DedicatedDevoted
We are a dedicated married couple devoted to Jesus, unpacking all that life has to offer. We aim to help others live a DedicatedDevoted life to Jesus Christ.
DedicatedDevoted
Finding Home: The Transformative Power and Lasting Bonds of Christian Community
Have you ever experienced the profound difference between communities built on love and those founded on shared dislikes? Join us on this heartfelt episode of DedicatedDevoted as Jared and Cora Colombel share their personal journey of finding a true sense of belonging. As they recount a meaningful Christian fellowship and the deep connections they have formed. Their story will resonate with anyone searching for a place to call home, a community where love and support thrive.
Inspired by Acts 2:42-44, we explore what it means to be "one heart and one soul" within a Christian community. Jared and Cora take us through the beauty of unity and shared purpose centered around Jesus Christ. They draw insightful parallels to the camaraderie seen in the "Fellowship of the Ring," illustrating how genuine Christian bonds can form even among people with diverse backgrounds and personalities. This podcast underscores the rarity and beauty of finding deep commonality and compatibility within the church, highlighting the transformative power of such connections.
Finally, we emphasize the unique support and encouragement that a Christian community provides, referencing Romans 12:5 and Hebrews 10:24-25. Jared and Cora discuss how the church fosters a profound sense of belonging and mutual encouragement, contrasting it with the often misguided allure of other social movements. This episode is a heartfelt call to action, urging listeners to engage with their local church and become active participants in their faith communities. Let the transformative power of encouragement and the love of Christ guide you to a deeper, more meaningful connection with others.
Hello and welcome to Dedicated Devoted. I'm your host, Jared Colombell.
Speaker 3:And I'm your co-host, Cora Colombell.
Speaker 2:In today's episode we're going to talk about the value of community and fellowship. In a previous episode we took a little bit of a deep dive into Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft and we talked about community and its importance, and today we're going to talk about that same subject, but from a Christian perspective, also rooted in scripture.
Speaker 3:But before we unpack today's episode, just a reminder of how you can support the podcast, If you haven't already. Check out dedicateddevotedcom to learn more about the podcast and some awesome ways you can support us and how to live a dedicated, devoted life On to the show.
Speaker 2:As I had mentioned earlier on a previous episode, we talked about community, its value, its importance and why the world is really searching for true community More than ever. I'm seeing this in a really it's playing out every single day. We're seeing a lot of folks come in and they're just searching for truth. They're looking for something that is just far more meaningful, and I had talked about how there's groups in the world that are gathering around causes that are really just based off of things that they hate rather than things that they love, and that's really something that only can be held together temporarily.
Speaker 2:When we talk about true community, it's something that only can be held together temporarily. When we talk about true community, it's something that we can all gather around and it must be rooted in love. What we see is, when it's rooted in love, it has a sustained community rather than a temporary community. So I really want to talk about why this is such an important topic and I think the world desires to see this and they're trying to figure out where can I find true community and people who really just love others, and that's kind of their common bond.
Speaker 3:So let's talk about community and its importance in the lives of Christian believers.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that that would be a really good segue to jumping into this topic. So one of the things that I think is really important is the local church. The local church is going to be a very important thing. Cora, the other day, we talked about it today, right, so today we did something as a couple that we haven't done before, which was Ride our bikes through the forest.
Speaker 2:We rode our bikes through the forest and that was a lot of fun. Yeah, I think it was really great. And so, prior to going on this bike ride we talked about actually, you asked me a question. Do you recall what that question was?
Speaker 3:How long is this going to take?
Speaker 2:No no.
Speaker 3:Before we went on the trail.
Speaker 2:Yeah, before we went on the trail.
Speaker 3:Oh man, I don't remember what question. I probably had a lot of questions. Okay, I didn't know how long it was going to take, and then I wasn't sure if I could handle the whole thing. Probably.
Speaker 2:It was more around this topic of community that we're discussing today. You asked me. You said do you love your church?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, yeah, I just thought it had to do with the hike or the biking.
