Rooted in Love: The Power of Community
Summary
### Summary
In today's sermon, we delved into Ephesians 3:14-21, focusing on the importance of being rooted and grounded in love and community. We began by reflecting on personal experiences of spiritual growth through communal Bible studies and fellowship, emphasizing that spiritual maturity often comes from shared experiences and mutual encouragement. The analogy of the "trembling giant" grove of aspen trees illustrated how interconnectedness strengthens and sustains us, much like the root system of these trees supports each other.
We explored the biblical principle that humans are not meant to live in isolation. From the creation of Eve to address Adam's loneliness to the modern epidemic of loneliness, the need for community is evident. Even Jesus and biblical figures like David and Elijah experienced moments of loneliness, underscoring that isolation is not God's design for us. We are created to live in interdependent relationships, much like ecosystems where different organisms rely on each other for survival.
The sermon also highlighted the messiness of relationships and the church community. Despite the imperfections and challenges, these relationships are crucial for our spiritual growth. We are called to embrace our place in the body of Christ, share our unique gifts, and receive the blessings and teachings from others. This interconnectedness helps us grow into maturity, stability, and the fullness of Christ.
We concluded by emphasizing the importance of receiving and honoring the people God places in our lives, as they are instrumental in our spiritual development. By embracing our place, sharing our supply, and receiving from others, we can rise to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ and fulfill our purpose in the body of Christ.
### Key Takeaways
1. Interconnectedness Strengthens Us: Just as the "trembling giant" grove of aspen trees is sustained by a shared root system, our spiritual lives are strengthened through interconnectedness with others. This mutual support helps us withstand life's storms and grow in faith. [05:51]
2. Humans Are Not Meant to Be Alone: From the creation of Eve to address Adam's loneliness to the modern epidemic of loneliness, it's clear that isolation is not God's design for us. We thrive in relationships and community, where we can share our burdens and joys. [07:12]
3. Embrace Your Place in the Body of Christ: Each of us has a unique role in the body of Christ. Embracing our place means recognizing our importance and contributing our gifts to the community. This interconnectedness allows us to function as a healthy, unified body. [25:01]
4. Share Your Supply: God has given each of us unique gifts and anointings meant to be shared with others. When we share our supply, we contribute to the growth and maturity of the entire body of Christ, creating a thriving, supportive community. [33:34]
5. Receive and Honor the People God Sends: Spiritual growth often comes through the people God places in our lives. By receiving and honoring these individuals, we can access the gifts and teachings they bring, helping us rise to our full potential in Christ. [39:01]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[01:28] - Opening Prayer
