(7.19.26) Sermon | The Community | Patrick Hardy

Sermon 7.19.2026

Title: The Community

Series: Follow Me

In this message from the Follow Me series, Pastor Patrick Hardy explores the importance of Christ-centered community in the life of a disciple. Looking at Acts 2:42–47, Patrick shows how the early church devoted themselves not only to the apostles’ teaching, but also to fellowship, shared meals, prayer, generosity, and doing life together. While Sunday worship gatherings (“rows”) are essential for hearing and receiving God’s Word, discipleship was never intended to be a solitary journey. Patrick argues that “discipleship happens in circles, not just rows”—in the smaller, authentic relationships where believers encourage one another, bear one another’s burdens, practice accountability, and learn to live out biblical truth.

Patrick emphasizes that Christian community is not simply about having people around us, but about belonging to a spiritual family where we can be genuinely known, loved, challenged, and encouraged. Drawing on Jesus’ own example of investing deeply in the Twelve, as well as the early church in Acts, he challenges listeners to move beyond simply attending church and become active participants in the life of the church. Connection groups and ministry teams provide opportunities to share our stories, serve together, pray for one another, and help each other follow Jesus faithfully. The message concludes with a challenge to consider, “What is your next step?”—whether that means saying yes to Jesus, joining a connection group, serving alongside others, or intentionally inviting other believers into your life. The church is not merely a place we attend; it is a family where we belong.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:01