Speaker 2:I should say the cool bike ride, right, yeah, I just thought it had to do with the hike, so, or the biking, I should say the cool bike ride, right, yeah. No, it was on the concept of church and whether or not you asked me.
Speaker 3:I did, but we were, we were already like biking, so I thought you meant like before we went. What did I ask?
Speaker 2:you? Yeah, I think it was before we were riding.
Speaker 3:Oh, I thought we were already riding. Maybe, Okay, I thought we were writing and then I was behind you and said what do you think?
Speaker 2:Well, not a hill I'm going to die on.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, no for sure.
Speaker 2:But it was actually a very good question. It was the question of do I love my local church? And so for our listeners, Cora and I, we are now serving at a church that we're fairly new to. We joined in what month? Maybe March, I think we started going in March and then we became members a few months after.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't remember exactly when.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we've been there for a very short period of time, let's put it that way and one of the things that I think is very important is we are supposed to love the local body of believers, the church, and there's a lot of folks who are coming into the church and they're just lost. I just recently heard of somebody who's dying of cancer and they're an atheist and they're being drawn to the church through another member, another believer who is a friend of mine, and I'm seeing a lot of this happen where you and I mean, my salvation experience was a little bit different. I had the opportunity to go to church and I was invited by another person, and so that was really awesome, but I'm seeing a lot of folks just kind of wander in who are really looking for truth.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:And I think that it's really important that this concept of community is really ingrained in how we think and how we operate. It makes all the difference. And so do you remember my answer to if I loved my church?
Speaker 3:I don't think I remember your exact answer.
Speaker 2:Another question Do you pay attention when I say anything?
Speaker 3:Sometimes. Well, not like if you loved your church, because I know you did, but I don't remember your exact answer to what you thought about the church because I I just sure I asked you what you thought about your church but then I also gave you my like, my thoughts on on the church.
Speaker 2:So and what was your answer on the church?
Speaker 3:uh, just no, just that. I love the community there, I love the people, I love how a lot of people already treat us like family and it's just been really good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so I think my answer was kind of similar to that Not identical, but similar to it. I love my church and I love the people that are there and I'm getting to know folks and so I'm just trying to assimilate and get to know people there and the leadership and all the things that we're doing. But I would agree, I think one of the big things that happened the other week is you had a woman from the church bring you a gift, a bag that she had made, and she put some different goodies in it and I just thought what a sweet gesture, right?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:There's just all these little things where I just I really desire strong community and I always have. I've been such a loner for such a long time and it hasn't been like that for years, but in my younger years I desired community and unfortunately, I found that community in all the wrong places.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Well, I think I appreciated the gift because it was also something that she handmade and I definitely like that those kind of gifts so it was very nice.
Speaker 2:It also just demonstrates, though, that there's people who really do have a really big heart for others.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's really nice and I'm not saying that this happens in every single church is. But our current church I really do love because I feel a strong sense of community. But our current church I really do love because I feel a strong sense of community. I truly do feel a strong sense of community, not that I didn't feel it in my previous church, but in this church it's just smaller and maybe not even smaller, but it just seems like it's in a smaller community. We're kind of on the outskirts of town but man, what a great church it is. And I got to say one of the greatest things is I just love the depth that folks have when it comes to the Word of God. So many cool people have surrounded us that are just really in love with the Word of God and it's been a while since I've seen that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:And it's definitely it's made me very excited. One of the things that happened the other week that brought up this concept of community is, I shared in a podcast regarding the Olympics and whether or not the Olympic opening ceremony was an act of debauchery really just sin on full display, and I had mentioned that really what the world is doing is they're mocking God openly, but they're really cutting themselves out from deep community that truly does exist. They gather around things that they hate rather than around things that they love. And that's all temporary. It can only last so long. So this idea of community is just so important to me because, more than ever, it's becoming very front and center and relevant, and so I think it was last week I went on, or the week before I went on a men's retreat and I'd shared with a friend that I think that community is really the success to the Christian life. Would you agree with that?
Speaker 3:Oh, totally.
