Skip to main content

beauty of community




This coming weekend begins a fresh, new season for The Community Fellowship as we work through what we are going to call “I LOVE COMMUNITY”.  Let me spend the next few days unpacking for us what I believe are some of the most important aspects of being a church.

Wait a minute.  I didn’t say the importance of OUR CHURCH.  Further, I didn’t say anything about a specific church.  This is about THE CHURCH.  I am talking about the people that Jesus died for.  That’s you and me who are part of the big “C” church.  The big “C” church is made up of everyone who is saved, whose sin is forgiven, a follower of Jesus and seeking Him.  Whether you have been a Christian a short time or a long time, go to church once a month or three times a week, you are part of the body of Christ and His church.

1 Peter 3:18  NLT
Christ suffered for our sins once for all time.  He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God.  He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.

The way you worship or the kind of church you attend is not what I am talking about.  Maybe you are used to much formality, responsive readings and order, or maybe you like less formality and lots of creativity.  As long as it is all about Jesus, the methods or the order are not the main thing.

Being community is important.  I sat around the table early this week with people from several different denominations with all different kinds of practices in their worship settings, yet we all agreed on a few important facts.  First we agreed that we believe that Jesus loves people and wants to bring people to Himself.  Second and last we agreed that we want to help hurting people, and there are many hurting people around us.

Literally the beauty of community is seen when we join together, push aside the things that often divide us and seek to make a difference right here.  Stop making excuses, and start doing what God has called you and His church to do.  It really is simple.  It really is about the fact that God loves people.

Proverbs 31:8  NLT
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.

Colossians 1:6  NLT
This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world.  It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.

I love community.  It is when Christians in our communities come together that God is honored and lives are changed.

One of our core values at The Community Fellowship is community.  It is not about building a church that is in the community.  It is about building the community around the church and asking God to open the lives of those who need Him as we serve and share His love with others.

The beauty of community is seen when we lose ourselves in the way we live out loud the love of God.  May our lives show the world and our communities that the church, the big “C” church, can work together and make a huge impact when we work together!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!
10 comments
Read more

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns.  One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns.  When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her.  Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns.  Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved.  Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?"  Beverly said, "Why yes I do."  Edith said, "Well, what do you ...
Post a Comment
Read more

wash feet, sharing hope

  John 13:4-5,14 NLT  So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow.  He served.  He valued and gave value to others.  That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet.  It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives.  Jesus said we should do this.  See the verse above.  Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....
Post a Comment
Read more