Well, good morning. It is so good to be with you guys this morning. I'm gonna let that ring go through. Do you guys still hear it? That's enough to distract me. So my ADD kicks in and then we're all in trouble. So, well, I'm so glad to be with you guys this morning. I apologize. I feel like I'm falling apart at the moment, but that's okay. Um, I love Sunday mornings. You guys love Sunday mornings? Yes. It is my most favorite place to be. I look forward to this day all week long. There's so many reasons why, but to be with you guys is part of what God talks about, the community of believers. You know, there's just something special about just gathering here as a family of God, worshiping together, sitting under the teaching of God's word. Every week we are reminded of who God is and what he's done and who he's calling us to become. Those moments feed our hearts, renew our minds, and strengthen our faith. Today we're going to continue in our series of follow me as we seek to understand what it truly means to follow Jesus, not just with what we believe, but how we live. Over the past couple weeks, Pastor Patrick has reminded us that Jesus' invitation to follow me is much more than an invitation to believe certain truths. It actually goes deeper than that. It's about how we live. And he wants to transform us from the inside out. It's a simple invitation to receive that transformation. He invites us into a relationship that changes us from the inside out, right? So today we're going to look at one of the primary ways that God brings about that transformation. Because the reality is that God does transform us through his word, but he also transforms us through his people. Following was never meant to be a solar journey. That's why today we're going to discover this simple truth. Discipleship happens in circles, not just rows. Every Sunday we gather in these rows, we worship, we hear God's word, and we pray, we take notes, which are all very important things, right? But God never intended for our faith to stop in these rows. Here's what I noticed about rows. Rows are a wonderful place for us to receive the truth. But they don't naturally invite us into participation. We all face the same direction. It's easy to come in to worship, listen, and leave without anyone ever knowing what's going on in our lives. Now, I want you to hear me. Don't misunderstand this. Meeting on Sunday mornings, gathering in this place is essential. We need to gather to worship, encourage one another, and celebrate all that God is doing and hear his word. God uses these moments to shape our hearts and strengthen our faith. But if we're not careful, Rose can unintentionally leave us as spectators rather than active participants in God's story. We can listen to the sermon, shake a few hands, and head on home without ever really knowing anyone. Or allowing someone else to hear the journey that God has us on in the moment. Jesus never called us to simply attend the church. He's called us to be the church. Following Jesus moves us from receiving the truth, it means that we're living out that truth together in an authentic, Christ-centered community. So today we are going to look at that exactly what happens in the book of Acts, the early church. Because they understood that life transformation didn't just happen when the believers gathered together in a large group. It also happened as they gathered in homes, shared meals together, prayed together, and walked through this life side by side. But before we get to our passage in Acts 2 today, let's take a moment to remember everything that's happened up until this point. The story actually takes place right after the resurrection of Jesus. Following his resurrection, Jesus spent 40 days with his disciples teaching them about God's kingdom and preparing them for the omission ahead. Before sending them to heaven, though, he gave them a promise that they would never be alone. He promised that he would send the Holy Spirit and He would empower them to continue the work that He has for them and to help them to be the witnesses He's called them to be to the ends of the earth. Then came the day of Pentecost. Just as Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit came and filled the room with power, filled his believers with power and transformed their lives. Perhaps one of the illustrations that transforms that transformation is the best is Peter's life. You know, just a few weeks earlier, Peter had denied even knowing Jesus. Now filled with the Holy Spirit, he stood in front of people boldly and courageously, proclaiming Jesus Christ had died, risen again, and offered forgiveness to anyone who would believe. God moved in extraordinary ways that day. Peter preached, the Holy Spirit convicted the hearts of the people, and about 3,000 people responded by placing their lives and their faith in Jesus that day, and they were baptized. What happens next is a remarkable picture of the church that we find in Scripture here. Luke doesn't tell us that people came to faith. Acts 2, 42 through 47 gives us a picture of what that life looked like in the very first church. It reveals how they grew, how they cared for one another, and how authentic Christ centered community became the environment where discipleship flourished. So we're going to read now from Acts 2, 42 through 47. Will you guys stand with me as we read the Word of God this morning? Reading, starting up verse 42. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions and gave to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes. They ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying with the favor of all the people, and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Bless the reading of the Lord's word today. We guys go ahead and have a seat as we continue and worship this morning. You know, as we spend some time in this passage today, I want us to discover three important truths about a Christ-centered community. First, Rose. The gathering together in God's temple helps us to receive God's truth. Second, the gathering together outside of the temple courts helps us to live God's truth. And third, a Christ-centered community multiplies discipleship. That's exactly what we see in the life of the church, of the early church found in Acts today. When we look specifically at Acts 2.42, we see something here that kind of catches my eye. It says they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship. I love that word devoted there. Did you catch that? Devoted. Luke, the writer of Acts, doesn't say they occasionally attended. It doesn't say that they got together when it was convenient. He says they were devoted. They had a deep commitment to gathering together to hear God's word and to grow in their faith. That's why Sunday mornings matter. Gathering together in this body of believers matters. These rows matter because it's where we come together to worship our Savior, hear the truth of God's word, and allow the Holy Spirit to shape our hearts. But Jesus never intended for us to simply hear the truth. He calls us to live it out. One of the primary ways we learn to live out our faith is doing life together in community, and a Christ-centered community. Circles are where we're encouraged to love one another, apply God's word, and grow together as disciples. This is why we need both rows and circles. They don't live without each other, they exist together. You know, throughout Jesus' ministry, that we are hearing in God's word that that was from the very beginning. He had his followers not only hearing and teaching, he was teaching them, but he put that into practice. This is why a Christ-centered community matters. It's in the context of authentic relationships that we encourage one another and live out God's word. It's where biblical truth moves from something that we simply know about to something that we're faithfully living out. Jesus made this truth unmistakably clear when we read about Matthew 7, 24 through 27, about two builders who experienced many storms. It says, Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like the wise man who built his house on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like the foolish man who built his house on the sand. Jesus' illustration here about building a house. We hear that the wise builder here not only heard the words of Jesus, but he acted them out. The foolish builder, you know that he hears the words, but he fails to put them into practice. Both builders heard the same teaching. Both builders experienced storms, yet only one house remained. So what's the difference? It wasn't what they heard, it was what they did with what they heard. See, that's why these rows and circles have to work together, and they're both essential. We gather in rows to hear God's word, and we grow in circles as we encourage one another to live it out. Hearing God's truth is the beginning of discipleship. Living out God's truth is evidence of it. The same is true for us. Jesus never intended his followers to simply collect biblical information. He calls us to build our lives on his truth by putting it into practice. And one of the primary places that this happens is within the context of a Christ-centered community. I think that's why Luke tells us that they were devoted to not only to the apostles' teaching, but also to fellowship. The Greek word here for fellowship is kononia. It's much more than simply gathering together or enjoying a meal together. It describes a deep spiritual partnership shared in a Christ-centered life. It speaks of people who are united vertically through their relationship with Jesus. Because of that, they can connect horizontally with each other. You know, we've heard it. Love God, love others. Vertically, not horizontally. It's in the community where people intentionally invest in each other's lives and grow together. The early church didn't just gather together, they lived life together. And you can only do that in circles. When you sit in circles, something changes. You see faces instead of backs of heads. You hear each other's voices instead of one person speaking. You're no longer just receiving information. You are now beginning to be an active participant in the Word of God, in the story of God. If you're celebrating a victory, you have others to celebrate with you. If you're carrying a burden, someone notices. If you're wrestling with doubt, you have a safe place to ask honest questions. If you are about to make a decision that could lead you away from God's best, people who know you, who love you, who care about you will help speak truth into your life. This is what a healthy, Christ-centered community looks like. The circle encourage you to pray, they challenge you, they walk beside you, but your faith is really never dependent solely on the group, right? Your foundation is in Christ. Your daily time in God's Word, your prayer life, your obedience to the Holy Spirit are the things that anchor your faith. The beauty of Christ-centered community is that it often requires us to be in community with other believers who continually point us back to Him. A Christ-centered community isn't about just doing life together. As people, we share stories, we listen well, we