On Sunday, September 1, I preached a message based on Hebrews 13 called "Rules for the Road--on the Journey of Faith." I thought it might be good to share them here as well. Please think of them as guidelines from Scripture on how we can journey by faith and make a difference in the world as we know it. I will share one at a time here.
Rule 1: Love your brothers and sisters in Christ deeply--
Jesus said to his disciples, "By this this the world will know that you are my disciples: if you have love for one another." God has joined us to one another in the body of Christ so we could be a community of believers who carry out his mission in the world. The chief quality that witnesses to the world that we are a Christian community is our ability to love one another deeply.
Unfortunately, because of sin, we often turn inward on ourselves and isolate ourselves from the brothers and sisters God has given us in Christ's body. By the power of God's indwelling Spirit, we are set free from our bondage to sin and given the ability to reach out to one another in love.
When we come to the church for the first time, we are all strangers to one another. But because God has a different future in store for us, we must not remain strangers to one another for ever. To break out of our natural isolation, we need to make the effort to pay attention to one another and open our hearts to each other in the family of God.
Perhaps the most basic activity we can engage in is to simply introduce ourselves to each other when we gather for worship. How many times have we worshipped together without even finding out the names of those who sit near us every week? That's a small step we can all take. Admit that you don't know someone's name and offer your name to them: "I'm _______. What's your name?" It sounds a bit awkward, but it's a beginning of a journey that is very worth starting. Even just meeting one person each Sunday is a good way to start, and if you're really ambitious, meet two.
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