Essential Community

I really don’t want to sound too pragmatic or sale-pitchy today, but one of the areas missing in most of our lives (inside or outside of the church) is real connection and real community.

You likely have good friends, close family ties, and maybe even a supportive, caring spouse, but nothing transcends our need for gospel community.

We need people in our lives to walk this walk of faith alongside us.

To challenge us, encourage us, teach us, train us, care for us, and so many more things.

Community isn’t some new concept in the church, we have been doing life together for a long time.

Some of you used to be “at church” 3-5 times a week for a variety of different things and in a variety of different contexts.

But as culture has changed, how we do church also has to shift.

We still need community in our lives, but how we live out the value and rhythm of community is different.

I want to answer the question “Why should you join a 4L Group?” from Hebrews 10:19-25.

Why 4L Groups?

Hebrews 10:19–25 ESV

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

This is an often quoted verse for pastors as we seek to call people who have not been attending church to make more of an effort to come to church services and be involved in church.

This isn’t a bad application of the passage, but it is much more than a call to show up on Sunday mornings.

It is an examination of the essence of Christian community.

The needs that are met as we are together in community.

Here are the 5

1) A Shared CONTEXT

Hebrews 10:25 ESV

25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

vs 25 is essential for us to know the context for the rest of exhortations the author of Hebrews gives us.

We are to draw near, hold fast, stir one another up, and encourage one another in the context of community.

We often read this and use this verse as an argument or challenge for people to come to the church service on Sunday morning.

And that is an implication of this verse, but it isn’t the only implication, nor is it even the primary implication of the verse.

If God’s only desire for us in this passage was to challenge us come to a large church service every week to listen to a preacher, sing some songs, shake a few hands and this head home, then we are missing out on the rest of this verse.

Think back to Acts 2, practically speaking, 3000 people gathering together in one place once a week would not have produced what we read in 42-47.

We don’t get a detailed picture of what it actually looked like, but it LIKELY looked like groups of people living in smaller communities together, yet being a part of a much larger community.

This is exactly what we see as you move further into the NT and see the churches (assemblies of saints) that met in homes.

The exhortation to not neglect meeting together was not a legalistic command not to miss church on Sunday morning.

It was an exhortation to not neglect, not miss out on, the vital need we all have to be connected to a group of people who we will do the rest of what this verse speaks of TOGETHER.

This statement provide the CONTEXT we all need to be a part of as we seek to grow in following Jesus.

2) A Shared CONNECTION

Hebrews 10:22 ESV

22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

This is an encouragement to draw near to God, not necessarily to draw near to one another.

But don’t miss the supporting conditions that allow for us to draw near with full assurance of faith.

“Our hearts sprinkle clean” - is pointing to the blood of Christ that cleanses us from our sin which all of us who have trusted in Him share.

“Bodies washed in pure water” - is pointing to baptism, the shared experience each new believer goes through to express their new life in Christ and commitment to follow Him.

To draw here is pointing to our worship and devotion to God out of response to having received the Gospel.

Drawing near means to approach or get close to.

We are to get close to God

We are to worship and devote ourselves to Him.

Listening to what He has to say.

Learning who He is

Being awestruck by His is magnificence and glory.

Obviously this isn’t something only to be done in one context.

We draw near to God in corporate times of worship.

We draw near to God in personal devotion times.

We draw near to God as a family when we spend time worshipping Him together.

And we draw near to God in smaller communities as we gather to contemplate and celebrate who He is and what He has done.

We share a connection to Christ that calls us to draw near to Him TOGETHER.

3) A Shared CONFESSION

Hebrews 10:23 ESV

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

I can’t help but think of a tug-of-war match when I read this passage.

“let us HOLD FAST” hold on really tight to the confession that brings us hope.

This passage doesn’t make a lot of since if it isn’t understood in the context of community.

“Let US” (together) hold on to really tight, “the confession of hope” (the glorious truths of the Word of God) that declares to us the goodness and faithfulness of our God.

