Tribes - Living MIssionally in Community

As you rise the steps: I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY GHOST

Good morning! If you have a Bible, I want to invite you to join with me in Acts Chapter Two. A familiar passage for this church family. If you are new here, my name is Ethan and I am one of the pastors here. I am so glad that you are joining in with us today. You are so welcome here, and I hope and pray that as you worship with this family today that perhaps by God’s grace you find a home with us today in the community we have together.

We are continuing our journey through our series called the MAP based on your next step at TWC. We have this mission, to Send disciple-makers of Jesus by being disciple-makers of Jesus. And the way we accomplish that mission is by our MAP. So here it is.

Put MAP up on Screen

We ask our people to do five things to follow in the mission of God within our church family. Worship -Gathering Together to Worship. Tribes - Living Missional in Community. Huddles - Multiplying through Discipleship. Lead - Modeling & Teaching. Send - Gaining by Losing

We began last week seeing the necessary truth that we are to come together in a regular rhythm to worship and praise God. Each week, we praise him, hear his word, and then we are sent out into the mission field. This is critical for the body of Christ. So the next step to take was to commit to the regular gathering of the body of Christ and to come prepared to worship the Father.

And that brings us to our second step of the map…which is Tribes. That we desire for everyone in our church to be actively engaged in one.

Tribes are missional communities built by obedience to the Word of God and compassion for all people”

These small groups are scattered all across the Greater HSV area and live on mission in accordance to God’s word and love for all people.

There is a key word in this definition that is important to note. And its the word, BUILT.

We whole-heartily believe that a community of people is NOT Found, but its built.

I understand what someone says when they find community, but it doesn’t stay just like that. This is important. Because there is a misconception of how relationships function and work in the South. And here is the misconception, “That I can walk into a group of people, do absolutely nothing towards it, and walk away fulfilled in Christ and deep in friendship with others.”

And so what happens, there is a pattern of idolizing an amazing, beautiful, care-giving community of people somewhere, and thinking that someone just found it randomly. But That’s not how it works.

That would be like you are walking through the deep forest of the Bank Head in Alabama. Wading into territory that no man or woman ever walk through. And in the woods, all of the sudden, a giant church building, an exact replica of this one, literally appears out of nowhere, and you say “Look what I found!” And you claim it as your own.

The issue with that illustration is that that is not how that works. You find random buildings appearing out of thin air. They were built thousands of hours. Thousands of components, experiences, blood, sweat, tears. They built that structure. It is not random and its not something you just find. But its something that someone built.

Here is my point: we can’t just be about finding community, we have to be about building it. Instead of idolizing what we could be, let’s actually it. And what that means, is that everyone has to be active in building community here.

Our marriages do not work they way. Our friendships don’t work that way. Our relationship and growth with the Lord doesn’t work that way. So why would community work that way?

The book of Acts lays out a clear example of missional communities that is built through the day-to-day and it will lead us into a greater understanding of how we are to do live together on mission. So let’s read and observe together.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

The Fellowship of the Believers

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.