Community: What We’re Made For

It will be a voice. It will be a person. It will be a praise chorus that will leave us stunned and we trust as it’s done this morning. Leave you blessed. Now, one of us in here had to sing that song.

We did it because we love you. And we pray that today we would hear your voice in many ways and you would hear from us more and more praise for the glory of Jesus we pray. And all God’s people say, amen, amen. Hey, wait, before you have a seat, I’m so proud of you. You braved the snow.

I did. That was not planned. Or maybe it was. Hey, wait, before you have a seat, let’s not keep the fun up here. All right, so here’s a thought.

Throw a snowball at somebody you love, okay, and say hello to the person next to you. That is hilarious. Oh, my God. That is good. So, so some of you are trying to get to know people up here and maybe you have a certain, you know, appreciation for their unique, like, musical ability.

But do you know the mischief maker up here? And you’re probably inclined for me to say right here, but this all came. Thank you, Kelly Trout. So, this is good. And here’s a promise because some of you just can’t quite stand it right now.

You’re like, give, come on, let’s go for it. Or pastor, let’s just have a full on snowball fight, right? I mean, wouldn’t you? But we’re going to save it for after service, okay? And here’s the deal.

I’ve never, 25 years, I’ve never asked the ushers. Can you make sure and hand these out at the door? On the way out? Okay, okay, Rick’s got it. And then we’ll go to cafe.

Now, be careful there because some will have coffee. Okay, but hold your coffee tight and then let her go, okay? All right. There you go, that’s the instructions for the. So, man, we were just this side of calling off today because we thought, man, how will we ever dig out?

You kidding me? You kidding me? How many have a problem with the groundhog right now? Because I was told on the second of this month, officially, winter is over, right? I heard, and that is a stupid groundhog, okay?

So, honestly, truth is, I hear it’s going to get more dicey going forward. I just have you know, I’m thinking of a, they call it a side hustle. Anybody know what a side hustle is? It’s where you get a kind of a, we used to call it moonlighting a second job. And I heard that there was a kid in Seattle that on his own somehow, he went clearing streets.

And in a few days, time made $34,000. So, if I have to leave because the snow starts again, you know where I’m going, okay? And I, anyway, so I’m, some of you are going to take a shot at my truck. Don’t use your truck, Steve, you’ll get stuck. And that’s not true.

But anyway, welcome. If you’re new with us, this gives you a picture of who we are. We’re not, we’re not, we’re not putting anything on. This is who we are. We love to laugh and have a great time.

We also get really serious. That first song was huge. It was very, very thoughtful and drew me in and that’s why I prayed and what I prayed and had us sing it again. Because, you know, it’s right there in Revelation, Revelation 4 and 8 and elsewhere. We’re told that we will, we will sing.

We will gather around the throne and sing holy, holy, holy. And so we got a little taste of that this morning. So, I want you to connect in lots of ways. Let me tell you one that will be in your way. And that is this Thursday.

We have a new phone system being installed. So, if you attempt to call us and it doesn’t go so well, just ask the Lord for that fruit of the spirit, patience, and we’ll be with you when we can, okay? So, just know that. It’s coming this week and we want you to be aware of it. And then, I want to tell you something that just makes so many of us, so many of you excited.

This last Thursday night, we’ve been talking for a year about a ministry that really looks attractive to us. It’s like any ministry. It’ll be messy. It’ll be complicated. It will not be perfect, but it’s a great step in the direction of being the hands and feet and voice of Jesus in lots of people’s lives called family.

And this last Thursday night, we had a training time and the next door to us is the great room. Most of us know about that. And downstairs in that, it was full of people. We made our count at 70 and more kept coming in of people that said, “I want right here.” How many of you were part of that that night, Thursday?

It’s so cool. And we want to tell you that most of the positions, we have people in slots and we need a lot of people people to help homeless people, people that are homeless. And in that circumstance, find hope. And we get to be a part of that and the delivery system in lots of different ways. I won’t go into it right now, but let me tell you one of the ways we have some positions open still, volunteer positions.

