Closer to Jesus: Living in Community
Romans 12:3-8
Main Thing to Know:
If I’m faithful to Jesus I’ll be faithful to a local church
Experiencing Community within a Church:
We have many members in one body (v. 4)
• We have multiple backgrounds & varied perspectives
All the members do not have the same function (v. 4)
• We have unique roles & responsibilities
We, being many, are one body in Christ (v. 5)
• We have unity amid diversity
[We are] individually members of one another (v. 5)
• We are cared for & counted on
Why Engage with a Local Church:
It is in the family of God that I am able to care and be cared for; love and be loved; forgive and be forgiven; rebuke and be rebuked; encourage and be encouraged . . . [it] is a family affair, rather than a solitary pursuit.
—Steve Timmis, I Wish Jesus Hadn’t Said That
• Because God is worthy
• Because the church is a body
• Because Satan is deceptive
• Because spiritual growth is ongoing
We were made for physical connection with people in real places, not just informational connection through the mediation of screens. In a lonely, disembodied world, the church offers a beautiful alternative: an enfleshed community where . . . you can be known . . . warts and all.
—Brett McCracken, The Wisdom Pyramid