Most Holy God, your majesty is exceeded only by your love. As this portion of your people gather, may we hear you call to us. Grant us in this hour of worship, a vision of what you are doing on earth through your family, and help us begin to see how we can be a part of it today and tomorrow. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good morning to you. It’s good to have all of you here with us today. We’re going to do something a little radical today. Do you want to do something a little radical? Do you want to do something a little counter-cultural, something a little revolutionary today? 

 

Oh, I can hear some of you saying, “Oh, my gosh. Please, nothing radical, OK? Just let me rest. Just let me relax. Let me just zone out for a little while.” 

 

All right. Go ahead. It won’t hurt anything. We’ll be done in a bit. Check back in about six week, because the rest of us are going to be focused on something I think is really counter-cultural. We are going to intentionally, as a community of faith, pray every day for 40 days. We’re going to be using this guide that I have shown you. We’re going to link that with 40 days of emphasis on deepening a sense of community in this community of faith called Broadway. Forty days. Forty days focused on things that I think are the exact opposite of what most of us have been taught our entire lives.

 

Now, since you and I are Americans, I know we love independence. This nation, as we all know, was founded on the Declaration of Independence. You know, “I’ve got to be me,” and “I’ll do it my way,” and “I don’t need nobody.” and on and on and on. Somewhere, somehow we were taught that meaningful living is the result of independence. Our goal is to be financially independent, to be relationally independent, to be physically independent.   That has its good parts, certainly. Somehow we’ve been thinking that if I am just independent in every way, then I will be happiest.  

 

Yet, folks, I think we have never been a more unhappy people. I think that is so, because independence, isolation, building barriers, keeping people at an arm’s length is not the answer. Meaningful living, in the Scriptures, living the life that God designed for you, comes from interdependence. The biblical word for that is “koinonia.” That word translates in English, “community.” 

 

Romans 12 says that since we are all in the body of Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is it’s not OK for some of you to check out for six weeks. The only reason that it’s not OK is because we need you.   We need you to pray with us and for us, and we need you to be with us.

 

So, please turn to the person who’s next to you. I don’t care, either side, and say, “You need me.” Just do that right now. Very good. Now, turn to the same person and say, “I need you.” 

 

OK, we just had a whole slew of marriage proposals right there. OK? Kim and Jacob, there are going to be two-for-one special weddings here right after all these meetings we have today. 

 

But seriously, we do folks. We need each other. Sometimes I think we just don’t realize it, because we’ve been taught this independent thing. 

 

Here is our spiritual little secret today: You cannot be what God created you to be by yourself. Did you know that? You cannot be what God created you to be on your own. It’s impossible. The reason it’s impossible is because God wired you, handmade you, and wired all of us in such a way that the only way we can be what God made us to be, and to do what we were created on this earth to do, is in community – in the family of God. It’s in relationship to each other. Folks, we need each other, and that’s what the big idea is going to be focused on for the next 40 days from this pulpit.

 

We’re going to start today with five reasons why we need each other. I’m going to try to make that case for you today. Why we need a church home, but more importantly than both of those things, five reasons why you need to be in a small group. You need to be with a few other folks who you get to know at a much deeper level than just the casual acquaintance that takes place here on a day-in-day-out, week-in-week-out basis. 

 

Let’s get started.

 

 

Folks, the Bible says that life is a journey. It’s not a sit-down affair. We’re always growing. We’re always on the move. There’s a destination for us. Here’s where we are, and here’s where we’re going. In the church that is commonly and popularly called a “walk”, the “walk.” All through the Scripture, the Scriptures tell us to walk. Did you know that? 

 

We’re to walk in the light. We’re to walk in love. We’re to walk in faith. We’re to walk as Jesus walked. We’re to walk in the Holy Spirit. We’re to walk in wisdom. Walk, walk, walk, walk. (I used to call ducks that way.)

 

God never said, never intended for you, or me, or anyone to walk this life alone. Never. Which by the way this has nothing to do with whether you’re married or whether you’re single. Let’s be clear about that. We have a significant number of single adults in this church, many of whom are not walking through this life alone. We have a significant number of people in this church who are married who, quite frankly, are desperately lonely. Marriage is not the antidote to loneliness. Community, folks, is the antidote to loneliness.

 

One of the key reasons we do everything in our power around here to encourage people to be in small groups is because this is, by far, the very best tool that we know of for promoting, encouraging, and developing spiritual growth in human beings. There is nothing better. If the Bible is correct in announcing that the number one goal in life is to learn to love God, and that the number two goal in life is to learn to love other people, what better way than to walk through this life with a small group of close, intimate, caring Christian friends who want to do essentially the same thing? 

 

Hebrews 10 says, “Let us not give up the habit of meeting together. Instead let us encourage one another.” 