[02:56] - Importance of Community
[04:23] - Rooted and Grounded in Love
[05:51] - The Trembling Giant Analogy
[07:12] - Humans Are Not Meant to Be Alone
[08:49] - Loneliness in Modern Times
[10:09] - Interdependence in Ecosystems
[11:38] - Chosen for Community
[13:18] - Messiness of Relationships
[14:42] - Challenges of Community
[16:10] - The Clean Stable Analogy
[17:31] - Comprehending God's Love Together
[18:54] - Individualism vs. Community
[20:49] - Growing in Maturity
[22:13] - Childish vs. Mature Faith
[23:28] - Stability in Doctrine
[25:01] - Embrace Your Place
[26:31] - Importance of Connection
[27:52] - Pain from Disconnection
[29:17] - Significance in the Body
[30:49] - Purpose in Connection
[32:10] - Share Your Supply
[33:34] - Spiritual Gifts for the Community
[34:52] - The Circuit Board Analogy
[36:06] - Flow of God's Grace
[37:34] - Receiving from Others
[39:01] - Receive and Rise
[40:23] - Honoring God's Gifts in Others
[41:56] - Importance of Spiritual Leaders
[43:15] - Every Part is Important
[44:37] - Roles in the Church
[45:56] - Significance in Connection
[47:26] - Together We Grow
[48:58] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
### Bible Reading
- Ephesians 3:14-21
### Observation Questions
1. What does Paul pray for the believers in Ephesians 3:14-21?
2. How does the analogy of the "trembling giant" grove of aspen trees illustrate the concept of interconnectedness in the sermon? [05:51]
3. According to the sermon, why is it not good for humans to be alone, as illustrated by the creation of Eve for Adam? [07:12]
4. What are some of the challenges and messiness of relationships within the church community mentioned in the sermon? [13:18]
### Interpretation Questions
1. How does being "rooted and grounded in love" (Ephesians 3:17) contribute to spiritual maturity and stability according to the sermon? [04:23]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that interconnectedness within the church community helps believers withstand life's challenges? [05:51]
3. How does the sermon explain the role of individual gifts and anointings in the growth and maturity of the body of Christ? [33:34]
4. What does it mean to "receive and honor the people God sends" into our lives, and how does this contribute to our spiritual growth? [39:01]
### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt spiritually strengthened by your church community. How did this experience help you grow in your faith? [02:56]
2. The sermon mentions the modern epidemic of loneliness. How can you actively seek to build meaningful connections within your church community to combat this? [08:49]
3. Think about your unique gifts and anointings. How can you share these with your church community to contribute to its growth and maturity? [33:34]
4. Relationships within the church can be messy and challenging. How can you approach these challenges with grace and a willingness to grow together? [13:18]
5. The sermon emphasizes the importance of receiving and honoring the people God places in our lives. Identify someone in your church community who has been instrumental in your spiritual growth. How can you show appreciation and honor to them this week? [39:01]
6. How can you embrace your place in the body of Christ and actively participate in the life of your church community? What steps can you take to get more involved? [25:01]
7. Consider the analogy of the "trembling giant" grove of aspen trees. How can you foster a sense of interconnectedness and mutual support within your small group or church community? [05:51]
Devotional
Day 1: Interconnectedness Strengthens Us
Description: Just as the "trembling giant" grove of aspen trees is sustained by a shared root system, our spiritual lives are strengthened through interconnectedness with others. This mutual support helps us withstand life's storms and grow in faith. The analogy of the aspen trees illustrates how interconnectedness strengthens and sustains us, much like the root system of these trees supports each other. When we are rooted and grounded in love and community, we can draw strength from one another, helping us to grow and mature in our faith.
In our spiritual journey, we often face challenges and difficulties that can shake our faith. However, when we are connected to a community of believers, we can draw strength and encouragement from one another. This interconnectedness helps us to remain steadfast in our faith, even in the face of adversity. By being part of a community, we can share our burdens and joys, and support one another in our walk with Christ. [05:51]
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (ESV): "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!"
Reflection: Think of a time when you felt supported by your community. How did this support help you grow in your faith? How can you offer similar support to someone in your community today?
Day 2: Humans Are Not Meant to Be Alone
Description: From the creation of Eve to address Adam's loneliness to the modern epidemic of loneliness, it's clear that isolation is not God's design for us. We thrive in relationships and community, where we can share our burdens and joys. The Bible shows us that humans are created for relationships and community. Even Jesus and biblical figures like David and Elijah experienced moments of loneliness, underscoring that isolation is not God's design for us. We are created to live in interdependent relationships, much like ecosystems where different organisms rely on each other for survival.
In today's world, loneliness has become an epidemic, affecting people of all ages and backgrounds. However, God's design for us is to live in community, where we can support and encourage one another. By being part of a community, we can share our burdens and joys, and find comfort and strength in our relationships with others. [07:12]
Psalm 68:6 (ESV): "God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land."
Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt lonely. How did God provide community for you during that time? How can you reach out to someone who may be feeling lonely today?
Day 3: Embrace Your Place in the Body of Christ
Description: Each of us has a unique role in the body of Christ. Embracing our place means recognizing our importance and contributing our gifts to the community. This interconnectedness allows us to function as a healthy, unified body. The church community is made up of diverse individuals, each with unique gifts and talents. By embracing our place in the body of Christ, we can contribute to the growth and maturity of the entire community. This interconnectedness helps us to function as a healthy, unified body, where each member plays a vital role.
When we recognize our importance and contribute our gifts to the community, we can experience the fullness of Christ. By sharing our unique gifts and receiving the blessings and teachings from others, we can grow into maturity, stability, and the fullness of Christ. [25:01]
1 Corinthians 12:18-20 (ESV): "But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body."
Reflection: What unique gifts has God given you? How can you use these gifts to contribute to your community and the body of Christ?
