Becoming a Community
Last week we began a series on the early church. A group of Christians that were on fire for Christ and who were committed to each other and to the spreading of the gospel, no matter what it took. We read a description of this church in Acts chapter 2 that I want to read for you again this morning.
Acts 2:42-47
We talked last week about the fact that this is the ideal, this is the model of what the church is supposed to look like. It paints a picture of oneness, of unity. It gives us a model for community in the church, for the church body meeting the needs of people in the way that it is called to do. The church is to be a family, it is to be a place to belong. Last week we looked at the changes that had taken place that took us from the OT law, the way it was, to the NT church, the way God intended it. The most significant of those changes was in the Presence. In the OT, God was distant and inaccessible because of the sins of the people. Now, through the sacrifice of Christ, God’s presence is available to all and we read about the physical coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. The Spirit came in power and filled the room and came upon each of the apostles and filled them as well, they had walked with God, but now they were filled with His Spirit. His presence was in them and gave them the strength for the task that lay ahead of them. The change in the presence brought about a remarkable change in the people. The apostles went from cowards who ran away from trouble to heroes of the faith. The people in that early church had gone from unbelievers who had nothing in common to sold out disciples who shared all they had together. The rest of the book of Acts is an amazing account what God did through this community of believers. The persecution, the boldness, the miracles, the growth, the explosion of the Gospel to the known world. What a change! And as those people’s lives were changed by the presence of God in them, they proclaimed a message that was different, it had changed as well. The process of guilt and sacrifice had been replaced by faith in Christ and the forgiveness that comes from a relationship with Him. So, there had been some significant changes that had taken place that lead up to this passage that we’re going to be spending the next several weeks looking at.
This morning and next week, we’re going to look deeper at the idea of community within the church and we’re really going to be concentrating on just one verse. Verse 44, look again at what this verse says. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.
This is the place to start when it comes to building community in the church, togetherness and common ground. Those are the building blocks of community. We’re really going to get into those more next week, but before we do that, I want to first spend today, looking at the benefits of community. This was meant to be one sermon but it was too much to cram into one week and I remembered that I get to preach again next week, so we are going to split this into a mini series inside of our bigger series. This week we will look the benefits of Community to set the stage for next week where we will look at these building blocks and the barriers to community within the church.
A Community has been defined as a unified body of individuals with common character and common interests, who share joint ownership and participation in something. That certainly described the early church but is that how you would describe most churches today? Country clubs, maybe. Neighborhood watch groups and even some bars would fall under this definition but unfortunately church wouldn’t be the first thing that usually pops into someone’s head when you mention community. As we strive to change that here, as we strive to be an example in this neighborhood of a godly community of believers, I want to point out some of the benefits that we’ll begin to notice.
I. Benefits of Community
What’s the big deal about community in the church? Why is it necessary that as we grow in numbers we also grow in relationship with and dependence on each other? There are so many benefits to building community among us here in this ministry, this morning, I only have time to comment on two. The first one addresses a very basic need that we all have. Why is community so important? Because with community comes a:
A. Sense of Belonging
We all feel the need to belong, we are all wired for relationships. We are wired to connect on some level with others. God, himself, exists in a relationship: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As His Children, created in His image, we are relationally centered as well. Have you ever felt lonely? You would think that in today’s day and age, with all of the people and all of the technology that we have to make communication easier, that loneliness would be a thing of the past. I was reading an article a few weeks ago that talked about the growing problem of loneliness in this country. We have our I-pods and our internet and our movies and so many different things to entertain us and to keep us occupied but what many people are lacking are real relationships. We instant message and we e-mail and we feel like we’re connected but the article said that for a growing number of people, there is a dissatisfaction with the level of closeness that they have with others, with real live human beings. They were drawing a link between our technology and the growing feelings of loneliness in our country, it was pretty interesting. Loneliness is certainly not a new thing. It has always been around when people are not having their needs for companionship met. What people are realizing though, is that you can be surrounded by people and still be lonely, you can be in the middle of a crowded room and still be lonely. Loneliness is less about being alone and more about the lack of meaningful, personal, connection. When addressing the issue of loneliness, Charles Swindoll mentioned an ad in a Kansas newspaper. It read, "I will listen to you talk for 30 minutes without comment for $5.00." Swindoll said, "Sounds like a hoax, doesn’t it? But the person was serious. Did anybody call? You bet. It wasn’t long before this individual was receiving 10 to 20 calls a day. The pain of loneliness was so sharp that some were willing to try anything for a half hour of companionship"
There are some of you who are sitting right here this morning that know what it means to be lonely. You don’t have those relationships you need, you don’t have that place you feel you belong. If our church is a community, that won’t be the case. Friends, the church was intended to meet this need. Each person who is involved in and a part of this ministry will have a sense of belonging and will have the opportunity to develop and deepen relationships and friendships that go beyond the surface and get into our dreams and hopes and fears and struggles. When we intentionally foster that sense of belonging, there will be an intimacy that accompanies it, an openness, and an honesty that will take our relationships to the next level, from friends to family and from congregation to community.