Speaker 2:Why so?
Speaker 3:I think, because anything that you truly want to be successful in even if it's becoming a better Christian or anything like that I feel like you do need people to kind of help you, to guide you. It can't just be by yourself. You have to be surrounded by people that really love you and care and want the best for you and want you to be better.
Speaker 2:You know that makes me think of Proverbs 27, 17. I'm going to read it real quick. The Word of God says iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another. I think that's a direct reflection of what you're sharing right now, that you have to be around folks who have the same types of values and they want to sharpen you and they want to really you and they want to really enable you to live the best possible life. Iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another. I'll tell you, the opposite is actually very easy to discern Bad influences. We have kids and with our kids, we always tell them you are who your friends are. Kids and with our kids, we always tell them you are who your friends are.
Speaker 2:And I think it's very important that the folks that we surround ourselves with they sharpen us and they don't dole us. Wouldn't you agree on that? Totally so. When it comes to the concept of community and the folks that we engage with, for me personally, it's great when we have individuals who believe like-minded. The goal isn't to get caught up in groupthink, but the goal is to ensure that we're sharpening each other and not dulling one another. I'm thinking sort of allegorically here of rocks that are real sharp in a river and over time the river with the rocks rubbing against one another, they'll start to wear each other down. And they don't become sharper if they wear each other down. And I think the concept of the Christian community is we actually sharpen each other up. We sharpen each other up for something very specific we're called out to really be servants of the Lord Christ and in that act of service we need to be sharp. Yeah.
Speaker 2:There's a lot of people who expect Christians to be unprepared, stupid, unwilling or just 100% meek, and I don't think that that's something that the Bible is calling us to and I think your example there was actually a very important one. I want to go to a verse of scripture Cora, if you want to pull that up real quick Acts 4.32. And if we can read that one, I think that that one will help us dive a little bit deeper into this concept of community.
Speaker 3:Now, the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belongeth to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
Speaker 2:Thank you for reading that. Did you catch right there? Within the first sentence before. It's within the first sentence and it's before the comma there. Do you see, something very important is actually something very important is written here Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul. How is it that a group of dissimilar individuals from different backgrounds, different genealogies are of one heart and one soul?
Speaker 3:I don't know.
Speaker 2:The Bible says here that they had everything in common. Now, the full number of those who believed were of one heart and one soul, and no one said that any of these things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. That's talking about their possessions. The thing that I was trying to focus on there was the one heart and one soul. You know where else that's reflected? No.
Speaker 2:In the marriage. Oh yeah, how is it that two people become one? I mean, in this world, people would say, well, physically that's impossible. Quite often we don't talk about the spiritual aspect of things. But doesn't the Bible say that the two shall become one? Yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, if the two become one, that means they have what? Common heart, common soul, common thoughts. You know there's I recall hearing this before that as couples age they start to look like each other yeah, I've heard that too so what does that mean for you and I that we're both good looking?
Speaker 3:no, I think. I just think that you start to like, mimic each other.
Speaker 2:Probably that's how you start to look like each other I'm gonna I'm gonna go out on a limb, though, and it was more about looking like each other.
Speaker 3:It's possible. I don't think that's for everybody, but it could be what happens to some people.
Speaker 2:Well, how about the concept of people start to look like their dogs? Mm-hmm. True or not true?
Speaker 3:I don't think so. No. I think some people look like their dogs, but I don't think that you start to look like them. I think you just maybe, I don't know choose something based on what you like.
Speaker 2:I've had too many interactions with owners who look just like their dogs, but I digress. This concept of one heart and one soul really does demonstrate one community. You know, the call to Christian community really involves having a one-mindedness, a one-likeness, and it's all. The focal point is Jesus, it's all about Jesus Christ, and the focal point is all about Christ, and I think that there is a desire that the world has to figure out what that is. There's something very attractive about Christianity. It's not just that Jesus was a great prophet, it's that the community around this Jesus guy, who you and I know as Jesus the King, jesus the Redeemer, the Son of God, this community around Jesus is so attractive because so many people who are so dissimilar are able to get along for such a long period of time. Don't you think the world is looking for genuine community like that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, totally I think they are. I think a lot of people are looking for that.