Day 4: Share Your Supply
Description: God has given each of us unique gifts and anointings meant to be shared with others. When we share our supply, we contribute to the growth and maturity of the entire body of Christ, creating a thriving, supportive community. By sharing our unique gifts and anointings, we can contribute to the growth and maturity of the entire body of Christ. This interconnectedness helps us to create a thriving, supportive community, where each member plays a vital role.
When we share our supply, we can experience the fullness of Christ and fulfill our purpose in the body of Christ. By embracing our place, sharing our supply, and receiving from others, we can rise to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ and fulfill our purpose in the body of Christ. [33:34]
1 Peter 4:10 (ESV): "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace."
Reflection: Think of a specific gift or talent that God has given you. How can you use this gift to serve others in your community today?
Day 5: Receive and Honor the People God Sends
Description: Spiritual growth often comes through the people God places in our lives. By receiving and honoring these individuals, we can access the gifts and teachings they bring, helping us rise to our full potential in Christ. The people God places in our lives are instrumental in our spiritual development. By receiving and honoring these individuals, we can access the gifts and teachings they bring, helping us to grow and mature in our faith.
When we embrace our place in the body of Christ and receive from others, we can rise to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. By honoring the people God sends into our lives, we can experience the fullness of Christ and fulfill our purpose in the body of Christ. [39:01]
Hebrews 13:7 (ESV): "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith."
Reflection: Think of someone in your life who has been instrumental in your spiritual growth. How can you honor and show appreciation for this person today? How can you be open to receiving from others in your community?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "The thing is, is that we were not meant to be individuals not meant to live a life on just our terms. Last week we looked at being rooted and grounded in the importance of being deeply rooted into Christ, building your foundation right. Talked about digging down deep till we hit that rock, getting our lives established on something that's not pushed around, that's not moved by circumstances and moved by emotions." [04:23](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "You were not meant to just make it as an individual to remain as an individual when you're chosen by God you are chosen for more. I love this this declaration by the apostle Peter in first Peter chapter 2 verse 9 and 10 Peter reminds us he says but you are a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation his own special people that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light who were once not a people but are now the people of God who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." [11:38](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "God does call us as individuals, but He brings us into community. He adopts us into the household of faith, the family of God. And I know that's challenging because the world we live in is tailored to you. You do you, boo-boo. It's, you know, my daughter used to say in high school, it's so funny, we used to trip out about this all the time, but she said, let me live my life. Like, that was a thing. Let me live my life. No, I'm just telling you to clear up your room. Let me live my life. You know, it's like, no, your life constitutes living in this family. Amen?" [18:54](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "Listen, you can have off days. We have off days, don't we? We're people. We wake up and start getting a little bit older and your body starts hurting a little bit. And you're like, wait, what? You know, you start having phantom pains. I know y'all young people get ready. I'm just telling you I'm not old yet, but I'm, I'm, I'm aging and I'm starting to feel some things. I'm like, wait a second. Where'd this come from? She think I was Superman running through a troop and jumping over a wall. And now I need the anointing to do anything." [23:28](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "There is strength and stability and blessing to be found in community. And there is power for purpose when you're connected. It's not enough to go deep only to have your own relationship with God, to have your prayer life and your word life and your devotional life and your acts of service or your separate thing or your ministry. It's not, it's not enough. You need relationship with God for sure. But you also need relationship with God's people." [47:26](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "On Friday nights, our family would join it would be common for you to find my wife and I and probably our little daughter at this point Savannah when she was little, you'd probably find us on Friday nights over at the Thompson's house and we would be there with a bunch of other people and we'd be eating food and we would be eating food and we would be watching movies sometimes or playing flag football not really flag football but football in the backyard and you know every probably every Friday inevitably we would end up at the dinner table again and we'd be sitting around and talking about the word of God and talking about what God had been showing us and what we've been reading we would open up the bible and start doing kind of like an impromptu bible study and we would start engaging the word of God and breaking the word of God down and I didn't realize it back then but I think I can tell you that I've been doing that for a long time and I can look back right now with clarity and say you know those Friday nights were so important to my development and growth in spiritual life in the reality of God in my life that those moments had an important role to play in my formation they helped me to grow more spiritually mature helped me to deepen my grasp of the bible theological understanding my attitude of truth at that table I would be learning from the people in the group we'd be sitting around