Last week we talked about what it means to be connected to the Tower - on any cell phone there’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to hold a connection, nothing more frustrating than losing that call, losing that connection - not being able to connect with the Tower. When you cant connect with the tower it shuts down communication, so even though you may want to call out you’re unable to - have you ever needed to make an important phone call and were unable to call out - it’s very frustrating.
Last week we talked about how that Tower represents our relationship w/ God and how many times in our journey we’ve hit dead spots, we hit dead zones where we just don’t connect w/ the Tower like we used to or should and we go weeks at a time w/ out connecting to the Tower.
We learned that the Tower never moves, it’s set, but we move in a million different directions. So the issue is never the Tower, it’s always us.
In our lives God is always there, Heb. 13:5 - there are times in our lives we just don’t connect w/ God for a # of reasons.
How do we develop a strong and lasting connection? Through Intimacy, developing intimacy w/ Father God.
Luke 22 - Time, Trust, and Transparency
Well as we continue in this I could boil today down to this one statement, ‘God did not create us to be alone’
God did not create you to live alone - God created a community for you to do life with, we were not created to live life alone, God has created a network for you and I to identify with - turn to Hebrews 10
All through the New Testament from the book Acts, after Gospels completed, Jesus had ascended back to heaven
within the Word of God, the word brother or brothers and sisters which refers to the family of God that God created for the church is mentioned over 147 times b/c God considers the Church as a family important.
Look at outline you see that ? that says, Is this true of me?
I want you to answer this question, “I live life around many people, but I experience life deeply with none.”
You know it was George Gallop who said, “Americans are among the loneliest people in the world.”
The most advanced society, the most technologically driven people ever created, yet we feel all the time, that we’re in this thing alone, doing life by ourselves.
Although we work in offices and people are around us all the time, we drive into our neighborhoods full of houses, our head can hit the pillow at night and we feel like we’re all alone. Ever felt that way?
How many of you would agree life is confusing at times - raise hands? how about difficult at times?
Then why in the world would we want to try to figure it all alone - why try and do this journey by ourselves? So often in life we think, I’ll just go at it alone and that is not how God created it to be.
God created this network w/in the church to help us do life.
We believe here at FOCUS* that the church must grow larger and smaller at the same time. (Always reaching out to others growing the church and at the same time doing life together in a multitude of small community groups)
Explain Heb. 10 start reading v.22 - circle every time you hear ‘Let us’ - read 22,
back then they had the High Priest and before they went into the Temple they would do this ceremonial cleansing, cleaned there hands and so on.. they could not be defiled in any way - what the writer of Hebrews is saying, we should never lose that focus, that intentionality when we go before God, we go in with clean hands and a pure heart.
We should draw near to Him w/ a sincere heart, the “cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” is approaching God humbly, saying I’m bringing all of me to all of You - that’s what he’s saying.
v.23 - I love the imagery there, “hold unswervingly to the hope” meaning we hold onto what we believe with all we’ve got!
Ever find yourself doing that, b/c everything in this world tells you not to, but you know you have to - everything in the world tells you, “you don’t need God, you can do it w/out Him’ - almost like you’re out there by yourself sometimes and you hold unswervingly to the hope - v.24
All of sudden he moves from more of a personal talk to more of a corporate talk - this group of people you’re doing life with, let’s consider how we can encourage one another to spur on, meaning to urge and admonish one another on
toward love and good deeds - v.25
It had sort of become customary during this time that you have a relationship w/ God and all’s been done on your part so really you don’t need to gather together anymore, you don’ t need to gather in groups, you can just do it yourselves and what he says in Heb. 10:25 is let’s not give up meeting together, not only corporately but together from house to house in small groups (Acts 5:42)
I’m not real sure how you walked in here felling this morning and when I mentioned Gallop said Americans are some of the loneliest people it may have resonated with you or maybe you have thought I have a lot of friends but the
relationships are about this deep.
