The Value of Community
We’ll be hearing about five ways to be engaged that will help you grow spiritually and feel more connected to other people and to Christ and the church. In addition to worship and serving, The third form of engagement is sharing in community such as a small group, a Bible study, or a ministry team. Biblical Community is people who love Jesus and enjoy fellowship with each other. Biblical community helps us to grow in our faith as we learn from God and learn from each other. Community with other believers isn’t just a nice option; it’s a need. Just like we need food, water, and shelter to live. God created in us a need for him. God created us to be with other people. I firmly believe that God uses other people to grow us. God uses us to grow other people.
Thank you for worshiping with us.
If you would like to give toward the work we are doing to share God’s mission at Brewster Baptist Church, please follow this link to our secure online donation page or you can text BrewsterGive to 77977.
If you would like to connect with us at BBC, please follow this link to our connection card.
This first video is just the sermon
Listen to the sermon
Download or print the sermon
This video is the whole service
The Value of Community
This morning I would like to welcome you. My name is Pastor David Pranga, and I am one of the pastors here at Brewster Baptist Church. I would like to welcome you whether you are watching online or are here in the sanctuary. We are glad that you have joined us today.
Currently, we are in a series entitled “Be Engaged: Share Your Heart, Do Your Part.” The focus of this series simply started with the question: what are essential aspects of our Christian faith? What are things that make a difference in our walk with God?
The first week, Pastor Joe talked about importance of being engaged in Worship. Worship is our number one priority, something we can experience in all places and at all times. Worship happens when we focus our entire being — heart, mind, soul, and strength — on glorifying God. We can worship God anywhere.
In week two, Pastor Doug shared about the importance of being engaged in Service, that we are called to service, and we all have a place to serve. There are lots and lots of opportunities to serve at BBC. Here is a key thought from last week: when we serve people, our service glorifies God.
Which leads us to week number three in the “Be Engaged” series – Community. I am going to share about the “Value of Community.” When I was a teenager in Wisconsin, one of my favorite shows was the sitcom “Cheers.” Many of you may remember that NBC series which took place in a bar in Boston. At its premise, you had a bunch of characters who are “losers” in one way or another, who gather at a bar where they relax, socialize, drink, and share life stories and experiences. The characters would poke fun at each other, and at times get on each other’s nerves, but they often cheered each other on. Deep down, they cared about each other.
The character I liked the best was Norm Peterson played by George Wendt. I always loved it when he walked into the bar and everyone shouted his name “Norm.” Then the bartender would ask, What can I get you? Norm would crack a joke, everyone in the bar would laugh, and then Norm asked for a drink. There was a sense of friendship, respect, and love among the characters. It was a TV show but despite the quirks that each character had, they all got along despite their many differences.
I always liked the theme song of the show:
“Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name
And they’re always glad you came
You want to be where you can see
Our troubles are all the same
You want to be where everybody knows your name”
I think that its sense of community is one of the reasons why it was so popular. As a teenager watching that show in the 1980’s and as an adult today, what resonates is that we all want to be loved. We want people to accept us, care about us, and be glad we are there, even though each of us has quirks, whether we know it or not, like the characters of “Cheers.” At the end of day, we are all looking for people who know our name and are glad we are there. We are all looking for community. The sad reality is that most of us are still searching for that type of community. We are struggling to find it.
George Gallup said, “Americans are among the loneliest people in the world.” Many of us live around a lot of people. We work with lots of people. We may even attend our children’s or grandchildren’s activities and sporting events, workout with lots of people, or attend community events full of people. Our stores and roads are filled with people.
If we are honest without ourselves, we often find ourselves retreating from our busyness and intensity of work life. We come home, put the garage door down, and escape to the TV in the living room, or to the smartphone that we hold in the palm of our hand. After a long, hard day of work and being with people, we don’t want to see any more people. We need a break. Despite all these people, we often feel alone and isolated. There is an emptiness on the inside of us, and we wonder why.