And I want to invite you to next door, stand up real quick. So, this is Danielle and she will answer your questions next door, okay? So, in between snowball action next door, talk to her and we will cover that and get you involved. So, one last thing, this coming Saturday, guys, there’s a breakfast for us and it’s 8 to 10 in the morning. Here’s the good thing.

It’s always amazing food and thank you, Rick and company, your crew, Tony and others. But this will be a place in this Saturday. What’s the theme? For handyman. Want to be the man, you know, like when the toilet doesn’t stop, you know, or whatever you got a problem at home, you just come Saturday and you will be like getting a tattoo.

I can do it. I can do it, okay? I’m the man, all right? So, come 8 to 10 Saturday morning and I think that is. We have a theme song, new theme song.

What is that? What is that theme song? We didn’t rehearse that much, but anyway, it’s very lovely. All right, we’re going to work. All right.

So, here’s the deal. Let’s stand, let’s worship and let’s draw close to God and listen to his voice this morning. You I am a child of God. I am a child of God. You have chosen me.

I’ve been born again into your family. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God.

I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God.

I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God.

I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God.

I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God.

I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God.

I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God.

I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God.

I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God.

I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God.

I am a child of God. I am the child of God. I am the child of God. I am the child of God. Amen, amen.

Have a seat everyone if you would. I’ve heard the name for a long time, Henry David Thoreau. Some of you that are English majors or literature people know him to be a writer and a philosopher. Who said a lot of things that were interesting and compelling. Things that seem to kind of point to Jesus things and I want to share one of them with you.

Thoreau and keep in mind these words came out they were part of a book that he described a pond a lake a Walden and he said this the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. Now he’s not talking about guys we guys are lonely and have problems that that’s not the point at all. He’s talking about humanity the mass of humanity lead lives of quiet desperation. Just one man’s opinion you ask perhaps perhaps you may be at this point in your in your life actually part of that masses of humanity and for you it’s very real what Thoreau described is your reality. There’s just beneath the surface some measure of desperation in your life.

If not your life I’ll bet you know somebody where that’s true in their lives. But you may also be one of those people who is quite adept at disguise. Meaning there is a measure of quiet desperation in you but no one knows about it because you’re good at concealing it. You hide it like I do. How many times have I said over the years in answer to somebody’s question hey how you doing today?

Hey great perfect complete lacking in nothing. Quote a Bible verse you know and and the truth is I’m just you know I just can you know maybe I’m at a moment where I can barely breathe. Because I’m adept at what I’m describing here. The disguise that seems to be something we do. Not all of us but some of us.

On the other hand you may be here this morning and you hear my words quiet desperation and it’s just let’s just call it what it is. It is to you it’s it’s Greek to you because you’re going well you know I get it Thoreau I’ve heard those words but you know the truth is that’s not my story at all. I’m I’m an up guy. I’m I’m a person that just rolls along has a good time in life. So so you know your trials yeah they come but man you’re quick to say no I mean the Bible actually said didn’t it say consider it pure joy when you encounter various trials knowing that the testing of your faith is growing you up producing endurance and let endurance have a perfect result that you may be mature and complete lacking in nothing.

And by the way if you are lacking in wisdom which is likely during a time of trial ask your heavenly Father who gives to all people freely and without reproach and that wisdom will come flowing through to you. So maybe that’s your answer. I want to tell you my memory and I the reason I can say it is because I remember this moment like it was yesterday I was in my very early years of ministry I was a young maybe mid-20 year old new pastor and I was working with college students they didn’t not not one of them ever called me pastor that I remember it was like hey dude or crack. Hey crack. It meant something different in that day but you get the ideas short from a crack in my last name right.

I remember this lady she was a mature woman and and she saw me just sort of bounding through life feeling no pain. It’s good baby isn’t it great and she asked me just straight up she says do you ever have a bad day. I mean she she says you know the kind of day where you’re down and you’re you’re bummed you’re actually you know the word depressed. You ever had one of those days and without thinking my answer came out in a shocktor I said no

why would I I got Jesus living inside me and then I quoted at the same time I wasn’t done those were my words but I figured that’s what Nehemiah’s the prophet big deal Nehemiah the people finally hear the word of God through Ezra and they find out wow we’re way off course God’s words been lost for a long time and it talks about life down this path and we are way off course and the people were weeping and so I just quoted these simple words sure

don’t be dejected or sad remember her question you ever get down no don’t be dejected or sad for the joy of the Lord is your strength right. Can you hear me this is like a Tuesday I was preaching a Tuesday sermon in a parking lot of all places.

