evil conscience in our body wash with your water. Let us hold fast to the confession of Our Hope without wavering Express promised is faithful. Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of sound that encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day is Drawing Near. Now what the author is doing is using this word meeting and I'm going to butcher it a little bit and I listened online to it a lot and thought I'd try to spell it out in phonetic spelling the word that he uses. There is a piece in OGE and if this idea of the synagogue is where we get our word synagogue and it needs a congregation. There's a difference between immigration and a congregation integration is just a collection of individuals who come together maybe to listen to a TED Talk maybe to come and listen to a concert but it's not like you're sharing a whole lot of other things in common, maybe we both like Brad Paisley, but then one guy gets in his car and he's listening to some rap and somebody else's listen to rock and roll and that was fun for that time, but you're not hanging out afterwards. Immigration the author doesn't use that word here. He uses congregation think of a bag of marbles integration where they're just always slipping and falling over one. Another think of the word congregation was a cluster of grapes with attached to a Vine organically related to one. Another congregation is a community a community that has fellowship with one another because you're live touch each other. Redeemers those that are committed to this church Our Lives should touch one another. You don't come together to hear a speaker or have an experience you come together. They've got a knitting us as a family as you feed in chapter 4 says and we're building one another up in price you come together because you eat together you pray together you learn together you love together you confessed sin together. And this whole thing is contingent upon understanding is term one another and what God is saying to us the word means there that were there's a huge mutuality with one another the Gathering of the Saints is not just to be taught on Sunday. Let me get some insight and walk away with that. It's much cheaper than that. It's so you can encourage each other and pray for each other. It's not a places to spectate or drop some money in and say now I'm all good for the week. It's a collection of people fit together building each other up for the glory of Christ. A lot of pastors will take this passage in the essay. Look don't forsake the Assembly of the Brethren and what kind of leave it at this just come to church Sundays that's actually was not. Soli being implied here because he's going to go on and say we're to encourage each other and spur each other up. If you came in right when the music started and you heard that and then you listen to a sermon and then you took some more music in and took communion and walked away right after when was there any spurring when was there any encouraging you can't do this to the fullest? I just sitting and listening now God works and moves we sit and listen in the word is preached and taught as even Timothy is told to do by talk. This is an absolutely important part of our Christian walk in life with Jesus born this versus being used. It's not necessary just being said make sure you get there every Sunday it sink make sure your lies are connected with one another make sure that you're truly acting operating as the family of God because there is giftings and talent out there that I don't have up here and the only way that actually work is as we come Gather and work together we build each other up in Christ. I'd rather use Acts 2:42 and I talked about the regular Gathering of the Saints are other passages because the author of Hebrews is saying it's far more interconnected and we need it to encourage one another that are hard to do not Harden that we're growing in the things of God.

That's how this takes place. You can come to church every week and still not be a part of the community.