Let me tell you some good news. I personally believe that God has created us as relational beings. There’s something inside of us that needs and desires relationships. We need community and fellowship with people. This community that we are searching for is the opportunity to share and do life together, a place where we are respected and loved by others and where everyone knows your name. Today, we are going to talk about the “Value of Community.”
Today’s text is Hebrews 10:22-25:
let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
God did not intend for us to live alone in isolation. God specifically designed us to crave and thrive in relationships with each other. I believe we are all searching for biblical community. What is biblical community? Biblical community is people who love Jesus and enjoy fellowship with each other. Biblical community helps us to grow in our faith as we learn from God and learn from each other. Community with other believers isn’t just a nice option; it’s a need, the same as our need for food, water, and shelter. God created in us a need for him, and a need for us to be with other people. I firmly believe that God uses other people to help us grow, and God uses us to grow other people.
I can think back in my own life to when God used a group of people or even a person to help me grow in my relationship with him. I remember my first taste of “community” when I was in college. I joined a group called InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. I was eighteen years old and looking for relationships, and I cared about God. I remember signing up for a softball team. This coed team was made up of rag-tag college kids that were only okay at softball. As our season progressed, the captain/coach of the team invited me to a Bible study that he led. I honestly was thrilled that he wanted to hang out with me. I can remember the words that came out of my mouth, “Sure, I’ll be there.” My friend gave me the time and location of his study. I remember walking back to my dorm wondering and thinking to myself: what did I just sign up for? A Bible study? Am I really going to turn into my mother who often went to Bible studies? It was probably one of the best decisions I made during my freshmen year of college. I met a group of guys who had a common interest: to grow in our relationship with God and to build friendships. The guys in the group helped each other learn how to love their roommates, navigate classes, study, and make wise decisions. We also hung out and ate together. What I remember most is that we were very different people in this group, but we accepted and learned from each other. We also learned God’s truth as we studied the gospel of Luke. I learned about Jesus, His disciples, and the miracles He performed.
There was something that happened during the year that bonded us. It did not happen right away, but as we got to know each other, we started to care about each other. God’s truth also impacted us. We learned to grow and support each other. This was the first time I really experienced biblical community, something my wife Christy and I feel strongly about. We have continued to pursue community in our life. Christy and I have realized that we need people in our life to help us grow in our faith. We need to help others grow as well: in a small group setting or Sunday School, meeting people one on one, in a group of three, around a meal, or having coffee. We both realize the importance of spiritual community.
I am reminded of the verse from Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” In the passage we just read, there are few things that really stand out to me:
let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings…Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful
Let us draw near to God (verses 22-23)
In Biblical community, our foundation is Jesus Christ. Jesus is our center point, what draws us together, the common bond that we share. As Christians, we want to grow in our relationship with God.
How do we draw near to God? It starts with our heart. We need a sincere heart that wants to be a follower of Jesus Christ. There is an understanding of what Jesus has done for us. When we become a follower of Jesus Christ, we have a desire to be more like Him. We must make a choice to honor him with our lifestyle, actions, and words. It is recognizing that our hope is in Him and not in ourselves. We cannot do anything to earn our way to heaven. Salvation is a gift from God. We need to accept that gift and follow Jesus Christ. God also promises that our sins will be forgiven. Our hope is in Him.
I want you to know that no matter what you have done in your past, God will and still loves you. You cannot be separated from God’s love. God will always love you. It’s not based on anything you have done or not done. God loves you. God desires a relationship with each of us. It’s up to us to pursue Him.
How do we draw near to God?
We draw nearer to God when we spend time with Him, when we read his scripture, prayer, confession, and meditate on Him. I believe we draw closer to God when we are obedient and faithful to Him. It does not stop there. A second thing that is important is verse 25: “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,”
Meeting together is so important
As a pastor, I find in very interesting when people say that their faith is private, that they don’t need to go to church, they don’t need other people, and they practice faith by themselves.
I think to myself whenever I hear those comments: that is not what God had in mind. God created the church which is the one place where people gather to worship and learn more about Him. Jesus demonstrated the importance of small groups, as he selected twelve to share life with; teaching them the scriptures and how to love people. All over the Bible, we see the believers gathering to honor God.