pray with one another, we invest in each other's lives. The circle becomes a place where faith grows. Every person is invited to be a participant. And everyone encourages the others not to simply sit on the sidelines. Each person has something to contribute because every person has a story and an opportunity to help someone else follow Jesus. This is why circles matter. Think about it. You hear a sermon on forgiveness on Sunday morning, but forgiveness becomes much more than a biblical principle when someone in your connection group says, I have been spending the last 20 years trying to forgive my parent. And here's what God's teaching me. Suddenly, forgiveness isn't just a lesson. Forgiveness is about, it has life now, it has a testimony, it has hope. Truth becomes personal, truth becomes practical, and truth becomes transformational. Acts 2 paints a beautiful picture of what this looks like in the early church. They gathered together, they shared, they prayed, they broke bread together, they didn't simply just attend church, they became a family. This is where discipleship moves from something that we know to something that we live out. It's one thing to hear a message on Sunday. It's another thing to live that message out on Tuesday when your life is suddenly falling apart. It's when your marriage is struggling and difficult things are happening there. It's when your child shares something that breaks your heart. It's when you receive a diagnosis that you never expected. It's when you lose your job. It's when you're facing a decision that you didn't know that you were going to have to make. Those aren't just sermon moments, those are circle moments. Those are the moments that we discovered that following Jesus was never meant to be a solo journey. They are meant to be moments where God uses us to experience the care of his presence, but also through the people that he places in our lives. Ecclesiastes 4, 9 through 10 says, Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity on anyone who falls down and has no one to help them up. Two are better than one. One falls, someone's there to help them up. Reality is we all fall. We all struggle. We all have seasons in our life. The question isn't if, it's who is there when it happens. This is why God not only invites us into a relationship with Himself, but also invites us into a family, which can be found in a Christ-centered community because we need each other. One of my favorite pictures of a Christ-centered community actually comes from nature. Recently I was reading a story about the giant redwoods in California. They are the tallest living trees on earth. Some of them stand over 300 feet tall and they survive for thousands of years. You would think that trees that would be this massive would have a root system that extended hundreds of miles into the earth, but they don't. So how do they survive the storms? The roots intertwine with the other roots with the trees around them. They lock together beneath the surface, creating a network of strength and support. When the winds blow, they don't stand because one tree one tree was strong enough, but they stand because they stand together. God never intended us to go through life storms alone. When grief comes, when temptation comes, when disappointment comes, when illness comes, our strength isn't found in pretending that we have it all together. Our strength is found when we're deeply connected to other believers who are willing to pray with us, encourage us, support us, and remind us of God's promises. And just like those redwoods, we can stand because our lives are intertwined with one another. Maybe that's why some of us feel exhausted sometimes. It's because we've tried to live this life alone. That God never intended for us to be living alone. He meant it for us to be together. God's designed to grow in community. Throughout the New Testament, we we read about this. We read about all the one another's, right? We read, um, encourage one another, bear one another's burdens, pray for one another, forgive one another, confess your sins to one another, spur one another on love and good deeds. Those commands can't be fully lived out in anonymous rose. They require relationship. They require people who know us, care about us, and willing to walk alongside us. And when we read in John 13, it says, they will know you are my disciples by your love. Here's the thing about love. Love requires proximity, right? Circles don't just help us survive, they help us to grow. This is also where healthy accountability begins to shape us and helps us to grow naturally through genuine relationships and friendships. It's the friend that knows and sees you and asks, How are you doing? when they know it's a difficult time in your life. It's the person that sends you the text because they know that today is especially difficult. It's the connection group that gathers around you when you're mourning, who brings you a meal, who shows up at the hospital, who helps you to move closer to Him, who are willing to pray with you when life feels very overwhelming. I believe that's what so many of us are searching for today, don't you? Not simply to be a place where people come, it's a place to belong. A place where we can fully be known and still be loved. When we experience that kind of grace from God's people, we catch a glimpse of the heart of God Himself. The kind of community that the early church experienced is the kind of community that God desires for us and his church today. Jesus preached to thousands, right? We read about that. He spent most of his time with who, though?

