Text to Read: Hebrews 10:19-25 NLT
Watch the whole message here:
The Main Points:
- Jesus provided the way for you to be in a close, loving relationship with God.
- You may be tempted to think, with all this access to God, you can go it alone.
- Stay with the group! Don't try to follow Jesus by yourself
- 1 Peter 5:8 - the devil is like a lion, seeking someone to devour.
- Rather than attending church on a come-and-go basis, you should strive to be connected to an authentic, godly community.
- Action Steps:
- Make church a top priority each week--Don't "squeeze it in"!
- Develop deeper relationships with Jesus and other believers by joining a Community Group.
Prefer to listen? Do so in your favourite podcast app or right here:
Early last year in Pontiac, Michigan, a contractor made the startling discovery of a mummified body in a foreclosed home. It was later determined that the woman had been dead for at least five years. Her body was outfitted with winter clothing in the back seat of her Jeep in the attached garage. The key was in the ignition but not turned on. Because all of her bills were automatically deducted from her bank account, everything seemed normal, including the maintenance of her lawn. When her money ran out, the house went into foreclosure and led to the realization that an entire neighbourhood had functioned for five years without ever noticing her passing.
Stories like that illustrate our great need to have community with other people. People need to be connected with others. You need people in your life who can spur you on to greater things, who can be there for you in your darkest hour and who can celebrate with you in your happiest moments. That is why God has always encouraged his people to be in community with one another. God left us an instruction manual for living called the Bible, and in it one reads, “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 ESV). We were designed to be in community, and good community makes us better people!