And even the Apostle Paul’s words seem to inspire and always up attitude you are a red Philippians 4-4 but I want to say something they were written by somebody in prison which makes them all the more impressive to say the least rejoice in the Lord say it with me always when you’re happy when you’re sad when you’re on a roll or when you’re quietly desperate rejoice from the Lord always I’ll say it again rejoice and then he tells us why we can rejoice because the Lord

is near verse 5 from Philippians 4 so today some 35 years later I’ve learned that joy leaks and if I’m going to be fully honest with you this morning which is who the guy I am I now understand first hand quiet desperation and I’ve learned that when joy leaks God wants to restore that joy Psalm 30 verse 5 says weeping may last through the night and it does sometimes that night seems like it never ends you know I’m talking about sometimes weeping may last through the

night but what comes in the morning joy joy right so I’ve learned that when joy leaks and y’all that’s my description for the fact that I walk with Jesus and there are times when it’s just like there’s no oil in my crankcase told you about a car that quit working sometimes that feels like me so I’ve learned that when that happens God wants to replenish that joy and his delivery system is community now that’s a big word so everybody just right now in an awkward moment

turn around and get eye contact with somebody near you and now turn and look the other way and get eye contact with somebody else near you okay that’s all right all right that’s weird isn’t it okay and some of you want to give them your number after church that’s fine but all right so here’s the deal knowing this that God uses the people you just looked at to replenish joy when when you’re in a quiet desperation we begin today a series of messages that I’ve entitled

community what we’re made for and we’re gonna we’re gonna talk about that in the coming weeks about three months total what drives this series you need to know is not throws words about large numbers of people who lead lives of quiet desperation as true as that may be but it’s God’s appeal and God’s appraisal based on that appeal I said that in reverse God’s appeal based on the appraisal that’s what I meant to say and you say what’s that appraisal where where God looks at us

in this room and this is some of the stuff he sees whether we see it or not that’s a statement to remember whether we are part of it or not another statement to remember and whether we feel a need for it or not community is what we’re made for we just finished four months last Sunday of messages in a series around the theme healthy and from the beginning and throughout the series that began last September we talked about when God looks at humanity he just he

describes he defines healthy as things that Christians have and do that we said it this way what God says a healthy Christian is has or does is what this series was about so each week we looked at something that God says this needs to be part of you in order for you to be healthy so that was we just we just went with God’s definition of healthy throughout that series so hopefully we’re gonna see starting today that in fact community is something God wants all of

us to be a part of in order to be healthy okay you with me making the connection we just finished the series on healthy community is part of healthy and how God defines healthy for me for you so let’s get a few facts straight to start this series and and move into God’s word I want you to turn in your Bibles to the second page of your Bible okay so you won’t get lost Genesis is a book the book that means beginnings so Genesis chapter two

is the second page and let me show you something that God said while the well if you’ll pardon the pun the dust was still settling from the first week of creation okay so God’s been busy and chapter two would you look at let’s jump right into the verse and then I’ll have you back up from there for a few minutes with me chapter two verse 18 the Lord God said it is not good for man to be alone I will make a helper suitable for him

so would you write down on your note card today a loanless a loanless is not good you do that because this is God speaking right at the beginning a loanless is not good now throughout the week let’s back up now throughout the week of creation which is captured day by day in chapter one you will find an expression a single sentence that repeats five times which which gives you a little sense of where was God at in the week of creation was God a distant deity

the deists would say he’s he’s he’s involved in creation but he’s a far removed from it or was he present and sort of seeing it and experiencing it as the narrative describes here well you be the judge but this expression repeats five times and it’s the expression God saw that it was good okay so for example the first time it appears in chapter one verse ten so we come to verse ten and it says that the waters under the sky are gathered in one place and

there’s dry ground that appears this is verse nine and then all that happened as God said and then these words God called the day the dry ground land and the gathered waters seas and and he went this is good would you look at me when I say that this is good you’ll go this is good oh there’s a there’s a landscape over there’s a Mount Hood that’s good oh hey look at that it’s the Pacific Ocean it’s good it’s bigger than that right it’s God saying

