The Need for Community

Introduction

The point of last week’s lesson was to remind us that loving each other is not optional. God has placed us into a community of believers. Our feelings of closeness, while real, must not be the barometer of community. Instead, community exists even when we don’t feel like it is present. Loving each other is two-sided. That is, loving each other is active, not passive. We pursue relationships and we pursue ways of expressing our love rather than waiting for someone else to come to us.

The reaction to the suggestion that our shut-ins need to be reclaimed into our community was not articulated well. I was not suggesting another program. I was not suggesting that we somehow organize groups to visit shut-ins. Loving each other comes from who we are rather than from a program. That is not to suggest that they are mutually exclusive. It is to suggest that you don’t need a program to love each other. Specifically, you don’t need a program to love our shut-ins who are missing community. If you have a heart for a shut-in, then express your love. You don’t need a program. The point is that loving each other, while not optional, means that we must think about each other beyond programs.

Loving each other doesn’t think about what I receive. Loving each other means that we look for ways to serve others rather than trying to find ways to serve self. Tonight we are going to continue the discussion about community—specifically, we are going to look at what it means to love each other in terms of our assembly. Again, I want to challenge our thinking. I want to suggest ideas, but not suggest programs.

Created for Relationships

God created us for relationships. When Adam was created, he lived in an ideal world. Harmony between nature and Adam existed unlike today. He knew the animals by name. They were his companions. Harmony between Adam and God existed. No sin. Open communication existed. But the Bible tells us that Adam was alone and God recognized that it was not good for him to be alone. So God created the woman for the man. While that was the beginning of marriage, the principle of human relationship began with God’s initiative. Not only are relationships important for physical companionship, but they are needed for spiritual growth.

In 1945, Rene Spitz published a study of infants separated from their mothers and placed in an institutional setting. While most of the children came to the institution in relatively good health, in a short time many of the children began to exhibit signs of listlessness, apathy, loss of appetite, and lack of interest in playing. Twenty-three of the eighty-eight children that Spitz observed died even though there was adequate nourishment and medical care. What Spitz discovered is that when a child was returned to its mother, the symptoms disappeared. From Spitz’s research came the term “failure to thrive syndrome.” The absence of touch and personal caring has serious physical and psychological consequences. In other words, infants can die from a lack of love.

The same is true of Christians. We die from a lack of love. We may exhibit signs of spiritual failure to thrive. We have settled into listlessness and apathy. Our walk with God is confined to a building and a pew. We lose our appetite for God’s word and become vulnerable to spiritual sickness and death. What will restore health? Two things: relationships built on love and learning to love. The analogy breaks down when we realize the children could only respond to what others did. However, while we may respond to what others do, God desires that we be active in pursuing love for each other rather than waiting for someone to love us.

There are some who believe that they do not need love and so no one else needs love either. They are the “Lone Rangers.” Give them a trusty steed and they will ride alone throughout life. While there is a need for God, there isn’t a need for others. Maybe you believe that you don’t need others, but not all of us are like you. Your belief that you don’t need someone else may result in you not expressing love to others. We mustn’t keep others from having what God wants them to have. To walk alone is to deny others of the gifts that God has given you. You may be the very person who can influence others to spiritually thrive.

What About the Assembly?

God has provided a place for us to express love. Listen to the author of Hebrews: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” The context is unmistakable. Where is this spurring to take place? What is the purpose of this spurring? The author is clear. Because of our standing with God, because we are confident about our relationship through Jesus, then our assembly is to be a place of encouragement for the purpose of increasing love.

Two things to notice. First, the assembly is active, not passive. What does that look like? There is to be a spurring. How do we do that? Generally it is verbal. Included in the meaning of the word is intense emotion. This is to stir to action. This spurring should result in us leaving with a new resolve to be active in showing love. This “spurring” is active. We can do this through singing, but it is doubtful that we really think of each other while singing or we hear the words being sung as referring directly to us. How else can we spur each other on to love and good deeds? We need to answer that question.

Second, notice that the spurring leads to activity. We are to leave our assembly with an inspiration to demonstrate love more to others. The good deeds are to be done because of our love for God, but because someone has encouraged us to do that which is consistent with the nature of God. Our assemblies are to be interactive so that our loving will be active. What better way to demonstrate love for each other than to encourage, especially as we know that the redemption of God is approaching?

So how is this to be done? It appears that “spurring one another” is the norm for the assembly. Let me suggest some ways this can be done.

As we have done in the past, we face one another while we sing. We sing to each other rather than to a song leader.

Opportunities for others to speak—not in a teaching way, but in a way which allows a revealing of God’s power in a person’s life so that we can all be encouraged to keep working.

Prayer requests which go beyond the sick. This is dangerous. Not everyone is willing to be this open. It is interesting to me how supportive we are of each other when something is revealed and yet we assume that others will not be supportive of us if we reveal something.

Time for questions and answers after the sermon—not attacks and innuendoes, but questions for clarification and further explanation.

You think and offer ideas. Will these be incorporated? Can they? Are we fulfilling Hebrews 10 already? And if we are, is this the only way to fulfill the command to spur one another? And if we are not fulfilling Hebrews 10, then what are we going to do? Talk. Discuss. Pray. By all means, let’s encourage each other as we see the day approaching.

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