Tell me why #2

Northside Church

Tell Me Why #2 Unity and togetherness matters

Jamey Mills

9/11/22

5 min announcement from Dana and Robyn

Shorter sermon.

Good morning,

My name is Jamey Mills and I am the lead pastor here at Northside… so good to be with you all… been looking forward to it all week…

Quick update… Baby Chen… is here. Calvin

Daniel will be joining our staff on Oct. 1st… be praying for them.

We are in our second week of a sermon series we are calling “tell me why”…

Sort of answering the question: why do we do some of these things that we do…

I spent a LONG time in youth ministry… and I became familiar with the phrase… why did you do that… on a few levels…

I used it a lot… when kids stood on wax paper and then went down a super slide or stood on a wet rail only to slip off and end up needing stitches in bad places…

I used it with youth staff who set off explosives in the middle of the night while our kids were playing a super fun game.

I also had it pointed at me… as a youth pastor

Sending three kids to the hospital in one day.

When the swat team was called out to an event (Dakota)

Putting tape over the mouthpiece of the secretary’s phone…

What if it was McHenry's… and my comment being… well I Don't think they were in a hurry but it was the hospital… to which Meg said… We don't do that here.

Why do you do that… it's such an important question.

Knowing why we do what we do… is one of the ways we live life on purpose…

It's one of the ways we bring intentionality to marriage… to raising kids… to rest… and I believe most importantly to our relationship with Jesus.

And I also believe it's one of the ways we get the most out of stuff. One example would be communion… if we don't know where it came from or what it's about or for, the chances of us experiencing what it is that God has in mind… would be tough. you miss out on something incredibly profound.

I’ve used this example before… but have you all seen that show called ALONE? Where several people are sort of marooned out in a tough place to live… separated from each other… forced to survive alone… and it is so interesting… a few people tap out because of injury, a few because of food… but the #1 thing that seems to impact people is… being alone.

And sometimes I feel like that is what life is… or at least what it’s become. Not that long ago, they referred to the time we are currently living in as the most connected generation the world has ever known… but the truth is… people today feel more alone and isolated than at any time in recorded history. A study done in 2019 (pre Covid) suggests that about 60% of adults in our country feel alone.

Young adults 18-24… just under 80% feel alone.

Parents of young kids… 65% feel alone

Single parents… 77% feel alone.

Anyone dare to take a guess at the #1 growing demographic feeling isolated and alone was in 2019… Men… The line for what it means and what it looks like to be a healthy man in our culture is incredibly blurry… in some circles… shameful. Our young men need to know that not only is it okay to be a man, there is such a thing as being a healthy godly man.

And there are times, I believe, where being alone… unplugged… resting… is an incredibly healthy and under valued thing in our culture… Sabbath…

I feel like there are just as many that need to hear this… whether we feel alone or not…

Are you ready…

Following Jesus was never intended to be done in isolation.

In fact, if we believe that spiritual warfare is real… one of the highest priorities of the enemy is to get you isolated… to unplug you from what I believe is one of the most effective and powerful resources that God intentionally provided for you…

Life is hard. Following Jesus is hard. Battling our own sinful nature is hard. Dealing with our own stuff… our own mistakes is hard. Growing in our relationship with Jesus through all of that is hard and you were never intended to go alone…

And so this mentality of “ I don’t need the Church” is incredibly destructive and I do think it boils down to this… who is really leading me? Are we really following Jesus and listening to Him? Do we think being plugged into the church is only about what I get out of it, my own encouragement, or my own comfort? At some point we have to realize that in so many ways… that mindset flies in the face of what God teaches and it is incredibly destructive to what God longs for in His Church.

But Jamey the Church is messy… I never say this but in my heart I want to say… yep you’ll fit right in.

Hebrews 10:23–25 NLT

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

(NLT)

23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

God knew… He knew it would be hard and addressed that… He spoke His truth and wisdom into that for you and I… and so one of the primary questions today is...

When God tells us why, will we listen and will we follow?

It says let's think of ways… be intentional… as we spur one another on… stir one another up… and motivate each other toward… to provoke one another… literally arguing with one another… fighting for one another… investing in one another toward

What does Hebrews 10 tell us to be intentional about?

