The Humility of Community

Joey Coons

Community • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

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Intro

So last week, Kevin gave a a powerful message about community and painted a beautiful picture for us of what true community looks like in the Christian life. I couldn’t agree with Kevin more about how important Christian community is for our spiritual formation and journey with Jesus.

I think that most of us here, if not all of us, probably can nod our head and say we want a community like the one the Kevin described to us last week. We want a community who will be there for us, who are going to pick us up when we are down, who we can share our experiences with, our highs and lows, and what have you. More importantly we want to have a community in Jesus who will remind us of the way of Jesus. Who will encourage us. Who will pray with us. We need that. We all want that. We all truly want community. We are communal people. It is in our bones.

However, this community doesn’t just happen. How many of you have seen the Lego Movie? I feel like Kevin’s message last week was the “good cop” Liam Neeson, and this week my message is the “bad cop” Liam Neeson. Not because of bad news such as “community isn’t real” or “this is impossible”. It is 100% possible and real, however community that lives up to the vision the Bible can be hard.

This community will not just simply materialize out of midair. We can’t wish it into being. Community like this is hard. So tonight I am going to give some reasons that community tends to be hard, why the Gospel changes our ability for community, and what we can do to see this community flourish and grow in our group.

Sound good? Let’s pray

Text

The New International Version Chapter 2

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

This is the classic Bible passage when talking about Christian Community. We in Chi Alpha have studies around this passage, if you go to many church websites this passage will be quoted in their value systems, and we as Christians often base language and vocabulary that we will from this passage like “live life together” “break bread” “devoted to each other”. All good things. All true things. However, what this passage does not say is these things are hard and challenge us. Let’s look at some of the reasons that this will challenge us.

Why is this Hard?

Time

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (v. 42)

“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts” (v. 46)

Listen to the language employed here in verse 42 and 46. “They devoted themself”. The word in the Greek for devoted means to “be constantly diligent or steadfastly attentive unto”. Translation, to be devoted to one another was to be commited to a consistent way of life and dedication. What were they devoted to “the apostles teaching and to fellowship”. They were devoted to God and to each other. Whatever God and His word said, they did. And they did it in the context of community. Together.

Look at verse 46, “every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts”. EVERY. DAY. They didn’t just meet every Tuesday. Or every Sunday. Or even 2-3 times a week. They connected in meaningful community relationship and worship every day.

Key number one to Christian Community is time. How much time are you willingly to give to be part of a community? To the early followers of Jesus, it was everyday. It was constant.

Many of us are too busy for community. We work long hours, or we are involved with several clubs or opportunities. We’d love to be in community, but right now isn’t a good time. Or I have too much going on. And I get it. I’m not here to shame or dog you for being busy. I am busy too.

However, I am here tonight to say if you want to be in real community you will have to prioritize your time for community, and you will have to say “no” to other things. There are several good things to be part of and do, but what are the best things. I would argue Community is one of the “best” things you can be part of. Prioritize you time to be in community consistently.

Sacrifice

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” (2:44-45)

Community will cost us something. Sacrifice is involved in community. As Americans this can be really hard. We are highly individualized people. We we can customize our life and accumulate possessions to our heart’s content. But look at the Biblical vision of community:

“they had everything in common” “They sold property and possessions to give to anyone in need”

Look at this verse:

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.” 4:32-35

Real community will require you to sacrifice for others. Several years ago now, we had a student here in Chi Alpha who found themselves in a bad living situation where it was having a real and tangible affect on their well being and safety. This all came to a head when there was a party happening one night where one of the roommates this student lived with got shot. This student no longer felt safe, and wanted out of his lease, but his landlords refused to break the lease or excuse it. So a group of Chi Alpha people had this student move in with them, and together raised money to help break the lease that this student had. We even had people who were bringing forth possessions like guitars that weren’t being used to be sold to contribute to the fund to help break the lease. Together, alongside some family and another church, we were able to meet the need of this individual and provide not only the money they needed, but also a safe living environment.

In Chi Alpha we often say “Love finds a need and meets it.” Community will require us not to just recognize a need or acknowledge it, but also meet it.

“Those people”

The New International Version Chapter 2

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

The New International Version Chapter 2

And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

The last reason I’ll give us tonight, and we could probably list several more, is “those people”.

“Those people” make community hard. You all know what I am talking about. It’s so easy to live in community when we live in community of people who don’t disagree with us, who are just like us, who look like us or act like us, and like the same things we do. But ultimately, that is a selfish vision of community. It is easy for us to build this dream community in our mind and heart that perfectly fits to our every desire, request, and command. If we are honest, there are people around us that we would handpick to be in our community, but there are also those we’d love to just leave out or leave for someone else. Listen to this quote by Parker Palmer:

“In true community we will not choose our companions, for our choices are so often limited by self-serving motives. Instead, our companions will be given to us by grace. Often they will be persons who will upset our settled view of self and world. In fact, we might define true community as that place where the person you least want to live with lives.” - Parker Palmer

Look around you all over this room. This is the family you were called into. This is the community God has given you. He has chosen these people by grace. Meaning that it is for your good that God has your whole family, everyone here, in fellowship with you.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer had something to say about this:

“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.”

The call of God to Christians and community is not love some, and tolerate the rest. Tolerance is such a low ethic and bar. Love your brother. Love your sister. Love them enough to stick it out with them even if they offend you. And love them enough reconcile with them. Forgive them. Don’t hold a record of wrongs. Love them enough to call them into the truth of Jesus. Jesus said He was the way, the truth, and the life and that THE truth will set you free. Love people enough to speak truth to your community and love your community enough to HEAR truth. Learn to love those people who are different than you. Those who you perceive as annoying. Or different. Learn what it means to love God’s vision of the community He has put you in.

Gospel

I want to you to notice something that I feel is often overlooked. There were Jews from all over the region at the day of Pentecost where this account is taken from. Different languages, cultures, preferences, etc. Then later in the book of Acts, Gentiles or “nonJewish” people were integrated into the church. Talk about clashing worldviews and values! The church was a melting pot of people! There were thousands of people all gathering together.

Community isn’t just connection. Connection is shallow and incomplete.

Community isn’t just chemistry. It’s too short-sided and also incomplete.

What causes us to be on heart and one mind? Our confession of Jesus.

mayonnaise analogy from Bryan Loritts

Conclusion

So what can we do?

The New International Version Chapter 2

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.