God’s Design of Community

Follow Along with the Message

The full expression of being a Christ follower is meant to be grounded in the midst of a loving community of believers.

God sets the lonely in families,…

--Psalm 68: 6

 “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

--Genesis 2:18

 has never been the  or  of God.

…”love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

--Matthew 22:37

“And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

--Matthew 22:39-40

“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

--John 13:34-35

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.

--Act 2:42

Four Foundations in Embracing the Fullness of Community Life as the Church:

1. Teaching

• Your  of God, His ways, and your ongoing  into the likeness of Christ must come from the truths of Scripture.

Let the message of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

--Colossians 3:16

2. Fellowship

• They came together  with the same people, again and again, for mutual , , , , and .
• We must value our relationships with one another.
• There must be a commitment to Biblical fellowship.

3. Breaking Bread

• In a shared meal, there is an opportunity to  and  for one another.

4. Prayer

•  The fourth foundation of community life of the early church was their resolved  to combined prayer.

When we come together as the Church, these priorities should all still be cornerstone pieces that define who we are as the Body of Christ.

Devotion To:

• Scriptural teachings
• Heartfelt fellowship
• Sharing of meals and communion
• Fervent intercession

We honor God when:

• We work at  our relationship with Him.
• We embrace  and . Pursuing His calling and purpose for your life.
• We financially  the work of ministry. The Kingdom of God is advanced, lives are changed, and God is honored when His people embrace the spirit of generosity and cheerfully take on the responsibility of giving tithes and offerings.
• We commit to regularly  in His Name.

Remember that God Himself declared that it was not good for man to be alone.

Separated and alone, we become easy targets for discouragement and weakness. Easy targets for sin and bad habits. Easy targets for Satan. For when we are alone and separated, we have no one to defend our back.

Together, we can lift each other up, find accountability and strength, and honor God by continuing to be steadfast in our love and devotion.

Together, we both experience and demonstrate the overwhelming presence and power of the Holy Spirit and the reality that Jesus is alive and well.

Within our community, the fullness of God is experienced, and we are transformed into people of deep relationship, responsibility, and maturity.

Through the loving expression of this community life, we become shining beacons of hope to the world.