participation the goddess, since you did not say that you wouldn't be a Christian, but you wouldn't be a part of the community what's going on in here? You can be a spectator entry fee. Chester paid stand-up sit-down do all the calisthenics on Sunday morning, but only crazy Christians do cuz nobody does their stuff at 10 a.m. Or 9:30 in the morning. But but really we're trying to get at is the Saints growing one another CS Lewis Mere Christianity. If you haven't read it go get a coffee. Now. It's important to read that book phenomenal book says Christ works on us in all sorts of ways, but above all he works on us through each other. We are carriers of Christ to each other. It's easy to think the church has many purposes education building missions holding services, but the purpose of all those purposes is one the church has no other purpose than a drop people into Christ to make them like little christs if they're not doing that and all the cathedrals Mission sermons, even the teaching the Bible or simply a waste of time. Building Community is not simply a duty and it shouldn't feel like a duty but it's a joy that God has called us into and how does it happen through a shared experience shared experience? What makes an aggregation of people turn into a community of people or two or Fellowship happens? They are drawn together around the same common object. We could sense the community can be created around fandom. All right, so the NFL starts up next week college football last night was on so some of you might be excited about that as a fun game watching the hurricane the Gators play lots of mistakes like a lots of rookie move and we can talk about that. What moves it into something deeper than just as fandom. There is a shared experience that actually happens. What does that look like in the Christian walk? Let me tell you what that looks like. You are a follower of Jesus in here at one point you identified with the kingdom of darkness. He walked in darkness. Maybe it'll even understand that are fully Embrace that are believed that because you're a pretty good guy or you're a pretty good gal. But truly that's where your life was and then something outside. If you came upon you the kingdom of like the kingdom of Jesus moved on your heart moved on your soul and a Colossians. Paul says you were transferred from the kingdom of darkness to a kingdom of life. Single Christian sitting in here today has that same shared experience and we share together in the things of Jesus Christ. That's what nits us together with all sorts of difference is an economic standings in jobs and education in ways that we choose to live our lives and spend our money. I understand that but we have this common shared experience that is United this body together in order for us to have fellowship. And Peter says as you come to him the living Stone rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him you are living in stone and are being built into a spiritual house. The way does Church grows the way that God is glorified as we proclaim. The gospel is that we're working together being built up in him. Everything understanding that there's not one gift better than another in this building. May God is using them all to grow us. What is the basis though of this Fellowship? How can that be Hebrews loses into it. It's something God has done. jewelry. Hebrews straight through Maybe a little confused at some point and you better have some Old Testament knowledge but very very from the from the get-go at the very beginning. It talks about Christ talks about the word talks about who this Jesus is and then it begins to talk about a lot of the Old Testament pictures that pointed to who Jesus is then right around chapter 9 and falling in chapter 10, all of this book in my opinion hinges upon these chapters because we get this word declared to us that it's because of Jesus this Fellowship is actually possible. There's a great high priest and he's not like the other high priest you went in and took an animal sacrifice and then came back out and said All is Forgiven he himself is the sacrifice his blood as chapter 9 verse 14 chapter 10 verse 14 says he has perfected for all times those who are being Sanctified by his single offering by what Jesus has done he has brought us into relationship with him there 4 verse 19 says you can have confidence to enter in to the holy place by the blood of Jesus. You can have you know, you have this great high priest over the house of God and Hebrews chapter 10. This is the passive portion of the text. This is what you've been given in Christ because of what Christ has done. Is it something that's come to you that you did not learned that you actually received but then he said let us let us let us that is the active part of the text where it says since you have confidence since you have received him, let us gather together. Let's hope together come unto him together and what he saying is and a CS Lewis posted. You've been brought into the inner Ring Of God family. The inner ring in his address CS Lewis said one of the great driving motivations of the human heart that is unrecognized usually is the desire to be on the inner ring. We need to feel run the inside of some group wiedmaier are we can't live with ourselves who loves having Insider information? I didn't like who live in very small.

A year with CS Lewis pointing out and threw this passage that the author of Hebrews the same is there is an assurance that you've been brought into the inner ring of God not because of your motivations are what you have done that because of what he has actually done. What is the inner ring CS Lewis described it as the Father the Son the holy spirit's you've been accepted by the only person who count and matters and that gives you confidence you may have lived your life and rejection for the last 30 or 40 years. You may have been on the outskirts Society. You may relate far better with many of the stories in the gospels that talk about those who worked wounded and hurt you or broken disease who had no friend whose families rejected them and that maybe your story and what does God I'm bringing you into the inner ring. I'm giving you confidence not in your flesh, but in Christ the King that you are accepted loved and cared for