I just did this it’s good that’s verse 10 he’s only getting started look at verse 12 we could go through all of them but you’re gonna get the quick pattern that shows up here he makes the land produce vegetation all these plants and trees and cool stuff verse 12 the land produce vegetation plants bearing seed according to their kind trees and all this and there it is again God saw that it was good in other words not just cactus we’re little bushes but big sequoias and

everything in between you get the idea God saw that it was good he says it again in verse drop down verse 18 and you see there was evening there was morning God just before that says of all that he did that day about lights and sun and moon and all stars he saw that it was good verse 21 again good verse 25 and God saw that it was good and then at the end of the sixth day and if you know the creation narrative you know

that that was I guess I would call it the biggest day of the week that’s my human appraisal okay I didn’t read that in the Bible but I do get that sense that when God created humanity it’s the only thing he said of humanity that you are made in the mago day the image of me God so I made fish but they’re not in my image I made a you know mountains not my image I made other animals to roam the you know dogs are so

cool and so amazing but they’re not in my image cats you know the answer there so anyway so you’re with me right all right so here’s the deal here’s the deal at the end of the sixth day I want you to see this and it comes up at the end of chapter one okay so at the end of the sixth day humans are created by God and the day of God’s creation the week rather is completed and he announces verse 31 God saw all that he

had made and it was very good right yeah it’s been good all week long good day one good day two so on so forth day six it’s very good he takes it up a notch I want you to notice that adverb because it’s there for a reason when very shows up it’s like it means better than good we could say today great God went good well good good great you see the change ice cream is good till the mudslide ice cream is great you with me

you know I’m talking about right okay so there’s a difference here now picture God at this moment the the week’s done and I want you I’m gonna read a couple of verses here I want you to picture God when I read these verses verse two and three of the next chapter okay and I want you to imagine him looking out over what he had just accomplished let your imagination notice as I read by the seventh day God had finished the work that he had been doing

chapter two verse two on the seventh day God had finished the work that he had been doing so on the seventh day he rested from all his work then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done do you see a little on his face of satisfaction do you see God kind of taking it all in and a smile as he sees and hears and smells all that he had made to

perfection that’s the image I have I actually have God with a latte I do on a rocking chair I’m just gonna throw it out there I just picture him in the most reliable relaxed satisfied moment maybe kicking his feet up or something or just rocking and going Wow refill please you know taking it in I know I’m going places that aren’t in the text but they’re close okay so so now see if you don’t observe from that scene I’m having you imagine a strange change that

comes with the sound of these words later in chapter two verse 18 that’s where we started the Lord God said it is not good for the man to be alone it’s not good from very good right verse 31 of chapter one to not good verse 18 of chapter two even a casual reader right now has to go whoa whoa there’s a contrast here what what’s behind that can I can offer this this is the first negative recorded in the Bible okay and let me point out

something that maybe you didn’t connect sin had not happened yet that’s in the next chapter chapter three where you would expect it there right you would huh I told you not to eat from that tree he just did not good but that was still to come we’re pre sin in reading verse 18 it’s not good but before sin it happened what’s not good listen to me now what that’s not good you got to look back at verse 18 and you get the answer not good is

defined by one word alone it’s right there in verse 18 you imagine me I was running around my office this week I went that is that is so that’s so revealing God by the way God is not pointing out a and Adam by saying that’s not good Adam you’re a left-brainer not good or Adam you know you’re you’re disorganized not good no no God is describing a it’s calling attention here to a condition that Adam was living in one word for it alone this that’s not

