A Greater Vision for Christian Community

Hebrews 10:24-25

Could it be that we have allowed mediocrity and complacency to become the status-quo of our church’s outworking of Christian community?

To answer this question we must reflect on our church life, and then look to Scripture to tell us how we are doing and where we need to change.

Do not neglect meeting together

Hebrews 10:23-25- Bible

There is something at stake for us here

Verse 23- let us hold fast because He who promised is faithful

Our confidence to hold fast to our faith and hope is found ONLY in Christ because He is faithful

Jude 24- Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy

However, verse 24 comes and shows us how He does this

He uses normal means of grace to keep His children

He uses the Christian community of the local church

Don’t neglect it

This is a command

Show me a believer who neglects regularly meeting with and participating with a local church, and I will show you a believer who is in great danger

All the more as you see the day approaching

If we truly take the Word of God seriously, then we will take this command seriously

If we take this seriously, then we will view meeting together to be more and more urgently needed

But what does this mean for us as a church? How do we do this faithfully?

Devote yourselves to a greater vision for Christian community

Acts 2:42-47- Bible

Devote yourselves

This is a strong word

It means committing yourself and giving yourself

Verse 46 literally says “and each day spending time devotedly with one accord”

The authoritative Word of God

The apostles teaching is the truth of God, and now we have the Truth of God in His Word

But to know it, we need to read it

As helpful as devotional books and devotion plans on our phones and Our Daily Bread can be, they are not enough

They should simply lead us more deeply into the Word of God so that we will be helped to engage to text more effectively and fruitfully

We need to read and submit to it together

Verse 46- day by day attending to temple together

They were there to learn the Truth of God

We ought to be individually and corporately devoted to it

To know it

That we would set our minds on it

To love it

That our hearts will be changed by it

For the purpose of knowing and loving Christ Himself

Fellowship

This is not speaking of mere meetings

This is doing life together

This is where the extensive list of “one-another” commands are lived out

This is sacrificial and generous love (vv. 44-45)

This is radical hospitality

Day by day they were in each other’s homes

1 Peter 3:8

How else will we be able to deeply and genuinely weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice?

Breaking of bread

Probably refers, in part, to common eating together (v. 46)

Specifically certainly means the Lord’s Supper

They understood that Jesus commanded them to do this in remembrance of Him, so they did it

1 Corinthians 11:24-25- and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for[a] you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Prayer

This, of course, begins with personal, private, prolonged prayer

How have you been doing?

Do you daily have a time where you commit yourself to prayer, or is it limited to a rushed few minutes, or maybe

However, this is specifically talking about praying together with other believers

Praying corporately as a congregation

Praying together in groups

How often do we take the time to pray with one another?

What will we do?

These things simply cannot happen one hour per week

We cannot be content with the bare minimum

Christ gave Himself to make us His people, so let us live lives together that accord with that glorious grace

May we dedicate ourselves to one another in this local Christian community

We have ministries where we try are trying to move into this type of life together

Sunday morning worship

Small groups

Sunday School

Wednesday night ministries

Begin to look for ways to move from here into deeper community

Grab some others and have regular times of prayer together

Ask how you can be praying for one another

Invite some others from the church over to your home to get to know them better

Ask one another what you have been reading and learning in your Bible reading

Find one or two people who you can regularly meet with over some coffee to talk about struggles and needs and growth and questions

Help each other think about how you might reach unbelievers around you with the gospel, and then go do it locked arm-in-arm

Do not be content with a minimal commitment to the church

He is an exceedingly great Savior, so may we have an exceedingly greater vision for Christian community at Summit Mills