This week we come to our value at Aldersgate of living in community with other people. God’s desire is for us to grow in relationship with Him as we grow in relationship with others. Growing people grow together.
God himself lives in relationship. He exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three persons of the Trinity were present at creation when God make the sun and the moon, the sea and the land, and all the animals. He made man and then shook his head and said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18). Jesus modeled living in community when He came to earth. Jesus loved everybody, fed the crowd, trained the group, discipled a few and mentored the closest. The Bible says we are “put together, joined together, built together, members together, heirs together, fitted together, held together, and we will be caught up together.” We are commanded to “love each other, pray for each other, encourage each other, admonish each other, greet each other, serve each other, teach each other, accept each other, honor each other, hear each other’s burdens, forgive each other, submit to each other, and be devoted to each other.”
Who are you doing this with?
Growing people grow together. If you missed this Sunday’s message I encourage you to check it out. At the least, please spend time this week reading the story of Mark 2:1-12. In this story, we find a paralyzed man who was brought to Jesus by his friends. A great example of community that challenges us to do the following:
1. Make Friends Who Are Bringing Me to Jesus.
I can be surrounded by lots of “friends” yet none of them are bringing me closer to Jesus. In fact, they might be taking me farther away from Jesus. We need friends who are willing to take us to the feet of Jesus. Those who are willing to ask the difficult questions, tell us the hard truth and keep us on the right track. Do you have those friends in your life?
2. Trust My Friends to Bring Me to Jesus.
Think of the trust the paralyzed man had to have to let his friends carry him to the roof and lower him down through the ceiling. He’s developed this trust with them because he depends on them for everything. He needs help getting fed, getting dressed, and getting cleaned. The truth is we all have to depend on others. And we all have a mat. That thing that makes us vulnerable. That thing we have to trust others with. It might be a feat, a temper, a secret that no one else knows about. Who do you trust with your mat?
3. Make Friends Who Bring Me to Jesus a Priority.
People rarely drift into rich relationships. You can sit in church every Sunday and not find community. Or you can avoid church all together to stay away from the relational mess. But to live in connection the way God intends, we must make it a priority. Yes, sometimes we get wounded. It hurts. And it hurts bad. I know that feeling. Amy and I still grieve relationships that walked out of our lives and hurt us deeply. It makes us want to stick our head in the sand and never try again. But to do that would be to live in a way God did not create us to live. We push forward finding friends who we trust to bring us to Jesus a priority.
If you have these friends in your life – those who see your worst and love you anyway and are willing to bring you to Jesus on your best days and your worst days – do me a favor. Call them today and thank them. Oh, and thank God for them today as well. If not, if your struggling in this area, pray today that God would have you take the steps to make these friends a priority in your life and then take a step of obedience in that direction!
Ryan Smallwood
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