good so I’ve got you curious I’m pretty sure right now we’ll get to that later God wasn’t alone you’re right it’s the Trinity but Adam was stay with me what did God see in that word would you look back at it again it’s just the word we’re used to the result in it is appraisal not good I want you to flash forward for some answers leave this scene now and let’s find our way to Ecclesiastes big long word Psalms Proverbs and then Ecclesiastes written by a

very wise man his name is Solomon and he’s sort of the the name that’s synonymous for most people with wisdom as I turn there let me just tell you God came to him in a dream and said hey you just got the handoff from your dad you’re in charge his dad was David who was a pretty serious King and he says ask me anything you want Solomon asked the right question request I I’m in over my head God my paraphrase in first Kings three I don’t

know what I’m doing I’m a little kid in a big job help me God and God says okay I’m gonna give you wisdom that’s unmatched there will never be anybody with the kind of wisdom that you possess so he shares a lot of that wisdom in Proverbs some in Psalms and all of Ecclesiastes these twelve chapters which by the way are just teeming with wisdom but chapter four is where I want you to stop and I think Solomon in very succinct words offers us some explanations

and principles for why that explain why alone’s not good these are benefits of community so let me read them verse nine is where he begins two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor if either of them falls down one can help the other up pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up also if two lie together they will keep warm but how can one keep warm alone the one may be overpowered to can defend themselves a

court of three strands is not quickly broken Solomon is stating emphatically that community is better than in solitude that’s why he begins in verse nine verse nine to are better than one by the way in case you’re thinking yeah well that’s that’s this is a passage about marriage I would call your attention to the fact that there’s no mention of marriage anywhere in this section it’s quoted in weddings I do it often because it’s a great setting for that but that’s not what’s being described here

at all into twelve all right so alone isn’t the same as single would you write that down if you’re tempted to say this works for married people but but not the rest of us that’s not what the Bible is saying here alone is not the same as single so what did Solomon see in community that made it so much better than solitude that’s the question I took to my study this week came up with two or three answers let me call these benefits to community the

first is in verse verse ten encouragement in hard times I’m gonna call this okay it’s it’s it’s if one of them falls the other can bring them up okay or pick them up or lift them up people fall down we know that I fall down you fall down we scrape ourselves in this life some of us severely but strangely masses of people if you throw back to throw kind of kind of have this suck it up anyway and press ahead alone the Bible saying that’s not

good that’s not going to take you to wholeness it’s not going to benefit you as I want to benefit you the Bible announces there’s a better way verse ten to get through a bad day a scrape a bruise a break it’s called encouragement we need it and may I say this we need to give it don’t hear God saying hey you just be around church and they’ll start delivering encouragement to you no you be around church and you start giving it you’ll find this remarkable exchange

happening because it’s a mutual thing which we’ll learn more about in coming weeks there’s a strong word I want you to notice and also in verse ten but pity circle the word pity anyone who falls has no one there to help them up it’s really strong word and it describes someone who gets slammed in life and there’s no one to turn to for help that been you recently pity is also the word for woe some translations say woe is the person that falls and there’s no

one to help it can also be translated God help you you know how you say that God help you because there’s no one else around to do it she isn’t a bad thing because God is God the point the the language here is trying to state you know this is not good when you fall down and there’s no one there to help you up so we get encouragement and hard times though a question who do you get encouragement from in hard times don’t say the name

out loud but if you don’t have a name that right now pops into your head I think God’s giving you a message here today the Bible calls that a loneness and it’s not good don’t be brave and tough I’m that guy I get through this joy leaks it’s kind of humbling to say I need you saying a great song a little bit of Lord I need you we all can sing that how many of us can get there with each other and just say you know