The author of Hebrews is addressing the early church about a problem he sees. What’s the problem? Some have given up meeting together in fellowship. They have stopped attending church, and meeting together for meals. They are trying to live the Christian life by themselves which is just not as effective as walking with God. What the author is saying is meeting together is an important aspect of community. Why do we meet? It helps us to focus our eyes on Jesus. When we come to church or to a small group, it’s another way we can focus on Christ, a time to slow down and refocus our life on him.
I have found in my life, it’s easy to get busy, and the busier I become, the more my focus changes upon me or work or family. I can easily lose focus on the greater goal that God has for me. Why? Because I have lost focus. When I come to church, a small group, or out for a meal, it is amazing to me that my whole focus changes. I can slow down and begin to refocus on God and important things in my life. Instead of stressing about a work project or a relationship that I’m dealing with, my focus changes to what is really important: glorifying God which is one of reasons that it’s important to meet together.
As Christians, another reason to meet is the bonding that takes place. When Christians meet, there is a bond created that brings us together as we share experiences together. We can become closer in those times of meeting and sharing life together. It’s that relationship with Jesus Christ and love towards each other that bond us together.
I am telling you that you need to make church and small group a priority. We need to have some friends or groups that we can go to and know that we are loved, cared for, and listened to. It should also be a place where we can grow in our relationship with God. This group of friends will often offer us the support we are looking for and need. I firmly believe that God wants us to live life with each other.
We are to serve and help each other out. I have seen groups help each other in so many ways, and needs met because the community of believers wanted to help each other out. When that happens, we are bringing God the glory.
One last thing I want to mention about meeting together. Do you know what is the hardest thing about meeting together? Time – We need to make it a priority. Which leads me to the third point.
Let’s look at verses 24-25:
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, …encouraging one another
Let us encourage and spur one another towards love and good deeds.
The final thought in the passage is a very important one as it calls the community of believers to be encouraging to one another, to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. As believers we need to encourage and help each other to grow in faith. It is especially important to encourage young believers. I would say we as mature believers need to take the initiative in this situation.
I can remember back when I was in college. In that same small group of believers that I met with, there was a senior named Mike who would invite me over to his apartment for breakfast almost every Thursday morning. Mike understood mentoring and discipleship. Mike would make me breakfast which consisted of scrambled eggs and bacon. Then Mike would discuss his spiritual life, and what he was learning in the Bible. He would share his struggles and worries in life. He would often ask me questions, and I was silent. Why? Because I was soaking in what it meant to be a Christian. Mike would spur me to do things that I felt uncomfortable doing, like evangelism on the college campus, attending prayer meetings, praying out loud, and even helping people in need.
Years later, Mike and I talked about our breakfast mornings. We had two different views of how they went. Mike was not sure if anything was happening. What surprised Mike was that I would come back every week. Mike was not sure if it was for the food or the conversation. Either way, he was praying for me. What really happened is Mike encouraged me to grow in my faith and spurred me to do good deeds.
I saw the same thing happening at the Holiday Fair: people inviting their friends and small group members to serve. Small group members were serving shoulder to shoulder with each other. When we serve together and spend time together, community forms and relationships happen. God is glorified.
Application: I want you to pull out your blue sheet from the bulletin which goes along with today’s sermon. As a staff, we want to make sure you are connecting and being part of a community. I want you to take the next step in your faith journey with us today since community is so very important.
There are many ways here at BBC where you can find community. You can join a small group, adult Sunday school class, or the Mom 2 Mom group that meets on Thursday mornings. We have a building and grounds team that meets to work on projects around the church. We have a prayer team that meets every Wednesday morning. We have book discussion groups, Needlers, a mental health group, and Family Fun Nights. There is even a place for students to fill out saying, yes to Student Ministries. Students need community as well.
If you are interested in being a part of the monthly supper club, where you get to meet other people in the church over a meal, you can indicate that. This new ministry will start up in January.
Please fill out this form now or take it home and bring it back. You can drop it off in the offering plate, at the informational desk, or the church office. We would love to help you take the next step in your faith.