Speaker 2:I do too. Let's look at another verse. Here I'm going to go to Acts 2.42. So I'm going to be taking 42 to 44. So Acts 2.42-44. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship to the breaking. So Acts 2 42-44. That last verse is pretty powerful and you might have not caught it, but it says and all who believed were together and had all things in common. I'll share with you that I have had more divisive things than I have had all things in common, More commonality with things that I don't believe with other people than things that I do believe with other people, and I'm not talking about just within the church. Can I put that another way? So you understand where I'm coming from, there's a lot of things I don't agree with with other people Quite often. Often it happens more frequently with folks who are friends of mine or who are coworkers or maybe just you know, people that I've met. I have found more things that I don't agree with or I think I don't have in common than I do. Yeah.
Speaker 3:I think that's kind of like more of like your personality, though, would you say.
Speaker 2:Well, you tell me do you find people within the church, friends, family members. Do you find that there's all kinds of commonality with you guys, or do you find that there's things that are actually uncommon or not even call it dissimilar?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think it does seem like that, but that you can have things that are not in common. But for the most part, like the way that I am, I find a lot in common with people. I can always find something in common that I have with someone.
Speaker 2:And I wouldn't disagree with that. But I think, when it comes to the commonalities versus the dissimilarities, there's a lot of dissimilarities. Yeah. We have conversations all the time about folks that we have as friends and family and neighbors, and things that we don't actually believe in or get along with. Yeah. The commonalities exist. I'm not saying that they don't exist. I'm saying this verse in particular, in 44, it says and had all things in common. Yeah.
Speaker 2:If you're catching it. It's a rarity? No for sure, this doesn't happen very often. Yeah, like I can find a multitude of things that I disagree with. It's very rare that you'll find a commonality so deep and so rich that you just agree right away. Here's a different way of putting it. Have you ever come across somebody that you just quote, unquote, hit it off? You're so similar and just alike. Yes. And how does that feel when that happens?
Speaker 3:Amazing.
Speaker 2:Amazing how.
Speaker 3:Just like it's. Like it's like you've always known them, Like you just hit it off and a lot of things you have in common and, um, you could just talk to them about anything, hang out, do a lot of stuff together.
Speaker 2:And the song in your head that plays is what.
Speaker 3:I don't have one. Let me tell you about my best friend. No, I was thinking of a different one. Oh, okay, but I don't want to. No, I agree.
Speaker 2:I'm trying to make sure that you and I are on the same page, because even you and I, as a married couple of over what? Almost 20 years, we have more commonalities than I think we have dissimilarities, but we still have dissimilarities. Oh for sure, there's a lot of things that I think you and I disagree on.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, and I think it's rare for me to find someone. Even though I can make friends with anybody or find things in common. I think to find someone that I click with like really, really good is more rare for sure.
Speaker 2:Click with. That's a very strong word. Compatibility and that's what I see here in these verses is they had all things in common. You click with them, Not just with and this is a group of believers, this is about the fellowship of the believers. When I came up with this verse, I had such a nerdy moment. I was thinking of the Fellowship of the Ring and I had this nerdy JR Tolkien moment with the Lord of the Rings and the Fellowship of the Rings, and you obviously are not a nerd like that.
Speaker 3:I don't know anything about that.
Speaker 2:Well, they're pretty cool movies and you would understand if you watch them, and they're really great books. But the idea is about camaraderie and how you can forge through difficulties and eventually, if you rely on one another community you'll be able to surmount and overcome all obstacles, which is really just kind of a pipe dream in this world. But the idea of clicking with somebody, I think, is a really important one. Yeah. And I agree with you. There's some things where you go. Wow, I just absolutely clicked with that person. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then you hear that song.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:What's that song?