I need you that’s the first benefit second one comes in verse 11 okay look at verse 11 also if two lie down together they will keep warm alone they will they will keep warm but how can one keep warm alone which is really good in the blizzard like we’re going through right now right okay so let’s call this warmth and harsh times would you write that down warmth verse 11 warmth and harsh times this is literally true on a super cold night when that happens I

cuddle with my spouse Debbie and she cuddles with me and we war warms up you know and and we can go to sleep and everything you know it’s like okay I can you know I’m gonna survive so I get the literal part here but it’s also true as a description of harsh conditions I think they come into our lives I made a small list of conditions and I think they come into our lives with a wind chill effect they’re cold like when you and some of

them aren’t bad things you just come into a new job you’re the new guy you don’t want to blow it you want to do well but it’s new and it’s hard and you’re not sure the light yeah and then it maybe it’s a new a new neighborhood for you or for some of you students a new school I got to go to a new school and I don’t know anybody here and will I make friends and it could be it could be tough stuff like a

like a a crisis of some kind a a health crisis I think I heard some really hard stuff this week from several people in totally different unrelated health crisis cancer stuff big stuff and can be a financial crisis or any situation any situation with a winds of vulnerability blow in your life where you’re like oh that wind can this this thing could take me down this is really a hard situation and warmth is where we gain strength for weathering harsh times whatever they look like that’s

verse 11 here’s a third benefit verse 12 presents protection and perilous times did you write that down and these are perilous times and you’ll see the word protection makes sense though one may be overpowered to can defend themselves that’s protection quarter three strands not easily broken not quickly broken perilous times come I have a question for you don’t don’t say your answer just note it write it down on your page who’s your enemy who who’s the person that seems to have your number again a small

list I made someone out out to get you okay just think of it that way is it a co-worker is it a boss that’s on my list classmate neighbor this is an easy list to make for me I have to tell you not currently relax I don’t have that many enemies I don’t think baby if I’ve had a list of enemies come my way the co-worker a boss a classmate they grew up in the Bay Area is that say enough I mean I you know you

had to you had to be it’s before gangs but it might as well been called gang you better be in the right crowd or you’re gonna get beat up and you better have good protection and it was all that talk about perilous times in the neighbor I wish I didn’t have to admit that one but I’ve here’s the deal most of us I think when we populate a list of of enemies we we might miss on that list the one that has a clear interest in

destroying us he has a name to it’s called the devil who’s your enemy the devil I know from Luke chapter 22 verse 31 that he seeks to sift God’s people I don’t know what that looks like but I don’t want his fingerprints on anything that involves me but he seeks to sift member Peter and the disciples and he goes step further and that’s called out in John chapter 10 he seeks to smash us not just sift us smash us Jesus use words like steel kill and

destroy in John chapter 10 verse 10 what is the devil trying to do what is that enemy wanting to bring into your life in the form of perilous total destruction and then he adds a statement here at the end of verse 12 a quarter three strands is not quickly broken while this can be correctly identified as a reference to Christ who said actually in Matthew 18 where two or more are gathered together there I am in their midst so I’m doing the quick easy math a

quarter three strands is me and somebody else and Jesus that that makes sense but I think there’s even a more plain understanding intended by Solomon here as saying that two is good right a quarter three strands is better right he’s talking about two is good here we’ll call that companionship with me but three makes it community three is even better than you and one other companionship is good I’m not dissing on that at all I think the Bible is saying even better than companionship is community

so we know today as I’m wrapping up my thoughts that God said a couple of things clearly one of them is that his bones not good and secondly that he created community loans not good he created community that is loaded with good we’ve read some of it here the bunch more in the Bible and thirdly that community has a name it’s called the body of Christ it’s called the family of God it’s called the church the church so starting today we have an ambitious plan to

to involve everyone a grace point community church in in the third word in our name community it’s ambitious because you heard me say everyone and that’s not just hyperbole that’s a clear purpose to involve everyone in community and this series seeks to expose and to explore what community is meant to be for God’s people and one more thing we hope to convince you that community is truly what we’re made for so I’m done but we’re not done I’m gonna ask Michael Westfall our pastor youth pastor

and pastor of life groups community to come and show us give us a view and a vision Michael because we’ve been talking about this I’m gonna go out on a limb you can back up back off my words but I think God gave you an epiphany even not long ago when we were thinking how can we pull off something that that big where we all a hundred percent of us engaging community so share share with us a little of how God gave you that vision and

take us to the finish here would you thanks pastor Steve so really quickly everything pastor Steve’s been talking about this morning regarding community is is in my my wheelhouse and that it’s called life groups is just different groups that meet together here at Grace Point and some of the things I think I’m gonna be sharing this morning might be things that make us move in our seat a little bit and and be different than what we’re used to so I just want to pray real quick

and ask that God would would be in charge of this time because if this is something that I’m saying it’s not gonna go anywhere but if this is something that God saying then no matter what we try to do that he’s gonna steer the boat and so we just I just want to pray that whatever God wants to say this morning that he’d make it clear so Lord please just slow us down this morning give us ears and eyes and hearts to be able to see

what you’re trying to say to us and that we would be stilled and that we would just hear your still small voice whatever that is that you want to say to us this morning it’s in Jesus name I pray amen so as pastor Steve was saying almost two years ago I stepped in this role of leading life groups here at Grace Point and when I came on board and started leading life groups this is something that started happening was I started to see most of our

life groups are closed we had about nine or ten life groups and maybe one or two of them were actually open and so I just kept running up against hitting my head against this I would launch a life group and then people would get in that life group and basically we’d be right back where we started again it was full again and we had another closed life group and I and I didn’t know what to do and so about three or four times a year I

tried again and get away for a day retreat and not just to go away and do nothing but actually to try to seek God and just to say Lord what do you want to do what do you want to do in youth ministry moving forward at this point what do you want to do life groups moving forward and I remember getting to this coffee place I think it’s called coffee cottage over in Newburg and just sitting down and saying okay Lord what do you want to

do what do you want to do in life groups would you please show me for 2019 what that could look like and I was just thinking through what we could be you know more ambitious this year and we could try to launch four life groups at one you know a quarter and but then it just something just didn’t feel right it wasn’t setting right because it just felt like we were gonna get to that point again where we’re gonna fill up a life group it was

gonna be full again and then we’re just gonna be in the same spot and I was going through and like Lord what do we do how do we how do we make things grow how do we make things change so that we can see more people in life groups and all the sudden I felt like God said something to me and I think I can just okay epiphany of life groups here’s the epiphany is that instead of launching four life groups throughout this year one a

quarter and finding my way back to the same problem what if each of our life groups by September could replicate and become two groups now that’s some crazy thinking here but as I began to think more about this what what this would look like some of the following things began to service the first thing that came to my mind was this idea of life groups being open and I don’t know about you but if you were coming to a church for the first time and you

saw all these life groups that were closed you would probably say there’s no room for me here at this church but if on the other hand you came to grace point and you saw the majority I’m gonna say even all the life groups were open and maybe even to get rid of some of the age categories to make it even more open just saying that all decades all people are present in all life groups you would probably say this life group this life group there’s there’s

room for me at this church because there’s multiple life groups for me to fit into and currently when people come to grace point it kind of might have been a lot like on the day where Mary and Joseph came in to have baby Jesus and it says in Luke chapter 2 verse 6 and 7 while they were there the time came for the baby to be born and she gave birth to her firstborn a son she wrapped him in clothes and placed him in a manger

here it is because there was no guest room available for them they went around from place to place from you know hotel and motel room for them to be found and the thing about a life group is when people when somebody really needs a life group or a place for community and they come to a place and then there’s no place for them I think a little bit about what it might have been like for Mary almost a panic almost a you know I’m a crying

and an emotion and a what do I do I need a place to go and it just made me think what if grace point life groups could be a place where life groups were open and I’m gonna get to what it could look like if you get to the place where a life group is too big but the second thing that this would provide for is that if all life groups were open there could also be an outreach focus and if life groups were open and

there was a room in each life group that it would actually allow for people to for you guys to invite your non-Christian friends to come to these life groups your your acquaintances and and for people to be able to come and be a part of these groups and here’s what I want to share with you there’s a verse says then Jesus said to his post when you give a luncheon or dinner do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters your relatives or your rich

neighbors if you do they may invite you back and so you’ll be repaid he said but when you give a banquet invite the poor the crippled the lame the blind and you will be blessed although they cannot repay you you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous now I’m not saying that every single person who’s a non-Christian is physically poor or crippled or lame or blind but I would go to say that everyone who is not a Christian in some way is spiritually poor

