This week we’re exploring the importance of meeting regularly with other Christians, as part of a church community.

The Bible passage we’re exploring this week suggests two purposes to gathering:  Encouragement and Worship.  We’ll focus on worship next week, and for this week we’ll focus on the encouragement part.

Encouragement to what?  Hebrews says community can encourage us to love and good works.   First, what would it mean to be encouraged to love in a community?  Think of the relationships that form through fun and fellowship.  Our Movie Night is one example – we had a great time, and some online members met one another, and a neighbourhood.  Our Wings & Trivia was the same, and our Christmas Event will be, too.

Honestly, are churches are meant to get along.  I know someone who went to a church and attended a few worship services, and decided to join.  But first, they wanted to attend a business meeting of a church – and he walked away saying, “these people don’t believe what they say.”  They were not charitable, loving, kind or generous at all, even though they claimed to believe in a God who is.

The Church is meant to be a preview of the kingdom of God.  It’s described in the Bible as a party – like we are already in heaven.

The Church is meant to love one another as themselves…even though the rest of the world may not love them the same way.

The Church is meant to care for one another with generosity of Christ, who died for his friends.

We could go on, but it all starts with spending time together, knowing each other’s needs, hopes, dreams, routine and more.  Some people like to call this, “doing life together” even though it’s a bit clichéd.

Question: Go out for lunch, drinks or coffee with someone.  When can you get together with your discussion group simply for fun?  Or if you don’t have one yet, think of who you could share our challenges and discussion with, and start by simply inviting them to something fun.

Reminder: Last week we saw the importance of reading the Bible together in sync, so our new daily bible readings start today in our mobile app and web site.

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - May 14, 2013

Tuesday - Study It - Forgiveness

Sermon on the Mount

Today’s passage follows right after the Lord’s Prayer – a prayer Jesus prayed that asked his Father to, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” It’s so important, he wants to say it again in the verses that follow: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15 ESV) What motivates you? Encouragements and rewards? Or fear and necessity? Jesus’ statement here is so important, he says it both ways for both kinds of people, in addition to including it in his prayer. Forgiveness is at the core of what Jesus is about. He came to a world of broken sinful people, and died for us. Here’s what he said he was going to bleed for: Matthew 26:28 - This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. And later, one of his followers, Paul, said in Ephesians 1:7 - In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace We’ve been studying the Sermon on the Mount for some time now, and keep warning you away from seeing it as a list of formulaic rules. Jesus wants his followers’ hearts to be changed so they don’t even need external rules, but are instead in tune with his character, living as God created them to live, in relationship with him. But this is the most direct and formulaic he’s been so far – if this, then that, and if not this, then not that. Forgiveness is such a part of God’s character, that if we claim to be followers of his son, we show it with this characteristic more than any other. All the others flow from it. We can only control our anger if we forgive those who hurt us. We can only avoid adultery if we forgive our spouse when they let us down. Question: What was your first reaction to these words? Were they encouraging, or challenging? What does this say about you?

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