Speaker 3:I'm not going to sing it. Let me tell you about my best friend.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can sing it and then you're skipping with, you know, holding hands and talking, but in all seriousness, I haven't come across many folks like that. That. I feel like we have such a strong commonality and then, when we do kind of get down to the nuts and bolts of our beliefs, well, there's going to be some things that separate us.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And here's the beauty, though. The beauty is that the fellowship of the believers is really rooted, and grounded in something that is inseparable, and that's Christ. Yeah. And I love talking doctrine. I love having friends who understand things like apologetics and theology and Christology. There's so many things in this world that are divisive and it's really nice coming across this true community Now, when we talk about clicking with somebody. Have you ever had that common bond with larger groups?
Speaker 3:Not necessarily Like, common to an extent, but not like with everybody in the group.
Speaker 2:It's hard when the group gets bigger.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:Dynamics change. There's more differences, maybe similarities, yeah, but most certainly it's hard to have a larger community that believes like that. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I think you and I really enjoy our local church because there's so many people that have just open hearts and we really all see things very similar.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:And again, I've been in many churches before, and I'm not saying that any of the other churches that I've been in are of less value. They all just have different characteristics. Let me give you an example. So I'm discipling a man and we were talking about various churches and he was asking what do you think of this church, what do you think of that church? And I had to preface what I shared with him with well, I want to share with you that I have a personal view and I'm going to refrain from sharing that view and before I share it with you. Or, if you want to know, just ask me. And then he said well, I want to know. And I told him I've been in different churches that have different purposes. This is why the church is so important, and we're going to see this here in another verse in just a moment. But I think each church has a different purpose. They have a different spirit, and one of the examples I gave him is I think that there's some churches that are hospitals.
Speaker 2:I think there's some churches that are all about depth. I think that there's some churches that are all about evangelism and I'm like, whatever church you're going to, they might have a flair of that. There might be a church. That is more. I call them draw churches. The Lord's trying to bring you in. You ever see those type of churches where God's just reaching people, he's pulling them in and it just happens to be the perfect church to bring people in. Yeah.
Speaker 2:But some of those churches don't have the depth in the word of God. What Paul calls the meat, it's more of the milk. So those folks come in, but then they graduate and they go to a different church. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I'm not saying churches are like universities and that's the makeup of them. What I am saying is that churches all have a different purpose, and that's the idea of the body of Christ, a unity of believers that practice in the local church, and then you have the global church as well and I gave him that example and the idea of having all this commonality together with different people, I think is just a really beautiful thing. That's really the concept here that I see in verses 42 to 44 of Acts 2. Let's take a look at Ephesians 2.9. Do you have it there, cora?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I do have it 2.19.
Speaker 2:My apologies, and if you can go to 2.19 to 22.
Speaker 3:Okay. So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God built on the foundation of the apostles. So one more.
Speaker 2:Do you have 22 there? Hold on, let me check.
Speaker 3:Hold on, maybe? No, I don't. Let on, let me check. Hold on, maybe? No, I don't.
Speaker 2:Let me go ahead and read 22 real quick, so finishing off with 22,. It says In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. That was a really important one to include, because verse 22 says that we are being built together. This isn't just a concept of community. Are you catching what's happening here?
Speaker 3:No, no, I was trying to find this other verse. Go ahead.
Speaker 2:I just shared verse 22, so we're good. Okay.
Speaker 2:It says that we're being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. What we're seeing here is God's not just building a community for the sake of building a community. There's deeper intent and purpose there. God is intricately crafting community that will eventually be what A dwelling place for God. I'm not saying that we're temples the Bible calls our bodies living temples but what I'm saying is that God has a much stronger intent of those who he's unifying together in a one mind, one conscience approach.
Speaker 2:I'll read 19 again. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are sojourners is another word for alien, so folks don't get confused. But you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Whose household are we a member of God, god? Whose household are we a member of God's? Whose community are we a member of God's? 100%?