 

Folks, I need, you need, we need others to walk through this life with us. How? By meeting together in small groups. You have to understand that Hebrews is not talking about what you and I are doing here right now. What Hebrews is talking about, that I just quoted to you, is community. That’s not what we’re doing here right now. This is not a community. You know that. This is worship. This is public worship. This is a crowd. This is a public assembly. People come. People go. It’s open to anybody. Community does not happen here. Community happens when seven, or eight, or ten, or twelve people get together in a group. That’s when community happens. Any time you get more than ten or twelve people in a group, somebody stops talking. When somebody stops talking, they stop relating. That’s why that number is critical.

 

You can come to church every single week, even for years, and still be lonely, because you have never really gotten to know anybody else. So, write this down: Community is God’s answer to loneliness.

 

We all need a small group of people who we can really get to know well, where we can actually practice relating and learning Christian love. Folks, I think that is the most counter-cultural notion that is going on today. You want to help heal this nation? You want to help save this planet? I think it starts right here. It starts with ten or twelve of us together. Ten or twelve of us together, and then watching that grow. That’s what the world needs. The world needs love. 

 

We have a lot to learn. We Americans have a lot to learn about real love, and we need a sense of community. Our world is just fractured. Our people are fractured. Our nation is fractured. We have a lot to learn about how to build strong, healthy, deep, lasting relationships. What better place to do that than in your community of faith?

 

Question today: Are you in a small group? Two-hundred-twenty of us in this place are, and this week maybe a hundred new ones, maybe two hundred more are going to do the same thing. They are going to try out for six weeks, 40 days, of being in a prayer group. If you’re not signed up, I want to ask you to do that. Just go to the fellowship hall after this service. There’s somebody there waiting for you today. There is a little sign-up center. Try it. I ask you to just try it for six weeks. You don’t have to be a member. In fact, if you just walked in the door for the first time today, that’s even better. Just try it for six weeks.

 

Ephesians 2:10 says, “God made us to do good works.” 

 

Folks, the Bible says that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. We’ve been talking about this for week; that you’ve been given wonderful gifts and abilities, that you’ve been blessed with talents, and desires, and dreams. God has put you on this earth to do certain things, and you’re learning about what those certain things in life are. Whatever those things are, we call them “ministries.” Every single one of us who believes in Christ is a minister. This is Rev. Gina right here, and right on down the line, Rev. Darlene. All of us are ministers. You know that, and any time you are using your gifts and talents, the ones that God gave you to help other people, that’s what we call good works. That’s your ministry. 

 

God does not want you to do this by yourself. The reason is very simple. The reason is that when you try to do ministry by yourself, you get worn out. You need, I need, we need other people to work with us. 

 

Have you ever noticed how so many folks are so tired now days? Perhaps there are some of you right here today who are some of those folks. There are two reasons why people are tired. (1) You’re just trying to do it all. You can’t, but you’re trying to do it all. (2) You’re trying to do it all by yourself. That’s even worse. I have some good news if you’re one of those people today. God never meant you to do it that way. No wonder, in this culture, people are exhausted all the time. They’re not in community. They’re working hard, but they are not in community. We need people. We need each other to work with us.

 

Ecclesiastes 4 says, “Two people are better than one, because they get more done working together.” 

 

Well, that’s pretty deep. Folks, we have a ministry fair going on right here today. Maybe you saw it when you came in the building. There are all kinds of ministry opportunities that the people of this church are engaged in. What makes it work is that we don’t do it by ourselves. Everybody works together. If we share it, it really works. No body does it all. If everybody will just take a little piece of it, and we get hundreds and hundreds of people doing just a little part, huge things, important things, things that really make a difference in people’s lives start to happen. There are Angel Food Ministries, Stephen Ministry, Pathways, Youth, Habitat for Humanity, just to name a few. 

 

So, write this down. Community is God’s answer to fatigue.

Philippians 2:4 says, “Look out for one another’s interests, not just your own.” 

 

Jan and I live in a nice little neighborhood over on Manor Drive. We’ve been there for years. We love it there. We have Alice on one side, and Matt and Ann on the other side. Sid and Mary are across the street, and you know what? We watch out for each other. When we go out of town, we tell each other. I say, “Guys, we’re going to be gone for a while. We want you to watch our stuff, you know. For instance, if a truck backs into our driveway, and people start hauling stuff out, I’d appreciate it if you’d just call the cops.”  

 

We watch out in our neighborhood. We watch out for each other. My guess is that most of you do the same thing. 

 

Let me ask you this question: Do you have anybody who’s looking out for your soul? Has anybody asked you lately how you’re doing spiritually? I think your soul is a little bit more important than your stuff. We’re really good at having people watch our stuff, but who’s watching your soul? Who’s watching out for you? Who’s keeping you on track? Who’s making sure that you’re still growing? Who is making sure that you’re not getting discouraged or depressed? Who’s watching your back spiritually? 

 

Is there anybody in your life who’s so close that you can really share and talk with him or her about what’s happening, or not happening, between you and God? Folks, if you want that, you need to be in a group, because here’s the deal. The deal is that I’m going to be with you through thick or thin if you’re in my group. That’s the place where these people are going to give you the support you need when you need it. You’re going to give them support when they need it. 

 

Write this down. Community is God’s answer to defeat.

 

People are going to be there in the inevitable crises of life. You know, when that phone rings at 1:00 a.m. you know, you know. When that report comes back and it spells bad news, you know. I need people in my life. 

 

Folks, I see situations every day, as a pastor, that nobody should ever have to go through alone: surgical waiting rooms, waiting for news from across the sea from a battlefield, waiting for the coroner to identify the body of a loved one who just died in your living room. No one should ever have to stand alone over an open grave. No one should ever have to spend the first night alone when a husband or a wife dies. No one should ever have to spend the first night alone when a husband or wife walks out. And that’s just the beginning of the list. 

 

The point is this: We were not meant to face the crises of life alone, but if you do not cultivate a support network… If you are not part of a small group… You will be alone. You don’t need a ton of people. You just need five or six. 

 

When I was in the hospital a few years ago, I didn’t need a thousand of you coming to visit me. I know you were thinking about it, but you didn’t, and that’s great. We just needed five or six. That’s all we needed, and that was great.  

 

Those are the people who are going to be there when you need them. The time to prepare those relationships and build those relationships is now. Otherwise, when that crisis comes – and it is going to come – there is going to be nobody there for you. And you do not have anybody to blame for that but yourself. I don’t want to hear anything about how the church didn’t do this for me, and the church didn’t do that. Baloney! Get in a group. Build relationships.   Be there for each other. 

 

Folks, I couldn’t make it if it weren’t for my small group. I know hundreds of you, but my small group, that’s where the action is. In the last couple of years we have been through practically every kind of personal and family crisis in our group that you can imagine. And we were there for each other. We waited with each other, and we wept with each other when we needed to. 

 

Write this down: Community is God’s answer to despair.

 

 

You have a life message. You have a wonderful message. You’ve been growing spiritually. You’re learning who you are and whose you are. You’ve come, somewhere along the line, to accept the unconditional love of Christ Jesus for you personally. That love is literally transforming your life day in and day out. You’re discovering the meaning of your life, and you’re engaging in your ministry and your mission. You’re making a difference. That’s an incredible message. Do you know how many people need that message today? You have a life message to share, and if you’re not sharing that message, it’s not going to get shared. 

 

But sharing that message can be a little scary. That’s probably because, like most of us, you just don’t know how to do that very comfortably. What most of us do is that we just keep our mouths shut. 

 

I have learned something about you. You’ve had incredible religious experiences – spiritual experiences. You just don’t tell anybody about them. So, what we do in mainline church, folks, is we just sort of keep our mouths shut. We don’t want to offend anybody. We don’t feel comfortable doing it. Golly, we need other people to help us on that.

 

When our small group first got together it was ten years ago. We had salesmen, homemakers, construction workers, teachers, doctors, professors, administrators and students in that first little group. And you know what the number one, most scary thing for us, as a group of Christian adults, was just starting out? Praying out loud in front of each other was number one.  

 

Number two was actually using words to talk about our faith. I mean, we could talk about just about anything else. We didn’t know how to share our life message. You know the best way to share your faith with others who have yet to come to know the love of Christ? This is going to surprise you. It surprised me. The number one way you can be most effective in sharing your faith is by loving other believers. Did you know that? Oh, my gosh! 

 

Jesus said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” 

 

Now notice, he didn’t say, “your love for me.” He didn’t say, “Your love for God.” He didn’t say, “Your love for music.” He didn’t say, “Your love for the poor.” He didn’t say, “Your love for people who have needs.” He didn’t say, “Your love for thinking correctly.” 

 

Jesus said it is your love for one another that proves, that has the power to make, to drive, to draw people who are on the outside wanting to be part of the family of God. Isn’t that amazing?

You don’t have to be afraid. You don’t have to be afraid to share your faith. You don’t have to be afraid of the kinds of encounters that you’re having in your own spiritual life. You don’t have to be afraid of anything. Get in a group, because we can work on it. We can be in it together.

 

Write this one down. God’s answer to fear is community.

 

Let me ask you to just get quiet for a minute, and get centered, and just pray with me for a moment.

 

 

And we all say together… “Amen.”

 

 

 

Oh, Lord, how can I help people see your face? Who do you want me to pray for? Show me today; lead me to the ones you can reach through me. Please show us how our church can serve you, how we can better organize ourselves to help you. Let us be a part of what you want to do next. Amen.