More Community Series

We are beginning this new series on more…by saying more there are things that we basically all want more of…more love, more forgiveness, more joy, more faith…in all these things there are always two choices when it comes to more…we can choose the way of the world and indulge in practices that are contrary to God’s way…

C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity:

Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other.

A.W. Tozier said:

The man or woman who is wholly and joyously surrendered to Christ can’t make a wrong choice – any choice will be the right choice.

So today we are going to talk about our choice of community and our God given desire for more of it…

Throughout history, life has revolved around the community. Families, both immediate and extended, resided with one another or in close proximity to each other…where we are from in the mountain of VA there are farms where generation after generation all live on the same piece of land…

If someone moves away they are considered deserters of the family

Our desire for community is the reason troubled kids find themselves attracted to gangs and other not so good communities of peers…

Church is a community…we are constantly pushing community …even during this pandemic we have developed ways to still have community…

Anytime we find ourselves needing to make a choice…our guide is always going to be God’s Word…

How many times have we all heard a preacher use,

Hebrews 10:23-25

23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

This scripture is not meant to guilt driven to get people in the church building but for people Christian people to see that they can influence each other to make right choices if they choose to gather together…

The company we keep is important…

I have heard people say that Jesus hung out with drunks and sinners…

Let me make something very clear…Jesus went to a wedding not a keg party…not a bar where the purpose is to drink lots of beer and liquor…he didn’t have friends over to watch the game and drink as much beer as they want…

I am rarely invited to Super Bowl event in fact I have had members whisper about theirs so they don’t have to invite me…why…because they might feel guilty about them and their friends drinking and speaking habits…

I am a preacher and I have been to many weddings and I have been present at many receptions (parties) where lots of people were drinking…but I went to the wedding both to officiate and attend…but you have never seen me and never will seen me carrying around a acholic drink…I was at a wedding in Nashville Tenn…the party was fierce after about an hour…after we had eaten our meal and said our congratulations…we left went to our car and headed back to Mississippi…

It would have been easy for me to have just blended in and grabbed a drink and partied hard, but that’s not my crowd and I certainly wouldn’t have honored God…what is the chance that any of those people would want to hear me talk about making Godly choices if they saw me acting like they do?

They wouldn’t!!!

The same is true of you…How many of your coworkers and friends that you hang out with would take an invite to join our community at WCC seriously?

If you are inviting people and they are never coming…can you say that your lifestyle is different than theirs or the rest of the worlds…

WHAT KIND OF COMMUNITY IS INFLUENCING YOUR LIFE

1 Corinthians 15:33

33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”