Introduction to Why Series
The Value of “Togethering”
John 13:34 Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
INTRODUCTION: Next Sunday we will begin a new series of lessons called “Why?” The series address some of the most important questions people tend to ask themselves (or the church) these days. We’ll talk about questions like these:
· Why am I Here?
· Why should I believe in God?
· Why should I trust the Bible?
· Why is the world so messed up?
· Why the conflict…Science and the Bible?
· Why Jesus?
I had a college course that dealt with those kinds of questions. The course was called “Apologetics 101.” I know that sounds like a course on how to apologize --- but it’s actually a study of how to defend the Christian faith. This fall we’re going to learn better ways to give answers to anyone who asks these important questions…and maybe get some answers for yourself along the way.
But actually, I hope that the next 7 weeks will be more for you than just a time to learn answers to questions. My hope for you is that the next few weeks will help you to connect better with God and with others here at CHCC.
Our goal as a church is to develop passion for Christ and compassion for others. That goal can only be reached if we are growing in our relationship with Jesus Christ AND with each other. That’s why I titled this sermon “The Value of Togethering.” (I’ve noticed a trend lately … to make up new verbs --- Like saying, “let’s coffee together soon” or “we’re going to dialogue about it” --- so I’m joining the trend. We’re going to do some togethering around here.) Here are some things I’d like to ask you to consider doing so that we can reach our “togethering” goal:
(1) Be here for the next 7 Sundays. Don’t underestimate the difference you make just by being here. The fact that you are worshiping helps other people lift their praise to God along with you. During the sermon it helps to see people around you nodding (or nodding off in some cases.) The point is that just being here will have a big influence on other people.
(2) Pick up a Study Kit. These Kits can be purchased for $6 to $12. They are available in the Foyer.
· The Kits contain a booklet that we’ll be using in our Pueblo groups and a magazine for you to read and then pass along to a friend.
· It includes a theme verse to memorize each week
· And, if you wish, you can purchase a set of daily devotions
(3) Choose a Pueblo group to attend. Your bulletin insert gives a list of the groups that will be meeting for the next 7 weeks. Choose the day and place that will work for you. Call to let the leader know you plan to come.
Today I want to take some time to speak up for our Pueblo groups. I’ve learned that Small Groups make all the difference between just attending church and being renewed, changed, developed through the ministry of the local church. For one thing, a small group can help you Know and be Known.
1. Know and be Known John 13:34
In John 13:34 Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another …
There’s a basic pre-requisite to obeying this command. You can’t love someone if you don’t KNOW them! And you can’t KNOW someone until you spend TIME with them. Small groups are one of the best ways to form the kind of close, real connection that allows us to obey the command Jesus gave to Love one another.
There may have been times in your life that you felt sorry that you didn’t have any close friends. Let me ask you, what have you done to make friends? Are you too busy to get involved in a small group? Are you too self-sufficient?
Your Small Group might take the form of a Sunday School Class, a Youth Group, a Prayer Group, a Ministry Team, or a Pueblo Group --- but the point is that the smaller size of that group will enable you to actually get to KNOW each other.
You will get to know each other’s needs. You’ll know what to pray about. You’ll learn how to encourage each other. You’ll be able to share hopes and dreams as well as disappointments and pains. You’ll learn each other’s personal histories. You’ll get to know each other’s personalities and preferences and strengths and weaknesses.
And that leads to one of the reasons some people shy away from small groups. Many of us have hang ups about opening up to other people. We don’t want to share struggles because we don’t want others to know we don’t have it all together. Here’s a revelation for you: we already know you don’t have it all together. NONE of us have it all together. That’s why we need one another. And that’s why we need to be REAL with each other.
One of the things I appreciate about our congregation is that … for the most part … people around here don’t put on a show of being “super-Christians.” We have some great folks here at CHCC, but we don’t have anyone who is PERFECT. And no one will expect YOU to be perfect, either. We are all sinners saved by God’s grace, and no one is pretending any different. If you will join with a Small Group, I am confident that you’ll feel right at home.
So I want to encourage all of you to get involved in a Small Group where you can KNOW and be KNOWN. You can’t love someone unless you know them. The converse is equally true. You can’t BE loved by someone unless THEY know YOU.
One of the main reasons Alcoholics Anonymous is so successful in helping people is that it uses the Small Group approach. In AA, no one pretends they have it all together. When they talk in a meeting, they start by saying, “I’m so-and-so, and I’m an alcoholic.”
They meet regularly to talk about their successes and their downfalls. By togethering, they are able to overcome the temptation to drink. Where did the founder, Bill Wilson get the original idea? He got it from a minister named Sam Shoemaker. Where did Sam get the idea? From the Bible, of course.
Involvement in a small group is one of the ways you can keep yourself from burning out as a Believer because small groups create an opportunity to care and to belong.
Look again at the command Jesus gave: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34
Loving one another is the defining factor in being a disciple of Jesus. A small group is an environment where you can Grow and to help others Grow.
2. Grow and help others Grow John 13:34
Did you ever wonder why Jesus chose only 12 Apostles out of the more than 70 or more that often followed him around? Jesus used the dynamics of a Small Group to GROW disciples. Jesus knew that His Followers needed a close connection to Him AND a close connection to each other. You see, Jesus wasn’t just looking for men who would Follow Him for 3 years. He wanted men who were in it for the long haul --- not for the short haul.
I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but in American churches today, people are leaving as quickly as they are coming in. In most cases, those who leave a church within the first six months of arriving never wind up in any other church.
I read about a Pastor who decided to experiment with changing those sad statistics in his church. He made a list of 12 people who had recently been baptized in their church, and then he and his wife invited them over. Naturally, these new Christians were thrilled to be invited to their Pastor’s house. They were excited about their new connection with the Lord and with His Church.
