In an era increasingly marked by divides—cultural, ideological, and personal—the series we began in church this Sunday, titled "Faith Shared - You're Not Meant To Do This Alone," could not be more timely. Life is complex, full of challenges - and we are better equipped to face this journey when we walk together.
This series is about engaging with each other in community, with Christ at the center of what we do as we navigate every aspect of our faith - we are truly not meant to do this alone.
At the heart of this all lies a message: following Jesus is not a solitary undertaking. It is a communal voyage that thrives in the embrace and support of our fellow believers.
During the last month we have launched a number of life groups - and continued others. It is crucial to remind ourselves why these church relationships hold such significance.
Life groups aren't just social gatherings but are vital spaces where we can challenge and encourage each other, grow together in faith, and manifest the love of Christ in tangible ways.
And as we heard in testimonies throughout our service - life groups are places we go for support and encouragement. They are vital connection points where we build relationship with each other - these relationships are key to how we can approach the challenges of life.
As we navigate this series, each sermon and each blog post is aimed at reinforcing a foundational truth: we are called to be the first to give. In our families, our church, and our broader communities, we are challenged to lay down our lives for others, reflecting the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made.
We start the series considering how Christ modeled for us a new kind of love - one that is sacrificial.
This notion of sacrificial love is what can truly heal and bind our communities together. It shifts our focus from what we can extract from our relationships to what we can contribute. It prioritizes understanding over being understood, giving over receiving, loving over being loved.
As our world draws fresh lines of division, separation and isolation we can so easily fall into the trap of seeing each other through the lens of 'Us vs Them' or 'My Culture vs Your Culture'
As humans we have always been good at doing this! It is the effect of sin in our hearts and minds. Sin corrupts our will to care for each other across lines and to really love.
And this is why when Jesus speaks in John 13:34-35 we feel so challenged.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
We are called to love as Christ sacrificially loved us, and further! This is our demonstration that we are his disciples.
We have chosen to call this series 'Shared Faith' for a reason. A sacrificial love, one that seeks to give before taking, one that is demonstrated not just within our community but to those we encounter as we do life will unlock for us a sense of community purpose that transcends the line drawing nature we can easily fall into.
We are not meant to do this alone - each week we will be building on what this really means. Join us in church on Sunday for more.
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