Let us remind one another regularly of the truths of God’s Word.

Let us teach one another regularly of the faithfulness of God in His promises.

Let us guide one another regular to, and back to, the steady foundation of the Word of God.

I am well aware of how effective what I do hear on Sunday mornings is.

No doubt we all are confronted with truth, challenged by the Word, encouraged by the truths we mine from it.

But many, if not most, leave here and within hours likely struggle to reminder the points made in the sermon, let alone how they are to apply them to their lives on Monday morning.

That doesn’t mean we need to get rid of preaching, but it means we can’t check “holding fast to the confession of hope” off our to do list because we listened to a sermon this week.

For the past several months I have written discussion questions for each sermon so that each of our groups could go deeper and seek to apply the truths of God’s Word to their lives as they gathered

Some groups have struggled with this and I am still working out how to best ask questions,

but the practice of biblical discussion is key to our growth in the Lord and in our connection to one another.

It doesn’t have to be formal.

Connecting the truth of the Word to real life can and should happen where ever and whenever.

4) A Shared COMMITMENT

Hebrews 10:24 ESV

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

Again, this passage only makes since in the context of community.

Our shared confession leads us to a shared commitment.

As we hold fast to the Word of God together, reading, reminding, teaching, and guiding one another to the Word

And then we allow the Word to shape our lives.

Stirring one another up means to provoke or inspire.,

Through Word of God, as we gather together, we are to inspire and provoke one another to live out love and to do good.

I need brothers and sisters in Christ to compel, encourage, challenge, and nudge me to love better and live rightly.

I need accountability, correction, cheering, and exhortation from those who are commited to being in relationship with me.

This isn’t comfortable and is often where we struggle in community, but it is so needed.

We need one another so that together is can live out the Words we are committed to holding fast to.

5) A Shared CONCERN

Hebrews 10:25 ESV

25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

This comes at the end, but not because it is the least important.

The reality is we are all in dire need of what the author is calling us to.

We need people to really are concerned for us.

Who care enough to reach out when we are hurting, to hold us up when we are weary, to encourage us when we are struggling, to cheer us on when we are wavering...

Just think about this last year, as we have been disconnected from most relationships

Facing sickness, fear, unrest, distrust in so many places.

As we have been tossed around and beaten up at time.

What we do here on Sunday mornings is so needed, but we cannot meet our personal need for encouragement, strengthening, care, and support by just being present in a church service or viewing this online.

You might think of yourself as a tough, confident man’s man that doesn’t need encouragement and strength.

But you would be like a person who the Dr instructs to stop eating hamburgers or they are going to have a heart attack.

What does a Dr know anyway…until they are planning to open your chest or you family is planning your funeral.

I don’t mean to get morbid, but the analogy hold true.

Regardless of how tough you are, confident you are, self-aware you are, or whatever, you need community, real community, in your life.

We need people to help us run this race to completion.

This is what is meant by “all the more as the day draws near”

He isn’t painting a good picture of the future this side of Christ return.

Things aren’t going to get easier and so we need one another to stand in the midst of all we will endure.

Closing

If you are in a 4L Group I want to challenge you to lean in to your group.

Make it a priority.

Lean in even when it is uncomfortable.

Invest yourself and open up.

If you were in a group but haven’t stayed connected,

Reach out to the leader this week and work together to figure out how to get re-engaged.

Or pray about getting into a new group.

If you are not in a 4L Group we have some spots in several of our groups that we could connect you with and would love to do so.

Connect with me afterward of you are ready and we will get you connected ASAP.

In the coming weeks we are going to be opening up some new groups and giving everyone an opportunity to sign up to be a part of a group.

So pray now how God would have you respond.

If you are are leader, who do you know that isn’t in a group?

Reach out to them ASAP, even today, and invite them to your group.

Know that this is a work in progress.

We are learning as a church family how to live in community together and how to be the church in our current cultural climate.