Speaker 2:This is actually a really beautiful truth if you're following what the scriptures are saying here. It's saying that we are no longer strangers and sojourners. We're now being welcomed in as family members. Sojourners, we're now being welcomed in as family members, and God is taking us with folks who we do not have a blood relation with and he's making us into a big, giant family for his honor and for his glory. Verse 20 says, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. So we're seeing something very important happening here. We're seeing this idea of community being really solidified into a heavenly family, being really solidified into a heavenly family. This is why folks come into the church and they want to know what we're doing is because they're seeing a representation of what heaven looks like. Did you know that's the closest thing that folks are going to get to see of what heaven looks like and what the activities are going to look like. Yeah.
Speaker 2:When we get together on on a Sunday services, we pray together, we worship together. What's one of the great things that we do at our church now, when services are done.
Speaker 3:Oh, we get together and eat.
Speaker 2:We get together and we eat, we break bread. You know how many people want those things that we just shared. Yeah. We get together, we worship together, we worship together, we sing together. Here's another one. This is a big one of mine we cry together, we mourn together, we weep together. I've had men come into my life lately going I'm broken, and you know what I want to do with them? I want to go beside them in their brokenness. Why? Why is it such an important concept to go alongside somebody in their brokenness?
Speaker 3:I think it just shows that you care too.
Speaker 2:I think it shows that you care and that's how you develop a really strong community. You know what the world does. When you go to the world with your brokenness, oh no.
Speaker 2:When I say the world, I mean the world, people of the world. Here's something that I don't, that I'm not super open and I don't have this as sort of a running ground rule for me. I don't go to people and tell them how broken I am, not people who are outside of the church. There's some things I do. I don't like people knowing my weaknesses, because when people know your weaknesses, they'll try to exploit them. I don't let people know my failures all the time. These are things that I found in the world that folks just don't understand. Ears all the time. These are things that I found in the world that folks just don't understand. If I go to a fellow brother and I say I'm in sin and I'm struggling with this, I have the notion in my mind and this is typically the truth that those people in community will come around side me, they'll mourn with me, they'll weep with me, they'll break with me.
Speaker 2:That's what's happening in these verses. We're starting to see the building blocks get applied, and here we have Christ as the chief cornerstone. Let me give you an analogy Cora, with my fingers. I'm holding three fingers up on one side, three fingers up on the other side, and when you think of the chief cornerstone, think of old architecture with blocks, architecture with blocks and they're building. Think of masonry type buildings where they've hewn these blocks into blocks that are going to come together and form a corner. What creates all the strength is the cornerstone block, but the other portions are the community.
Speaker 2:Christ is the chief cornerstone, but we me, you, church members, all believers globally are the ones who are making up the dwelling place for God by slash through the Spirit, very powerful verse on what a heavenly family really looks like. Do you see that in our church right now? Let's take a look at Romans 12, five. Romans 12, five says so. We, through many, are one body in Christ and individually members one of another. Just another side of the same coin that the body of Christ is. It's a unified body of Christ, also known as the church. The body of Christ is also known as the church, but it says that there's individuals. This community is made up of dissimilar individuals who have way more similarities than dissimilarities, unified though through one spirit. That's the difference there. The community of Christ is bonded together by the Holy Spirit and we are making up that dwelling place that we had seen earlier in that verse. Many parts of the body, all different, but all have a unique purpose, and yet we are one.
Speaker 2:Don't miss the importance of what's happening here. You're seeing that there are some great things for our listeners who are hearing this. The community that the Church of Jesus Christ offers is far stronger than anything that any man can make up, any cult that you've ever seen, and it's all one body with individual members who all carry out their own respective, or they use their respective gifts. I mentioned it earlier we come together, we pray together, we eat together. Right when we come together in the church and we gather as one body of believers and we sing to one God and we praise one God, and then we break bread together. These are really great things that I think that the world truly desires. Would you agree?
Speaker 3:Yeah, totally. I think a lot of people are looking for that for sure to join some kind of group or to get together with people that are like-minded.