spiritually crippled spiritually lame spiritually blind and I think what we’ve thought for a long time is that people first have to come to church like this on a Sunday morning and then get plugged into a life group and I think what we’re seeing is a transition in people in our culture and even in the younger generation that they would rather come to what what if before somebody ever showed up to Grace Point they showed up to a life group they got to know people they started

to see whoa what are these Christians all about they started to build relationships with 12 people then they show up here on a Sunday morning they’ve got a place to sit they’ve got 12 people they’ve got people who can check them into to places and know where their kids are at but it was just so interesting because we had a life group recently that our life groups are posted online and somebody reached out about attending their life group and they’re like how’d you get our information

they’re like oh it’s on the website they’re like oh okay so like can we attend your life group they’re like oh yeah how long are you being coming to Grace Point and they said oh we’ve never been to Grace Point we want to come check out your life group first and see maybe if if we want to come to Grace Point and I think for such a long time it’s been let’s formally be at a church and that’s kind of what it’s been but I think

what we’re seeing is people a lot of people like Jesus but they don’t like the church and I think for a lot of people they don’t want to see that formal part first they want to see what’s really going on in a church they want to see informally they want to see what what’s really going on in the lives of people in this church and so if they were to be able to attend a life group if you were to come to them and say come

to my life group and then they were to come to your life group and they were to see love there to see authenticity there is see transparency is the realness they’re gonna see people living out the gospel they’re gonna be like what is this I need more of this and it would allow for an outreach focus to take place and then third I can almost guarantee we’re gonna see we’re gonna see life groups bursting at the seams and we’re gonna get to the point where we

need to replicate we need to multiply we need to become two groups because I mean it’s just it’s just kind of what happens when a good things going on so it says in Acts chapter 2 verses 46 and 47 that every day they continue to meet together in the temple courts this was right after Jesus leaves they broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people and the Lord added to their number

daily those who were being saved and how amazing to get to this point where maybe you have a problem in your life we’ve got so many people in our group what do we do well let’s appoint another leader and let’s let’s become two groups and how neat would that be again that rather than saying oh our group is closed we say let’s let’s become two groups so we can continue to go out we can continue to invite our friends we can continue to invite people who

don’t know Jesus and that’s and that’s tough because I think some of us in this room this morning we’ve been been together a long time in our life groups and we have good connections there and it’s hard when you’ve been a part of a group for a long time for something like this to say oh man like this would really be changing it up but I just want to ask the question this morning would would we all be willing to just pray and to ask God

what he’s saying regarding all this and I’m just wondering if maybe God would want life groups to be not a place where Christians get together but where everybody could get together Christian non-Christian and seek him together and I think that’s where we’re headed I think acts one is it was a time of uncertainty when God told his disciples stay put seek me wait on me I’m gonna show you what to do and then God did some really amazing things in Acts chapter two and I believe

that we’re heading into a time where God God is saying seek me wait on me some amazing things are coming let’s see what he’s let’s see what he’s up to let’s seek him together and let’s I’m just gonna close our time in in prayer and then we’ll move on into the message but Lord would you please just help us to be open to to this and whatever it is that you you’re wanting to do here Lord with the things that that don’t matter with those just

fall by the wayside but Lord whatever it is that you want us to hear Lord would it would it flourish and would it produce a crop 30 60 90 hundred times what was sown and we just asked Lord that life groups here at Grace Point would be in your hand that community here at Grace Point would be in your hand and that you bear much fruit Lord so we wouldn’t be alone anymore and and so many people in this community called Tigard and beyond would not

be alone anymore and pray this in Jesus name amen and so we’re gonna end our time this morning by singing a song 10,000 reasons and we’re actually we’re in some really exciting times right now we have a lot to thank God for I believe that what God is is doing here at this church and just just new things coming about with life groups and just want to say just give God thanks this morning as we sing this song for what he’s doing at our church what

he’s doing in our lives what he’s doing in our hearts and so also ushers would you please come forward and receive the offering at this time

Transcript machine-generated from the sermon audio, so it may contain errors. 8,952 words.