Acts of love

Doing good and godly things

Being consistent in meeting together

Encouraging others

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At home, in neighborhood, at work, in our community, within the church…

doing good and godly things,

We all need people to walk with us in this…

consistency in meeting together,

Our time with the church and in small groups… matters. Consistency matters!

encouraging one another…

and it reminds us that time is of the essence…

That everyday… we move closer to the day… that the subject of our faith will become sight… that there is never a better day than today… to stop putting off those things that Jesus teaches that lead us to this place health and growth with Him and with each other.

Togetherness… life together… unity… and community are in my view… some of the primary resources that God has provided to find health, growth, encouragement, accountability…

God designed… desires and commands us to live within meaningful relationship with Him… but also with His Church… His family… His temple… His Bride…

Developing and investing in these meaningful relationships with people who are seeking to honor and grow in Jesus… the same way that I hope and pray you are… is an incredibly powerful thing…

What does Koinonia mean?

The Bible has a word for fellowship… it’s Koinonia… and it literally means to share with one another, to participate together… its interesting though, if you dive into that root word…Koinos… it literally has to do with having life altering things in common… like… sharing the same mother. The idea behind Koinonia is not simply smiles and laughs and yeah God… it's more this being bound together in Christ in a way that walks with, crys with, rejoices with, prays with, stays with, sacrifices for…

The phrase… One Another… is used over 100 times in the NT with about 50 different unique commands… that sort of define the heart and action that we as believers are called toward when it comes to relationship…

Things like…

Love, honor, encourage, serve, bear with, rejoice, weep, be kind, live at harmony, forgive, comfort, pray for, build up, teach and submit to one another…

And those things should be a marker… of our heart toward each other…

Living out those one anothers is powerful…

It honors God

It builds up others

It ministers to the culture and community around us

And… it grows you. Living out the one anothers challenges and grows you.

And while those things should be consistent in all of our relationships… Those one anothers are hard with a church or 2-300…

And so it's biblical and critical to have a group of people that we encourage, stir up, provoke each other in and toward these one another things.

Acts 2:42–47 NLT

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

(NLT)

42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Acts is sort of a snapshot of the early church…

I believe Acts 2 points to two critical gatherings…

Two gatherings mentioned in Acts 2.

A large group gathering (church)

A small group gathering

A large group… church gathering where there is synergy and where we can sit under the same teaching… sing out to God together… and grow together as a body. Matt talked about this last week.

But I also think the Bible points to a small group gathering where we can encourage, pray for, ask questions, and challenge each other in a more personal and known way.

And the things that happen in a healthy small group I believe are foundational…

I really do believe it is one of the best resources that God has given us when it comes to learning and growing… within that process of being someone who does more than simply hears God’s Word… but applies it… lives it out…

And in my opinion… there isn’t anyone who doesn’t need that.

in living out our faith in a healthy way. I couldn’t encourage you enough to be involved and as luck would have it… today is another great day to sign up as our small groups are about to sign up.

We have large sign ups twice a year… now and in January and they really are the best time to get plugged in.

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deeper connected fellowship.

I have seen churches overemphasize one of these gatherings at the expense of the other… and it never goes well. They are both important…

Northside is on the brink of starting a care ministry team… and I can tell you one of our first lines of care at Northside comes from small groups. Care… is not just something pastors do…

When the day comes and small group leaders beat me to the hospital on a visit, or to someone's home that's in crisis… or when small group leaders reach out to me to pray for their people… I step back knowing that we are doing something right.

I really do believe it is God’s design…

The why behind small groups is right there…

It allows us to walk cl

It is absolutely Biblical and critical that we have a group of people where we strive toward, stir up, and encourage each other in and toward those one anothers.

Hebrews 10:24-25

So the writer is telling them that one of the best ways to hold fast to the things of God — the real things of God that are found only in the New Covenant of Jesus Christ — is to be in the fellowship of His people, where they could love and be loved, serve and be served. There is no better place to come all the way to faith in Christ, or to hope continually in Him, than the church, His Body.