As I was studying this week and putting together the message, I thought about the time when I felt the loneliest. There have been times throughout my life where I have felt lonely for a time, changing schools or moving to a new town, those were hard things. But one time really sticks out. When Erin and I moved to Georgia immediately after school, I experienced loneliness like I never had before. We had each other, (I certainly got the better end of that deal!) but that was it. I didn’t have my buddies from school to call and hang out with. We didn’t have our families to go visit and we didn’t have a church family to help us through the transition either. I’ve shared with you before that we tried several churches in our six weeks there and only the last one showed any interest in us, the fact that we were visiting. We were starving for meaningful relationships, the kind that you should be able to find in any Christian church in the country, and we found none. If we didn’t have the background that we did and if we hadn’t seen the way a church should be, we probably would have given up on the whole idea of church. I think that many couples find themselves in that place, many churches simply do not meet the need to belong, instead they make many feel unwanted and like outsiders. People want a place where “everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.” Sound familiar? If they aren’t finding it in the church, they’ll go elsewhere until they do find it.
Erin and I moved back to Syracuse and we were back home. It wasn’t just the family that was there, it was the church family as well. I remember walking into church and being greeted by smiles and questions about how we were and if we needed anything. Our church there was a family, and we were a pert of that. We left 75 degree weather and two weeks later we were scraping snow off of the car, but you know what? I didn’t care. I was back in a community that fulfilled my need to belong and I didn’t want to be anywhere else. One of the key benefits to building community is providing a sense of belonging. We found out a few months later what another benefit of community is:
B. Sense of Support
Have you ever been to NYC and just looked at the huge skyscrapers? We would take our teens there every year and it was hilarious to watch their reaction to the “big city.” We had a kid that actually fell over because he was leaning so far back to see the top of a building. Those buildings, impressive as they are, could not stand without the right support beneath them. Tons of steel and concrete buried hundreds of feet into the ground enable the buildings to stand. For us, if we are going to stand in this life, we need the same thing, a support system that is strong and runs deep. The church (again, understand that I am talking about you, the people, no the building) is called to be that support system for us.
Within a year of moving back to Syracuse, three very significant events took place in our lives. My father was removed from ministry and my parents divorced. We had a new little baby in our home and I was called to my first ministry position. During this time, our church family was our support system. I personally could not have handled what I went through without my church. When my parents left, we were worried that it would be awkward to stay at that church because I was the pastor’s son. We were wrong. After a few weeks away to process everything, we went back to church. I made it to the sermon but when someone else, besides my dad, got up to preach, I couldn’t handle it and I snuck out. Once in the hallway, I lost it and started bawling. Within seconds I was surrounded by three men who hugged me, prayed with me, and encouraged me. We got cards telling us how much we were loved, we got phone calls just to say hi and ask how we were. When we were unsure if we should even stay at the church, the church stepped up and showed us what a family was all about.
When Ethan was born they brought meals, they offered babysitting, they gave advice. When I accepted my first call to a church, they were as proud as my parents were. I was a part of them, my life was intertwined with theirs. They didn’t judge, didn’t ask questions, they just loved us and were there to support us. That is the church body. That is community. At our farewell party at the church, it was hard to go. I had several people come up and tell me how glad they were and how much it had meant that we had stayed, they had no idea how much more it had meant to us to have their love and support in tough times. We need others in this life.
ECC 4:9 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? ECC 4:12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
There is support to be found in a community.
We had an ice storm in Ohio a few winters ago and the community looked like a war zone. Huge trees had fallen and there were limbs and branches everywhere. As I drove down the street, I noticed a row of pine trees. Each one had bent over under the weight of the ice but each was supported by the one next to it and they had not fallen. Those trees that stood alone, those were the ones that fell. Life is tough. It is not a matter of if we will face hardships but when will we face them. When we begin to bend and when the weight begins to press down, do you have someone beside you to hold you up? When I saw those trees, each one had the burden of weight on it but together they stood. All of us have issues, all of us have problems, all of us have the weight of this world pressing down on us at one time or another but during these times, when the church is truly a community, we can lean over knowing that someone will be there to help carry the weight. And while we do that, someone else may be leaning and we’ll be able to catch them despite our own burdens. When we share the load, when we go beyond the how are you, fine, ok good, kin of conversations, when we begin to get transparent with each other, then we can step up and support each other through this life. If that doesn’t happen, if you don’t want the help or if the church is not offering it, when hardships come you’re going to notice the potential for three things to happen will grow.
1) Frustration
First, there will be frustration. With yourself, for not seeking help. With the church, for not meeting your needs. With God, for allowing hardship to come. If you try to bear the weight of this life without the support of community, of brothers and sisters in Christ, you are very likely to experience frustration.
