Spiritual Disciplines: Community
This brings us to our final installment in this blog series. Over the past several weeks we've been reviewing a recent sermon series entitled Freedom. The premise of the series was that many Christians miss out on enjoying a life of freedom in Christ, and that is often due to a neglect of the spiritual disciplines.
Spiritual disciplines include: worship, prayer, giving, Bible study, serving, and community. These are tools given to us by God by which to enjoy the freedom that Christ has won for us. It's important to note that practicing these disciplines are not what make us Christian. A Christian is a Christian because they have placed their faith (their lives) in Christ. We become a Christian by the grace of God through faith in who Jesus is and what He accomplished through His life, death, and resurrection.
We were all born enslaved - under the bondage of sin and under the tyranny of its power over us. But Jesus came from heaven to liberate us. Through His death on the cross, He won our freedom. He set us free from sin and from its eternal consequences. We receive that freedom when we repent of our sin and turn to follow Him. And then, having received that freedom, we begin to live a life of freedom. And the way that we do that is through practicing the spiritual disciplines.
The spiritual disciplines don't make us free, but they are a means through which we enjoy the freedom that Christ secured for us.
Today, I'm briefly summarizing the sixth and final discipline that we discussed in our sermon series: Christian Community.
We began by looking at Galatians 5:13-6:2 and there we saw what freedom looks like: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control (5:22). That's what is called the fruit of the Spirit. That's what it means to live in freedom. In other words, a life of freedom is reflecting the character of Jesus, following His example, and growing in His likeness.
Well, the big question is: How do we begin to live that kind of life? According to Galatians 5:13-6:2, we live a life of freedom in Christ as we begin to enjoy the loving community of Christ. If we want to walk in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, then we must walk along side fellow believers. Galatians 5:13 says, "For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve ONE ANOTHER." It's in the context of serving one another (Christian community) that Paul begins to talk about walking in the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, living in the Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit. In other words, it's in the context of teaching about the importance of community, that Paul teaches us what freedom looks like.
To enjoy our freedom in Christ, it is important to grow close relationships with other Christians.
Then we looked at Hebrews 3:12-13. There we saw that spiritual freedom means enjoying rest; and it is Jesus who provides spiritual rest. In Matthew 11:28-29 Jesus says, "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you REST. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find REST for your souls."
That's what we all desire. Deep down in the depths of our heart we desire peace, calm, and joy. We desire to be at rest. But the truth is that sin resides in our heart and that sin is always fighting against rest. Our own hearts gravitate toward chaos, despair, fear, worry, insecurity, and angst. We're all prone to this. That's why in Hebrew 3:12-13 we're commanded to look out for one another - to help each other to keep from straying from the rest that we find in Christ. We need Christian community (our church family) to shepherd our hearts and to keep us from wandering away from what it is that deep down inside we desire.
The importance of being a part of a local church cannot be over stated. And by that I'm not referring to attending a church service on Sunday mornings. What I am referring to is be an active participant so that you are involved in the church and the church is involved with you. And by church, I mean brothers and sisters in Christ. It is imperative that we have authentic relationships with fellow believers who will help us in our walk with Jesus, and who we can help in theirs.
If you're not part of a local church, find one (one that believes the Bible is God's Word). Join a small group (at Anthem Church we call them A-Teams), a Bible study, or a Sunday school class where you can begin to get to know people. Volunteer in a ministry. Community means not only serving one another but also serving with another. Get to "church" early on Sundays and get to know people. "Church" is just a once a week worship service. Church is God's people. Show up early on Sundays to establish and build relationships. Open up your home and have people over. Invite someone to lunch or to coffee. Practice the spiritual discipline of community.
There are more spiritual disciplines than the six we covered in our series, but these six are a good introduction into the topic. I hope that the series (sermon and blog) will spur a significant spiritual curiosity that will compel you to continue to study and apply these disciplines into your normal every day practice so that you may enjoy a life of FREEDOM.
Spiritual disciplines include: worship, prayer, giving, Bible study, serving, and community. These are tools given to us by God by which to enjoy the freedom that Christ has won for us. It's important to note that practicing these disciplines are not what make us Christian. A Christian is a Christian because they have placed their faith (their lives) in Christ. We become a Christian by the grace of God through faith in who Jesus is and what He accomplished through His life, death, and resurrection.
We were all born enslaved - under the bondage of sin and under the tyranny of its power over us. But Jesus came from heaven to liberate us. Through His death on the cross, He won our freedom. He set us free from sin and from its eternal consequences. We receive that freedom when we repent of our sin and turn to follow Him. And then, having received that freedom, we begin to live a life of freedom. And the way that we do that is through practicing the spiritual disciplines.
The spiritual disciplines don't make us free, but they are a means through which we enjoy the freedom that Christ secured for us.
Today, I'm briefly summarizing the sixth and final discipline that we discussed in our sermon series: Christian Community.
We began by looking at Galatians 5:13-6:2 and there we saw what freedom looks like: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control (5:22). That's what is called the fruit of the Spirit. That's what it means to live in freedom. In other words, a life of freedom is reflecting the character of Jesus, following His example, and growing in His likeness.
Well, the big question is: How do we begin to live that kind of life? According to Galatians 5:13-6:2, we live a life of freedom in Christ as we begin to enjoy the loving community of Christ. If we want to walk in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, then we must walk along side fellow believers. Galatians 5:13 says, "For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve ONE ANOTHER." It's in the context of serving one another (Christian community) that Paul begins to talk about walking in the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, living in the Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit. In other words, it's in the context of teaching about the importance of community, that Paul teaches us what freedom looks like.
To enjoy our freedom in Christ, it is important to grow close relationships with other Christians.
Then we looked at Hebrews 3:12-13. There we saw that spiritual freedom means enjoying rest; and it is Jesus who provides spiritual rest. In Matthew 11:28-29 Jesus says, "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you REST. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find REST for your souls."
That's what we all desire. Deep down in the depths of our heart we desire peace, calm, and joy. We desire to be at rest. But the truth is that sin resides in our heart and that sin is always fighting against rest. Our own hearts gravitate toward chaos, despair, fear, worry, insecurity, and angst. We're all prone to this. That's why in Hebrew 3:12-13 we're commanded to look out for one another - to help each other to keep from straying from the rest that we find in Christ. We need Christian community (our church family) to shepherd our hearts and to keep us from wandering away from what it is that deep down inside we desire.
The importance of being a part of a local church cannot be over stated. And by that I'm not referring to attending a church service on Sunday mornings. What I am referring to is be an active participant so that you are involved in the church and the church is involved with you. And by church, I mean brothers and sisters in Christ. It is imperative that we have authentic relationships with fellow believers who will help us in our walk with Jesus, and who we can help in theirs.
If you're not part of a local church, find one (one that believes the Bible is God's Word). Join a small group (at Anthem Church we call them A-Teams), a Bible study, or a Sunday school class where you can begin to get to know people. Volunteer in a ministry. Community means not only serving one another but also serving with another. Get to "church" early on Sundays and get to know people. "Church" is just a once a week worship service. Church is God's people. Show up early on Sundays to establish and build relationships. Open up your home and have people over. Invite someone to lunch or to coffee. Practice the spiritual discipline of community.
There are more spiritual disciplines than the six we covered in our series, but these six are a good introduction into the topic. I hope that the series (sermon and blog) will spur a significant spiritual curiosity that will compel you to continue to study and apply these disciplines into your normal every day practice so that you may enjoy a life of FREEDOM.
In awe of Jesus,
Pastor Rick
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