Healing in Community in Jesus' Direction
From the beginning, God has been pursuing a relationship with His creation. When we went looking for good without God, He made a way back to restoration in Him through Jesus. Now, we lean on Jesus as our True North and look to the Bible as our compass.
The Bible is full of stories of communities and people being shaped to look more like Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit. The Book of Acts and the New Testament letters to the Church remind us that a healthy church does not avoid conviction, but is marked by devotion, generosity, and transformation.
In his letters, the Apostle Paul consistently calls believers toward correction through compassion. In 1 Corinthians, he sheds light on how the church has turned away from looking to God for goodness.
This correction is not a rejection, but care for the community. When the Spirit brings awareness to a community, it's an invitation to choose humility over defensiveness, and transformation over stagnation.
Paul isn't speaking to just one person, but to the church as a whole. Each has a part to play in the way they hold each other accountable. This wake-up call invites the Holy Spirit not only to work in the lives of individuals, but also in the community as a whole, so that more and more people can experience the Good News.
Paul's letters, as well as letters written by others in the Bible, point toward what the heart of what God has to say, even for us today. Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) shares: "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God."
In community, we can read the Word of God together, read it with reverence, and read it for submission. Together, we can ask God to point out what He wants us to surrender, which can lead to more life.
A healthy community isn't perfect, but responsive in love. When the Holy Spirit is welcomed in community, He continues to expose what harms, refines what is immature, and restores what is broken.
PRAY
We welcome your Holy Spirit among us. Search our hearts and reveal what we cannot see on our own through your Word given to us. Teach us to not turn to shame or guilt, but to grace in your direction. Make us a healthy community. Make us a humble people. Make us your church transformed, more and more to be like Jesus.
Dive Deeper
Discovery Bible Study is a great tool that can help you easily discover scripture. Take some time with yourself, or with those around you, and discover the word of God with these three simple questions:
What does this passage teach us about God, Jesus, or His plan?
What does this passage teach us about people and how we are to live?
How will you respond to/obey this passage in a tangible, perhaps even costly way in the next 48-72 hours?
Watch this weekend’s message for more.