2) Failure
There is also greater potential for failure. One of the ways that the church supports each other is through accountability. God calls us to a high standard. He commands us to be holy just as he is holy.
1 Peter 1:15-16 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
He who calls us is Holy and Paul tells us that we are to :
EPH 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
He goes on to tell us what that life looks like: 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
That is the life that we are called to. Humble, gentle, patient, loving, unified. Paul has just described the early church and just given us a charge to be a community! But this kind of life does not come naturally for most of us and we need the support of others to keep us pointed in the right direction.
PR 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
You will experience failure in your Christian walk at some point, all of us do. Those who have the benefit of community and the support and accountability that that provides will be restored more quickly and be able to stand again and come out of it stronger and more equipped to serve. Those who don’t are more likely to experience longer periods of failure in their walk and more likely to experience the third thing and that is:
3) Falling Away
To experience frustration and failure without any support will lead to bitterness and anger towards God and this is why you see many who fall away from their faith. They become disillusioned with the church because it is not meeting their need for connection and community. Sometimes it’s the church’s fault, sometimes it’s the person’s fault, sometimes it’s both. But like those trees, if we bend far enough and there’s no one there to hold us, we will break, we will fall.
We need the support that comes as a benefit from being a community of believers in this place.
The last benefit that I want to look at this morning is the fact that when we become a community there is a:
III. Sense of Wholeness
The famous philosopher and renowned genius Rocky Balboa once described his relationship to his wife Adrian like this:
“She got gaps, I got gaps, together we got no gaps.”
That is exactly what the apostle Paul was saying about the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12. He says in the Body you have the hands and the feet and the eyes and the nose and every other part that make up the body as a whole. Some parts are more specialized than others, some parts gain more glory than others, some parts are more visible, but none makes up the body on its own, its only when they are taken together that the body functions as it was created to. In a community, you have wholeness as each person plays to their strengths and as each of us covers for the weaknesses of others. In this church family, I got gaps, the elders got gaps, you all have gaps, but together, we got no gaps. None of us is equipped to handle the ministry that God has called this church to alone. But together, God has given us every necessary skill and talent and spiritual gift to be the church that He wants us to be. To be a community that is used by Him to change lives in here, out there, and over there; all over the world. There is wholeness, there is completeness in community.
The reality is that we can do it better together than we ever could alone. I pulled off to the side of the road on my way to work a few years ago to watch something that I had heard about but never seen before. I lived in an area with a large Amish population and out near the church, they were putting up a barn. They literally finished that thing in a day, it was unbelievable. What would have taken one or two families weeks or months to do was completed in a day because the whole community came together to get something down. Most of the men built the walls, the older men helped with the lumber, the kids carried the nails and made sure that everyone had the supplies that they needed. The women kept the drinks coming and prepared lunch and supper, everything went smoothly because everyone had a role and a responsibility and willingly threw themselves into the task of getting their part done. No matter how small the role seemed, it was crucial to the end result.
If God is going to build this ministry here, the same principle applies. We all have a part to play and if that part is missing, this ministry will be lacking.
Ephesians 1:15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
It is exciting to me to dream of what we can be here. Its exciting to me to know that I can stand side by side with you, my family, and your strengths will pick up where mine end and the one standing beside you will compliment your gifts and together we form the Body of Christ and with Jesus, Himself as the Head, there is nothing that we cannot do for God. There is a sense of completeness in community.
There are many other benefits to community that we will begin to see as we seek to be a people who are together and have everything in common, as we become a family. I decided to spend a little more time on this because I believe that we are at a crossroads in our ministry. We have quickly come to the place where many churches falter and decline. We have reached a point in our growth, right around 200, where we have a lot of decisions to make. We have to decide whether we are comfortable being a smaller church or if we want to continue to experience God’s blessing through growth. There are many churches that can’t make that transition and a lot of it has to do with community. It’s easier to have community within the walls of the church, the smaller you are. There are those who will feel uncomfortable because they no longer know everyone. Now, to develop community and to become a family, its going to take work and commitment. It’s going to take some of us stepping out and getting to know some of the newer people in the church. It’s going to take a conscious effort as we grow larger to make sure that relationships are still being formed and nurtured. Community does not simply happen on its own. Next week we’ll look at the building blocks that Acts gives us and at some of the barriers that we will need to recognize and plow right through together.
This can be a place where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came and it can offer far more benefits than any television bar ever could. When we are committed to being a family and to building community here, there will be a sense of belonging for all, there will be a sense of support, and there will be a sense of wholeness, that we are in this together. We are made to long for community, and people will look for it wherever they can, my prayer is that we would be a church family that people are drawn to by our love and unity and where they can experience these benefits of community for themselves and come to know Jesus as a result of the example they see in this place.
