Community

Preached on community this morning- the need for people to participate in a church community and for people to serve the community around them. Check it out.
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Community- Journey Fellowship seeks to bless the community surrounding us as well as the community of believers who call our church home
Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is deadShow me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. James 2:17-18 (NIV)

Romans 12:9-21

Community of Believers
When we start talking about the community and taking care of people, my first thoughts often go to what goes on in this church. I have never been a part of a group who is more thoroughly devoted to serving one another. I see this in so many ways. People come here with needs and people meet them, and not with a pious Ill pray for you. But in real tangible ways as well as spiritual ways.

Over the past 2 years we have seen people give of their time to help marriages in trouble, people visit the hospital after a serious car accident, house warming showers, baby showers, celebrations of life and death. Its a beautiful thing to see the Body of Christ be like this.

9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

We have fulfilled these commands of Christ in many ways. Now we are far from perfect. We have failed in some ways. We struggle with honoring one another above ourselves. We have conflicts and disagreements from time to time. I want you to know this morning that those things you have against others in this room this morning need to be dealt with. There needs to be forgiveness and putting the past in the past this morning- from the simple slight to the very real broken relationships, it all needs to be dealt with. This morning we need to come together as the Body.

14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[d]says the Lord. 20On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."[e] 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Listen to these words- live at peace, do what is right, bless, live in harmony, overcome evil with good. These commands not only set you free from bitterness and anger, and hate, but they set the church free to be the best it can be. Holding back your gifts, and talents, and resources because you are angry at someone or feel you were slighted is not only hurting you, but hurting others who might depend on you and who you might serve with.

This morning I think God is calling us to repentance and recommitment as a church community. We are the Body. We have a responsibility to live at peace with and love one another.

What if

What if the community came to the church first?
What if the church welcomed the community inside the walls first, and asked them to believe later?
What if the meeting of physical needs led to the meeting of spiritual needs?
What if the church did not exist in this community?
Would anyone notice except those who are already here?

Matthew 25:31-46- sheep and goats

A few weeks ago I was asked the following question by a book I was reading and it has not left me alone sense. If your church shut down, who would miss you besides the people who go to your church? For the past few weeks, that question has kept me up at night, been the forefront of my prayers, and has vexed everyone I have asked, both from our church and others. It leads me to a conclusion I do not like. We have missed something vital.

When Jesus is preparing the disciples for His crucifixion, He spends an extended amount of time telling them to be looking for Him, to be prepared to encounter Him. And then He tells them of His return. How He will come with His angels, on a throne, and that He will have all of humanity gathered before Him and then He will separate them on His left and right. It will be a glorious day. And then He will speak to both groups, sending one to eternal glory and one to eternal punishment. The criteria is interesting.

The group going to eternal glory will be those who served then needy, the broken, the imprisoned, the sick, the hungry. Those going to eternal punishment will have failed to do so. Thats when I started to get a little queasy.

See we started Journey Fellowship with the idea of doing these things. Helping those in need, serving the poor, being a refuge for the hurting. We still pay lip service to those ideas. Somewhere along the way it was the work that got lost. We talk about it, but fail to do it. Or, we do it when it comes to us. But that is not what we are called to do or be.

Believers in Community

The church is supposed to be a vital part of the community, not another optional activity. We have ceded our influence to politics, social services, and private agencies. We say, They are better equipped. They know the system better. They have specialized training and manpower. But they do not have Jesus.

See the church was the original source of all of these ministries. We took in the hurting and needy. We helped people get back on their feet. We fed people who were hungry. We sheltered the homeless. We visited those who were in prison. We provided educational opportunities.

The task of rebuilding this influence seems overwhelming. It is easy to do nothing. It will require work to do something. And were small right now. But we must do something. This passage has three themes of provision- hunger, hope, and home.

Providing for the Hungry- we need to build an emergency food closet for needy families
Providing Home- we need to provide the means for people to build a home for themselves by going to work- SS cards and state IDs
Providing Hope- we need to provide a way for the many struggling families in our area to have a source of pride for their community- children are a parents greatest source of pride and enjoyment- PCO football team