The most
touching thing I have ever seen is the way people get lost in helping other
people.
We started a
new series calling I LOVE COMMUNITY yesterday.
We are going to discover our core values and how they fit into our
personal lives and our church life. But
I suggest and even press the point that much of what we hold onto is really
what God has called us to do in our every day lives as His children.
It is all
about Jesus. That is how our salvation
started. If you are going to find purpose and life and strength, it is going to
start with Jesus. Wanting Him. Seeking Him.
That is the biggest and best part of this process.
Others. Others. Others. Our purpose is found when we put others above
ourselves. Think about it. It is important to care. You have to care about yourself so you can care
for others. Self esteem plays a big part. But hold up. The way we are treated
plays a big role in what we believe about ourselves.
Matthew 7:12 NLT
Do to others whatever you would like them to
do to you. This is the essence
of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
By treating
others right and out of kindness we will make a difference in the lives of
others and in our lives. Three of our
core values at The Community Fellowship have to do with how we connect to
others and share the love of God.
Community.
Matthew
22:37-39 NLT
Jesus
replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul,
and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest
commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love
your neighbor as yourself.’
We have to
understand how much God loves us so that we can love others. It is not easy to love others all the
time. In fact many of us say we love
people, but we don’t.
Romans 12:9 NLT
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.
Be real. Transparent.
If you look
through Matthew chapter 5 which is known as “The Sermon on the Mount” and the
“Beatitudes”, we find that God lifts people who realize they need God and act
from a pure heart. Getting real means
that we meet people where they are, AND it means that get real about who we are
and where we’ve been and what we have done.
It is time
to deal with brokenness. The people we
meet every day are broken, and if we are honest, we have been broken before as
well. The church for too long has
overlooked the pain of the people we meet.
Here is a piece of a blog post that I believe says what we are to do as
a church by embracing brokenness. (The
original post is found at this
link.)
Churches
must embrace brokenness.
·
Church
should be a place where it’s OK to struggle with depression.
· Church should be a place that’s home to
the recovering and relapsing liar.
· Church should be a place that welcomes
the alcoholic.
· Church should be a place where leaders
can have faults.
·
Church
should be a place where we’re not afraid of pain.
Brokenness is
a reality, and when we get real, we will help others get real and find
healing.
Accept others.
God accepted
us. We can accept others. The fact is that God is the creator of the
church, and the church is the place or the origin where we as God’s children
show others what God is like. God is
love, and He accepts us as we are.
Forgiveness is given. Hope is
found. Peace is realized.
Romans 12:13-16 NLT
When God’s
people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless
those who persecute you. Don’t curse
them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and
weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of
ordinary people. And don’t think you
know it all!
Live life
with others. Share life. Laugh with those who laugh. Cry with those who cry. Live as an example of God’s love, accept
others and be real. May God use us to
help others come to know God.
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else,
and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
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