After supper the Pastor sat down with this group of enthusiastic new Christians --- and he asked them an unexpected question. He asked if they would like for him to predict their futures for the next 2 or 3 years.
They were a little surprised at that offer, but they all said “yes”
--- so, the Pastor made this prediction: “As I look at the 12 of you, I must predict, that … statistically speaking --- in the next 2 or 3 years ---
· 2 of your marriages will break up --- and your feelings of shame will cause you to leave the church
· 3 of you will have conflict with someone in the church and you, also, will leave the church
· 1 of you will experience tragedy and lose faith. You, too will leave the church.
· 2 of you will have some sort of moral failing and will leave the church.
· 2 of the 4 remaining will simply lose interest and drift away from the church … for no obvious reason.
In two or three years, out of this group of 12 …
· … only 2 of you will still be attending church ---
· --- and only 1 of you will still be attending THIS church.
There was dead silence in the room. All these wide-eyed new Christians looked around at each other as if to say, “How could that happen to us?”
Finally, one of them spoke up and asked, “What can we do to change those statistics?”
The pastor was waiting to hear that question. He had his answer ready. He said, “You can get together and as a group decide that you are not going to let anyone go.”
That is exactly what they did.
These strangers --- who had never been together until that gathering at the Pastor’s home --- formed themselves into a Small Group. Week by week they came to really KNOW each other. They supported each other through the tragedies, divorces, conflicts, and moral failings. In 4 years of meeting together, only 1 person left the church.
That small caring group, changed the Statistics from losing 10 out of 12 to losing only 1 out of 12.
Would you like to see that kind of thing happen here? I would!
That is why one of the priorities of our church is Small Groups. What are your priorities this fall? Do you want to GROW as a Christian? Do you want to show LOVE to others? Taking time to meet with a Small Group is one of the best ways to make progress in your Christian life.
Small Groups can help you KNOW and be KNOWN by others. Small Groups provide an environment where you can GROW and help others GROW into Spiritual Maturity. And participating in a Small Group provides new opportunities to SERVE and be SERVED.
3. Serve and be Served Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
If you allow yourself to really get to know others, you will find there are plenty of opportunities to serve. And serving others is one of the best ways to learn to enjoy your own life.
For one thing, there’s a natural sense of satisfaction when you know you have made someone’s day brighter. And I’m sure you’ve noticed that when you serve others you stop focusing on your own problems.
Of course, it’s always nice to have others that are willing to focus on your problems when you’re the one that needs help.
Kind of reminds me of newspaper headline that read, “Circus Contortionist Gets Foot Stuck On Shoulder.” This was a real AP story that came out of Berkline, Netherlands back in 2001. It seems that a national circus performer --- Mr. Berkine of Kazakhstan --- became trapped in a painful position while rehearsing for a show in Gillingham, England.
In the interview, the 21-year-old contortionist explained, “I think the problem was that I didn’t warm up very well. I just became stuck…”
He went on to say, “It was frightening because at first everyone just ignored me when I shouted for help. When they realized I was serious, they helped me out.”
Now you’ve probably never found yourself in that EXACT position, but if you’re honest, you know that sometimes you get in tangled up in situations that you can’t get out of by yourself. It’s good to have a group of friends around to untangle you!
King Solomon was considered the wisest of all men. He understood the value of friendship. He wrote, in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12:
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A chord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
I know it’s easy to fall back on the excuse that we’re too busy to build friendships. I know that it costs time and energy to commit to a group of people. There’s a certain amount of risk in getting involved with others. It means we might have to take on some of their problems. And it means they might end up knowing about some of our problems.
It’s a temptation for many of us to hang onto the rugged individualism of staying a “Lone Ranger” Christian. But that is not what God has in mind for any of us.
We need input from other Christians if we’re going to stay on track.
CONCLUSION:
Have you ever heard of Lieutenant Hirro Onada? He was the last Japanese soldier to surrender after World War II. He was left on the island Lubang in the Philippines in 1944 --- along with three other soldiers. They were left with the command to “carry on the mission even if Japan surrenders.” Eventually the others were killed or surrendered. But Onada continued his war alone.
Through the years, he ignored messages from loudspeakers announcing Japan’s surrender. Leaflets were dropped in the jungle begging him to surrender so he could return to Japan. During his 29-year private war, he killed at least 30 Philippine nationals. More than half a million dollars were spent trying to locate him and convince him to surrender.
Finally, on March 10, 1974 Onada surrendered his rusty sword after receiving a personal command from his former superior officer. His lonely war was finally over. When he returned to Japan as a prematurely aged man of 52, he made this comment: “Nothing pleasant during those 29 years in the jungle.” (Newsweek, 1974)
Well, that was a bit of an understatement. But people can spend long years fighting lonely battles when they are determined to “go it alone.” People spend years battling secret sins and weaknesses and addictions --- when they could end the battle IF they would let other people help them. We need each other for perspective, accountability, advice, encouragement, and all of the other things that Christian friendship adds to our lives.
I urge you to get the most you can out of the next 7 weeks “Why?” series by coming, reading, and connecting with a group of people who can get close to you, serve with you, and help you grow in Christ.
I urge you to commit the next 7 weeks to God in prayer. Ask God how He wants you to connect with other Christians. And while you pray, I also urge you to pray for at least one person you would like God to use you to reach. That person could be a neighbor, co-worker, family member, or friend.
What you will get out of the next 7 weeks depends entirely on what you are willing to invest. This is an opportunity to follow Jesus’ command to Love one another so that all may know that we really are His disciples.