Speaker 2:And sometimes the opposite happens, where folks get sucked into the wrong thing Churches that are false, serving up a false gospel, clubs that have nothing to do with real meaningful things, or even divisive causes. Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's one of that I've seen explode in the world right now and I'm going to just say that I believe that we're in times that are energized by demonic activity and I think that there's a lot of these things popping up. You know, the transgender movement is a really sad movement and I think when it first popped up there was a lot of interest and I saw a lot of people who I didn't think were ever interested in stuff like that gravitate towards it. But they gravitate towards it because it made them somebody. Yeah for sure. It's no fun when you feel like nobody cares, nobody wants you part of their group. The church is not that place. I'll put it that way. I think that the church is going to be the most inclusive and exclusive club I have to preface it that way, but I think it is both. And I think that the church is one of the most welcoming places and one of the most safe places that folks can find, and I hope that this episode really does encourage those who hear that the concept and the notion of it's okay to go and take a look at what the Christian church and its community provides.
Speaker 2:I'm going to finish with this verse here in Hebrews 10, 24 to 25. The Bible says and let us consider how to stir up one another. Instead of stir up, you can also say provoke. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near, providing a little bit of color there. Let us consider how to provoke each other to love each other, to do good things for one another, to do good things for the world that's lost.
Speaker 2:You see, the Christian call is actually to provoke each other. I am supposed to go to you as my wife and say you need to make sure that you go and you minister to other people. You need to ensure that if you have a gift, you're utilizing it. If you're musically talented and I see that it's being squandered, I might go oh, you should join the band or you should help out with the kids. We need to stir each other up, and that's within a marital bond. Now the local church is really supposed to stir one another up. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Stir one another up for what? For a rally For a presidential candidate? For a local politician? To drum up more money? No, it says, to stir up one another to love. Why is it that we have to be prodded to love?
Speaker 3:I think it's because it's not easy for everybody.
Speaker 2:It's not easy for everybody and some people are what they're Unlovable. They're unlovable, it's hard, yeah, and we're supposed to be poking each other? We're supposed to be elbowing each other right, I'm doing that right now. We're supposed to be jabbing each other in the ribs and going that person. That is not lovable. You have to go out and figure out a way to love them. Definitely that's community.
Speaker 2:We need to consider how to provoke each other, how to stir one another up to love and for good works. You know, one of the things that we need to not get confused with is our good works. There are many people with many good works, and good works do not save a person. They don't save redeem. These aren't concepts of salvation.
Speaker 2:Good works are an outpouring of a person's changed disposition. Salvation is a changed disposition in between a person and God. The Bible says that when we're saved, what we do is we confess our sins and he is faithful to forgive us of our sins and all unrighteousness, and we go. God, I am a sinner and I acknowledge who you are and I'm turning from my ways and I'm willing to change from my ways and moving forward. I want to do your will. That's where the good works come from. It's pretty hard for a non-Christian to be provoked to love and also to do good works. That's where the regenerative heart comes in of the Christian believer. They were born with a heart of sin, they lived with a heart of sin and, just as Jesus shared with Nicodemus, you have to be born again, not of water and of blood, Not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another. Cora, is it very encouraging when people are discouraging? No, not at all.
Speaker 3:What's one of the most encouraging things that you can think of that has happened in your life?
Speaker 2:I don't know if I have like a most encouraging thing, like something someone's told me.
Speaker 3:Anything you can think of you want me to go? Oh yeah, I'll let you go first, because I can't think of the most encouraging thing.
Speaker 2:Well, I was a high school dropout and I was a previous addict and I remember that you and I we got married and I had a family member that was my Uncle Scott. Okay, he stepped in and he said I want to come alongside you and if you want to go to college and get an associate's degree, I will help pay for it. Yeah, I remember that. You know how encouraging that was. And I'm not claiming that my family member is a saved family member. No, what I'm saying is that was quite encouraging.