Ladies and gentlemen God did not create you to live alone - He created you to do life with other people
What’s the big deal about connecting in network - we all have needs:
1. I NEED OTHERS TO KNOW ME.
Beyond the superficial, I need others to know me - not know who I am, I want others to know me. (it has been one of the frustrating things to deal with in moving here to Houston - left tight knit group of back in Cali.) I want that deep relationship, not just business, not just let’s go play hoops once a month, someone to know me. And there’s not 1 of us in this room that does not have this desire w/in us to be known.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing… Hebrews 10:25a
It’s interesting that the writer continues to make this a plural assumption, ‘Let US not’ - God created us for community - for others to know us. Doing life with others is God’s answer to loneliness
Community is God’s answer to … LONELINESS.
2. I NEED OTHERS TO WALK WITH ME.
I need to know I’m not doing this journey by myself.
What a shame, when we hit difficult spots in life and wish we had someone around to tell us what’s next - God put this process in place, this network called community w/in the church for us to do life with to know were not alone.
Maybe parenting issues arise, were not sure how to handle something, “I wish we had some others in our lives to help”
Maybe a job/career change, “I sure would like some input from a close friend” We feel like we’re in it all alone.
Community is God’s answer to …
SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY.
Do you know what we learn from others in our lives that we cant get from a seminar or a book, real life experiences, been there done that. Some of the greatest lessons I’ve learned in life didn’t come from a book or seminar, they came from another persons life b/c they help grow you up.
Ever hit that phase in life where it's all about you - it’s all about me, my stuff, my life and in that
there are times I need others to walk w/ me so I can grow up.
3. I NEED OTHERS TO CARE FOR ME.
Let us consider (think about)how we may spur (encourage, urge) one another on toward love…Hebrews 10:24
Let’s just talk, there’s just times when we get down, isn’t there? Isn’t there times when you just hit a wall -
you just need someone to come along a put their hand on your back and say keep your head up, keep going, you’re gonna make it - do you ever get that? Do you need that? I know I do, even recently
But you know what, we cant get it just coming here for an hour on Sunday - not even if you do lunch occasionally
We all hit a crisis, there are times where there’s just no answers and life is not easy - those days are comin’ and when they do we are going to want someone in our lives walking w/ us and caring for us.
Listen folks, no one will just walk in if we haven’t cultivated that relationship - it happens spending time together -
the best way is to get hooked up in-network, get plugged in to a community group (guys thur, girls tue.)
You see the enemy knows, if he can keep you isolated he can keep you down - look at God’s answer
Community is God’s answer to … DESPAIR.
From feeling like you’re going down and there’s nobody there to help you - there’s just something about being there with other people - Christianity, this journey is not meant to be done alone, it’s a team game.
We could have an amazing time together on Sundays, great worship, God’s Word may pulsate within you, I’m talking you walk out of here different - which is incredible and only by God’s Holy Spirit, but that alone is not enough, that is not how God created us. God created us for community.
4. I NEED OTHERS TO SERVE WITH ME.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward … good deeds. Hebrews 10:24
B/c we are selfish-driven people our lives tend to focus only on our needs, our wants, our desires so I need other people around me to remind me that it’s not all about MUAH!
We are to serve others
It’s one of the reasons we’re involved in the Montrose Street Church -
we just give, we just serve... together
Community is God’s answer to … SELFISH LIVING.
It’s His answer to ‘it’s all about us’
5. I NEED OTHERS TO WATCH OUT FOR ME.
…but let us encourage one another… Hebrews 10:25b
Community is God’s answer to … SPIRITUAL ATTACKS.
If you were going out to war and the battle is looming, one of the 1st things we want to know is, “who’s got my back?”
Would you agree?
The Bible tells us in Ephesians we are in a war, and the battle is not on the ground, it’s in the spiritual realm.
We need others to have our backs, to pray for us, lift us up, keep us in mind.
Here’s the deal guys, I know that you know God, I know that you have Christ, I know you have your bible... you need someone with skin on who can talk about your value & the significance of your place, your person, somebody who understands how you’d love to pinch the heads off your kids, somebody who understands what it feels like to work for that pushy boss - life can be hard, it can be a battle, we need others who will be there for us -
you’ll find them in-network... get plugged in, don’t pull out, stay connected,
Make it a PRIORITY.
A sign of growth in the world of nature is change - change in the dimensions of a tree, fruit appearing on the vine, flowers blooming - in a similar way, change for us means new levels of maturity, of understanding, of the way we relate to family and friends in-network - But what does it take for change to occur?
GET CONNECTED
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