And this radically reshapes changes our lives and even challenges us today a little bit. Chabad of us like to especially when we go to maybe a party we size people up. We think who's going to benefit me. Who can I talk with this week that maybe will help me get promoted. I'll put a good word in for me. How can I enhance my life would like to hang out with people that make us feel good? Why is relationships tend to be all about ourselves? Until you know, you're on the inner ring. When you understand the love that God has for you and your on the inner ring and then lets us have this kind of fellowship at the pour ourselves out to others. Even when sometimes it is a little bit life sucking and draining because you have this confidence in Christ relationship don't have to just be about you. We can draw near to God we can hold fast and fashion of Our Hope and we can gather with one another for the purpose of stirring each other up. I just have a few more things in the marina continue this next week. I want you to hear some of the Practical part. I think that we can put into practice this week because of the finished work of Christ. We're told to do something. Yes, we're told that we talked about that when we talked about not living in isolation, but having that time where we get out, When is Solitude with God we talked about it in prayer and we talked about it even in rest holding fast to the confession of our hope last summer we dealt with so much of that as we looked at. I just the Bible large here. It says the focus is Stir each other up not neglecting to meet. Here's why it's about transformation in community not information and isolation transformation happen in community. Transformation happens in community so many people look at their lives and I think I got these issues and area that I want to see changed. I'm just going to tackle it on my own. I'm just going to handle it by myself. I'm telling you Church transformation change is going to happen and community and that's what the author tells us here. He says this word considering Considering not just spur each other on but let's consider how to Spur each other on let's stop was pause. What's think let's reflect on let's look at our own lies and ask do we have friends. We're going to Spur us on. Do you know what this word spur means it means to irritate and I know a lot of your like the church is really good at that you understand it, but it's not in the negative context. It's to irritate you to cause change to actually happen. It's to provoke you not in the sense that you're going to be raffle and vengeful, but it's doing do some kind of change in your life to get things moving on our first child. My wife as we went in there to have a as she was induced because she was past her due date. So what are they do they deeply irritated? It was horrible her body there was Painful to watch happened to be the one child she chose to not use an epidural on and it went for 16 hours. I've never felt so helpless as a man in my entire life, right, but they only wanted you irritated to produce something good and beautiful. Your friends like this. Our friends don't want to say anything hard. A lot of friends want to keep the status quo be quite frankly. We don't want to let a lot of people that close into our lives. If you're married, you're in the most sanctifying relationship, there's your running into each other every day, and it's being revealed and probably a little bit more vocal. And that's helpful. What about even outside of that? Do you have those that will spur you on that will irritate you that will look into your life and say you shouldn't do this or do that. Listen, this is what scripture says over here. Do you have somebody in your life that irritates you in the good way? The Spurs few on for what for good works. It's healthy and Christian Community to be spurring each other on we actually do have to stop pause and consider. Do I have this? And if not, why? Do you want to grow I have yet to meet a person Christian or non-Christian who says no, I never want to grow. I just want to remain the same school my faults my failures. I keep ruining relationships, whatever my destructive behaviors. I'm just fine and dandy with them. They're fantastic living my best life. Now know everybody wants to grow in a grow. Kimber when you were a little wine if you have little ones there's Growing Pains, huh? We need it problem is torso. soft I don't want to hear it. I got to keep on my life at that push me and I'll come home and I'll share with my wife and she doesn't disagree with him at my problem. And I just finished share that to say that that is how we can truly look at ourselves. Next week. I'm going to talk about how we actually have these conversations with one another it's going to be pleasant. I've been training on this when I taught at Redemption groomers going to look at it in a big scale. How do we actually speak into one another's life? Do you have somebody around that can sharply confront you? Are you just a touchy person who cuts of people out of your life real quick? Give somebody that agrees with you on the Bible for you both agree about sand and when you're in that they're able to say this is wrong. Are you doing that? Redeemers My Hope Is that we practice these things we talked about the summer? Imma, look at work. We see the healthy Rhythm and rest receive the Rhythm and prayer receive the Rhythm in solitary. See the Rhythm but in community we see this Rhythm if this is your only day Gathering

you another community. I have other Christians in your life. There's opportunity to get involved. If it doesn't work with your schedule with put our heads together and figure out ways to see more discipleship more of this happened and that is how we grow. You were doing all sorts of things to shape your life today, whatever you value you put in a priority of pain and you're saying this is really important to me lot of us put importance on living comfortably thought I was putting portents on a certain physical way of looking and feeling healthy and it's fine to actually pursue and she spend time in those areas. How about your spirituality? Are you spending time in it, but you to consider to be in fellowship with one another because of what Christ has to let spray. father for our church. I pray this becomes a reality. For our church. I pray that we would spur each other on to Good Works that we'd both be able to be open and communicating and also responding to a shared to see areas that need growth. I pray for more opportunities for us to gather and spend time and to grow in relationship. I pray that you would prick our hearts were this needs to be deepened and that through it all you would be glorified that you would be honored that we would see many come to Jesus as we walk this out in our own church and in our own lives and in this community forum either be self-reflection today neither also be rejoicing because the sacrifice of paid once and for all and it said Hebrews that you died for us. You lived for us you were resurrected for us and we have this life and you so go before us today encourage Us in Jesus name. Amen.