and be just like everybody there was no you know pastor there there was no elder there necessarily was just brothers and sisters in the lord talking around the dinner table about Jesus about the word of God breaking it down looking at it together and I was learning so much but then also I was sharing and that there was a pull on that in me and so I you know I don't know about you but I don't like to mess up too much and I don't like to be wrong and be stupid sometimes so I would actually go read harder you know maybe maybe read a little bit more dig a little bit deeper because I'm like somebody might ask me a question I want to know the answer right does anybody understand that so I would press in harder this group encouraged that in me it pulled that out of me it kind of put pressure on me in the right way to focus my energy and my effort in the right direction and what happened was as I began to grow in my soul I began to grow deeper in my relationship with God I began to become more of the person that God invited invites me to come." [01:28](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Biblical discipleship happens in the context of relationship and if you want a flourishing life if you want a stable life if you want a strong life you can't only go deep you've got to go wide I said before we're not created to live in isolation from others I don't know if you remember this or not but in the in the beginning when God first created us we were not created to live in isolation from others or created Adam, he looked around and what did he say it's not good it's not good and so then what did God do what was not good though what was not good the bible says is Adam could not find a helper comparable someone like him now did Adam have God in his life he did did did Adam kick it with God on the regular he did didn't he I mean Adam and God I mean y'all remember Adam and God sometime in that time frame was naming animals they were meeting together in the cool of the day they were hanging out regularly Adam had the Lord in his life didn't he but still something was not good and so God fashioned Eve and then together after that God looked back and said huh this is very good so it's very good what was it it was the relationship that was necessary for things to go from not good to very good." [07:12](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "We weren't meant to get saved by Jesus and stay little kids. God expects us to grow, and He gives us each other to help us grow. He gives us relationships to help us grow. He gives us His Word to help us grow. He gives us the tools we need so that we can flourish in life. You don't want to stay a little seed in the ground, do you? You want to grow up into a tall tree, if we're going to use trees as an analogy, right? You want to be strong. You want to be healthy. You want to be able to withstand storms. We're meant to be stable and not thrown off balance by false doctrine. Did you catch that? Not tossed to and fro by everyone in doctrine. There's nothing new under the sun, but there's always a little twist and always a little spin and always a little wrinkle. And so the next speaker comes out, the next popular one comes out, the next, you know, this one comes out and they start saying stuff and people start chasing that fad of theology. And then there's another teaching out. And so people start running into that thing and then there's excitement here. And so people run over here. We're supposed to be stable, not schizophrenic. We're not supposed to be tricked by lies so clever they sound like the truth." [22:13](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "Embrace your place. First Corinthians chapter 12 verse 25 and 26 in the message Bible says the way God designed our bodies is a model our lives together as a church. So the way God designed our bodies is a model. It's a picture that we're supposed to use to understand our lives together as a church, every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mentioned and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the experience. So the way God designed our bodies is a model. us to flourish, we have to have a balance of life with God and life together with His church. We need each other. We depend on each other. Paul said it was how we were joined and knit together as joints are connected and held together by ligaments. You know, the, the, these bones come together at a certain spot and they're held together. And the more firmly they're held together, the more they function the way they're supposed to function. If you dislocate your arm, had a dislocated joint? Dislocate your arm, dislocate your finger, dislocate your ankle, dislocate your shoulder. It's painful, isn't it? Can move your arm around, but it's not functioning like it's supposed to function. There's pain. What's happened? It's gotten disconnected. It's still attached, but it's not connected rightly. Do you not see how this is a perfect illustration for life together?" [26:31](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "There is a reward attached to the people around you based on how you honor them based on the gift of God in their life. And I have to say the word of God, this is always an awkward reality because I have to say this, but here's the thing. I'm not here because I'm awesome. I'm here because God wanted me to be a gift to you. I mean, it sounds weird saying it, but that's what the word of God says. My whole role here, it's not to do the work for you. It's to enable you and equip you and empower you. Pastor Annette and I are here, not for us. We're here for you to equip you, to enable you, to empower you so you can do everything that God calls you to do so that you can grow up and be healthy and be strong so that together we become who God calls us to be. And if you don't receive the people and I'm expending, it's not just the pastors or us, but you understand what I'm saying, the principle, right? The leaders, the individuals, the mentors, the elders, the people that God brings into your life with a gift for you. If you don't receive them, how are you going to become who you're supposed to become? If you don't honor them, it's like what Jesus said here." [40:23](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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