Speaker 2:There's those types of instances that change a person's life. How more so when it's not just for the physical or the physical realm, the earthly realm that we live in, but what about the spiritual and heavenly realm? Encouraging one another, ensuring that we don't neglect to meet together? So you don't have to give an answer for that, but I think there's many things that are encouraging. You've tried to be a person of encouragement, telling people you're doing a great job.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think it's easier for most. I don't. I just don't think that I have personally been encouraged by a lot of, like close family members. Um, uh, I think maybe some encouraging stuff has just been, you know, from what I could think of, like you helping me with you know, getting into school and all that kind of stuff, all the things that I've done since we've been together. That's probably the most encouraging stuff, cause no one ever encouraged me to like go to college, go to school, get my GED, like do do anything that I've done. No one's encouraged me to do that.
Speaker 2:You mentioned family, and I think this is a very important part of our walk as Christians. The people who encourage me the most and the people who provide the most community to me aren't my family, they're my church family. Those are the ones who have encouraged me the most. Therefore, I need to be encouraging to them. I have a incessant need to try to help people when God puts them in my path.
Speaker 2:If there's a person who needs a job, you know what I do. If I recognize that they're a saint that's in need, I go out of my way because in my heart, I want to be encouraging and I want to be loving and I want to do what the verse says here. I want to carry out good works. I know that the Lord loves it when folks like you and I do that. Yeah, now here's one thing that I do know there's a lot of encouragement by non-Christian communities, and that'll get you sucked in too. One of the ones that I can tell you right off the bat that you didn't mention is there's been a ton of people in the gym community that you participate with that have been like you go, girl, awesome, you're doing great Like. There's been a lot of that, wouldn't you say? Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's community. That's not the kind of community that I'm talking about. I'm talking about an everlasting community, a body of eternal believers that one day will worship with the risen Lord. Like this is a very important topic. When it comes to this topic of community, though, I think we do have a lot of it, and we have things that have hurt us, and I I'm sorry that you're hurting. In regards to that, there's been a few different things that I think are are very important regarding community. Yeah.
Speaker 2:But we see here that something is going to happen. In verse number 25, the Bible says and all the more as you see, the day drawing near. That day drawing near is when the Lord Jesus is going to return. We're not just playing church and playing community for the sake of playing church and playing community. We truly believe that the Lord is coming back and that he's going to all call us to a great supper feast and that what he's doing is he's being patient and waiting for us and he loves us more than anything. And that day is drawing near more than ever. All the signs are there that the Lord Jesus Christ is ready to return.
Speaker 2:Here's a question for the audience what does your community look like? What does your family look like? What does your local church look like? Because Christ is coming back to harvest and ideally he comes back and he harvests something that is usable and it's fruitful and it's fresh and it's ready and it's prepared, and it's fruitful and it's fresh and it's ready and it's prepared. And I think, more than anything, that's what the world desires. They see that and they go. I want some of that. Whatever the world has over here turns out that it was a counterfeit, and it's not what I desire.
Speaker 2:I think the world, more than anything, wants this community. I'm going to go back to where we started with talking with my friend saying I think community is the goal for the Christian life, and his response being I think that's biblical. I would agree, and not only would I agree, I would say that it's something that we ought to live out with fervency and we should stir each other up. We should provoke each other. More than ever, we should be elbowing one another, saying let's go do some really cool stuff in the name of Christ, let's serve people who are unservable, let's go help the widow who needs help, let's go help out the neighbor who says nasty things about us and let's take care of their yard.
Speaker 2:There's so many opportunities to demonstrate the love of Christ. Let us not be consumed in these days in my opinion, these last days with ourself and our feelings and our own desires for pleasure, but let us be stirred up with one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together. Let's meet together. Let's make sure that we do that consistently and predictably, but encouraging one another, and all the more. You see the day drawing near. Wow, these are just great verses that I think really demonstrate this concept of the importance of community.
Speaker 2:Thanks for hanging out with us today. We aim to help others live a dedicated, devoted life. If you want to come alongside us in partnership, please check out dedicated devotedcom and make sure to subscribe. Join us next time for another episode of dedicated devoted. We post a new episode every week and we hope you join us next time. God bless you and have an amazing week and my encouragement is go out and serve others and, if this interests you, go check out your local church, get plugged in and get engaged. Thank you and until we see each other next time.