Who was that masked man – you?

Are you a Lone Ranger Christian — thinking you can go it alone and never allowing anyone to really know who you are, what you need, how you are hurting? Our passage in today’s message speaks to our relationship with Christ being one of community. The Jewish nation was always about community. Their worship, their living, their whole existence was wrapped up in community. And the church should be as well. Lone rangers get shot and left to wither away apart from the community of the church. Do you have to go to a church to become a Christian? No. But Scripture says if you are a child of God, you will be a part of the church, both local and universal. God’s family has no orphans or lone rangers. Our passage this morning specifically calls us to consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. And verse 25 goes with this thought: It says, “not forsaking the assembling (gathering) of ourselves together.” God has designed us for relationship, with Himself and with others.

In order to help this community, the Holy Spirit endows each believer with a spiritual gift for the purpose of building up the church, the community of believers. This can happen only if you are engaged with and relating to a group of believers. The New Testament is written, primarily, to local churches. Paul always was sent out by a local church on his missionary journeys to share the Gospel and for the express purpose of establishing other local churches. In all the work Paul does, it is always connected to a sending church, a newly established church, and supporting churches. Paul was not a lone ranger, and we shouldn’t be one either. Are you connected to a church? If not, what could I do to help you locate and connect with a church so that you are not wandering around, hurting and needing help, but all alone?

Pressing on…

Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor