Embracing Community: Strengthening Faith Together in Christ

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Following Jesus was never meant to be a solitary path. This is actually a pandemic of sort, an epidemic, at least in Christianity from a Western civilization standpoint, where somehow or another we believe that you can follow the Lord by yourself, you can follow the Lord outside of communion. In fact, it's just this relationship is a personal one. So that's why it's important to understand, as these Jewish folks, new believers in Jesus, what did they understand? They understood that this journey wasn't a solitary one. It's a journey designed to be lived within the richness of community. [01:11:25] (60 seconds)  #JourneyInCommunity

You see, this faith that we ascribe to gets its depth and its meaning. The teeth of the faith are found in the context of community. In fact, you could probably go as far as to say that it's going to be really difficult to grow outside of the community of faith. I mean, just think about it from a rational standpoint. How can we hold ourselves accountable? I mean, try that. In fact, we do try it. Every year we swear that we're going to eat different. And when we don't submit ourselves to some level or degree of accountability, we often, what, fail. Because we are lousy at holding ourselves accountable. Why are we lousy? Because we weren't wired that way. We weren't wired to hold ourselves accountable. We were wired to walk this journey with other folks. [01:12:27] (86 seconds)  #FaithGrowsTogether

This deeply and theological rich designation reveals how the earliest believers saw their relationship with Christ as a transformed lifestyle, radical departure from the norm, a mission and a path to be lived out together. That's how it was always understood then, and that's how it's to be understood now. It is directional life, that is a missional life, very intentional to be lived out, walked out together. [01:18:47] (49 seconds)  #MissionalLifeTogether

Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we now have direct access to God as a community of believers. We don't need a high priest to go to God on our behalf. We can go to God ourselves. You know the story when he was crucified, the veil of the temple was torn from the bottom up. And it wasn't a thin sheet, it was a thick piece of cloth that was literally ripped. Simultaneous to this, this crucifixion story, symbolizing. Now you have access, you are a royal priesthood, a priesthood of believers with one high priest and his name is Jesus. [01:24:48] (71 seconds)  #RoyalPriesthoodAccess

When we say yes to Jesus today, we are part of a new community. It's what binds us together. And when one is not feeling well, we all don't feel well. I said, when one is not doing well, we all are not doing well. And when one is doing well, we all are doing well. We mourn with those who are sorrowful and we rejoice with those who are glad. That is the nature of a new community. That's what we have been grafted in through by what Jesus did. [01:26:42] (56 seconds)  #BoundByOneSpirit

You know, when we choose to take a couple steps back again, we find ourselves alone, we find ourselves isolated. And guess what comes next? The wavering, the wavering, the doubting, the inconsistency, whatever is the fruit of wavering, that's what comes next. Have you ever wondered why that is? Anybody ever thought about that? We find ourselves wavering because we are alone. We are entertained by our own thoughts. And sometimes our own thoughts aren't good company, right? I mean, just sit in your own thoughts. It's not good company always. [01:28:43] (66 seconds)  #AloneBreedsDoubt

When we cut off the community, it's like cutting our lifeline off. Now, access to the Lord was already there. It was always there, and he would always speak. But I was left to myself to hold Myself accountable to walk it out. And we already know how that goes. Amen. He says, draw near. We need the beloved. We need the ecclesia. We need the community to help us keep going on this path, to be able to speak truth into our life. Even when we don't want to hear truth. Does truth sometimes hurts? But we need folks in our life. [01:35:32] (59 seconds)  #LifelineOfCommunity

Now we can be honest, but we have to be loving. Did you hear me? Jesus came full of what grace and truth. Never will you hear those words reversed. He came full of love, but he always told the truth. And so as we are encouraging one another, don't feel like we're sacrificing truth, but just make sure it's full of love. [01:41:41] (37 seconds)  #EncourageReturnToCommunity

The gathering of the ecclesia in this life giving community is about making sure that we all are ready for that day. That's why we do this, because we don't want anyone to miss out. We don't want anyone to be deceived in any way. We want you to receive all that Jesus has for you when he comes back. [01:46:30] (35 seconds)  #KingdomFocus

Let it not be so that we would leave and walk by someone without saying hello just because we don't know them. Because we are the body of Christ. We are the family of God, man. [01:51:19] (17 seconds)

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