Today, pastor Jon Bricker spoke on the importance of being in gospel-shaped community and the pitfalls we tend to fall into that keep us from gospel community, listen to the full audio above. This is part of the current 7 week sermon series we are running though at Charis Community Church. A concurrent devotional series for the week has been constructed to go along with the series. This format is encouraging growth in belief and understanding of the Gospel. If you go to Charis, this should be a helpful tool for you to grow in gospel maturity. If you do not go to Charis, but want to follow along, please join us as we go through this devotional series!
Week 6: A Community of Grace
(The Discipline of Community)
The Gospel of Jesus Christ not only brings us to God; it also brings us into the community of God’s people, the Church. Since God has made his dwelling in the lives of believers through His Spirit, it is in the context of this community of believers where Christians can both experience and express God’s grace in a most tangible way.
God has organized the Church and instructed us to live with one another in such a way that no one member can experience all of the goodness of the Gospel in isolation from other members (Romans 12:1-5). God has purposed that his grace will be experienced more fully in community with others. This is why God has given different spiritual gifts to different Christians – so that we all may learn to trust and rely on one another as we learn to trust and rely on God (1 Corinthians 12). A desire to experience and grow in God’s grace leads us into community with God’s people.
An inter-dependent community does not come naturally to most of us, however. We tend towards individualism and self-sufficiency instead. Even our view of spiritual growth and maturity is often individualistic and separated from community. But we need to resist the temptation towards isolation and self-sufficiency and submit ourselves to the community of God’s people, because God helps us experience growth and maturity through community.
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Hebrews 10:24,25).”
God, help us see our need and strengthen our resolve to live in community with your people, that we might experience and express more of your grace.
Day 1: Hebrews 10:19-25
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Day 2: Galatians 5:13-26
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Day 3: Galatians 6:1-10
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Day 4: Ephesians 2:11-22
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Day 5: Ephesians 4:1-16
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Day 6: Romans 12:3-8
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Day 7: Romans 12:9-13
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Discussion
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