unknown 21:34

Both.

SPEAKER_00 21:34

Right, the twelve. Walking, eating, praying, laughing, correcting, teaching, living life together, being slowly shaped into the people who would one day turn the world upside down with the good news of Jesus. Circles are what disciples are made. The first Christians understood this, and as a result, they experienced the blessing. Of God. When we read in Acts 2, 46, it says, every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and they ate together with glad and sincere hearts. The believers gathered together in large groups for worship, but they also met in the smaller groups, where they opened their homes and shared meals and did life together. And as a result, we read in verse 47, and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. So you might be thinking, you've been talking a lot about circles and rows, but you haven't really told us what circles look like. Well, we believe connection groups are one of the most primary ways you can grow in these circles. These groups exist to encourage one another in our faith and help each other become more like Christ. They provide a place that we can discuss what we've heard on Sunday, dig deeper into his word, ask honest questions, pray together, and learn how to apply God's truth to our everyday life. It's in these smaller gatherings that relationships deepen and spiritual growth takes root. Another place that we believe that circles naturally form are in ministry teams, ministry groups, serving groups. As you serve alongside of other people, you rub elbows with them, whether you're welcoming guests, investing in children, or meeting practical needs, something powerful begins to happen. You begin to know each other beyond a face and a name. You learn about each other's families, your careers, interests, struggles, victories, and the ways that God is at work. Serving together creates opportunities for genuine friendships to grow. As you walk alongside of one another, you become known, encouraged, and challenged and loved. And that's exactly how God designed his church to function. Our desire is for you to move from sitting in these rows to sharing life together in a faith community of circles. Because it's in the circle that you're going to find belonging. It's in the circle that your faith is strengthened. It's in the circle that you're going to be encouraged and challenged and prayed for and equipped to follow Jesus more faithfully. Guys, this isn't just the ministry strategy, it's God's design for the church. And throughout Scripture, we can see life transformation happening in the context of authentic relationships. That's what circles are all about. The reality is that life is complicated, right? Every one of us faces seasons that we've never expected. There are people who have walked the road that you're traveling today. There are others that are on that same road right now. That's why we need each other. Following Jesus was never intended to be a solar journey, it was meant to be lived out in community. Somebody needs your victory. Somebody needs your struggle. Somebody needs your story. Too often we believe that God can only use the polished pieces of our lives, right? But scripture tells a very different story. God consistently chose broken, imperfect people to accomplish his purpose. Peter denied Jesus. Thomas doubted. Paul persecuted the church. Yet God redeemed each of their stories and used them to impact countless lives. The same God who redeems their stories is the God that's still redeeming your story. Maybe the very part of your story that you've been tempted to hide is the very part that God wants to use to bring hope to someone else. Your greatest disappointment may be someone else's greatest encouragement. Your deepest wound may become the place where God displays his greatest grace. That's one of the beautiful gifts of a Christ-centered community. God never intended us for us to carry our life's burdens alone. He places us in a community so we can grow together and can continually point one another back to Him. This is why circles matter. They create a space where our stories interact with God's stories, intersect with God's stories. They remind us that we're not alone. They give us an opportunity to receive encouragement when we're weak, accountability when we're tempted to wander, wisdom when we're uncertain, and hope when we feel discouraged. Throughout Scripture, we see this pattern again and again. God designed his people to grow together. We were never meant to simply attend this service. We were created to belong to a spiritual family. So let me ask you: who really knows you? Who are you intentionally encouraging and praying for today? Who are you helping to follow Jesus? If those questions are difficult to answer, perhaps this is an invitation to step into a circle, a place where you'll be known and loved. Because the church is much more than a place you attend, it's a family where you belong. And when we move from circles, rows into circles, we become the kind of church we see in Acts. A church where people know one another and care for one another and help each other to become more like him. Just imagine for just a moment if God could do this in every person in this church and experience that kind of community. Imagine where every person has someone praying for them. Imagine someone has their victory celebrated with. Imagine someone who is lovingly challenging you to grow in your faith. Someone walking beside you through every season of life. That's the picture we see in Acts 2. The early church wasn't simply a group of people who gathered each week. They became a family and they shared their life together because they believe that's what exactly what God is calling them to do. And I believe that's exactly what God is calling us to do today. Not just a church that fills a room on Sunday mornings. But God calls us to be a church that fills homes and neighborhoods, workplaces, a community that will experience God's love through authentic relationship. If you've ever wondered what Acts 2 looks like in everyday life, I think this story that I recently read captures that so beautifully. Several years ago, during a special Olympics foot race, something remarkable happened. About halfway through the race, one of the runners falls, scrapes up his knees, and begins to cry. The other runners could have kept going, because it is a race, after all, right? But instead, every one of them stopped. They turned around, they walked back, they helped him to his feet, then, arm in arm, they crossed the finish line together. The crowd erupted in applause. Why? Because for just a few moments, life became more than just winning the race. It was about making sure that no one was left behind. Isn't that exactly what the church is supposed to be about? Life isn't just about getting ourselves across the finish line. It's about walking alongside others and helping them to get there too. What's God calling you to do today? As we get ready to close today, I'm going to go ahead and ask the band to come on up. I want you to ask yourself this simple question. What is your next step? Now, don't try to answer it for somebody sitting next to you. I want you to really think about what that looks like for yourself. What is your next step? For some of you, that first step is saying yes to Jesus. You've been exploring your faith and asking questions. Or perhaps you've been attending church for a while, but you've never surrendered your life to him. Today, Jesus is inviting you to a relationship with him. The greatest community that you will ever experience will always begin with Jesus. For others, you've already taken that first step. But somewhere along the way, you've tried to follow Him all by yourself alone. Maybe you've faithfully attended the church, but you've never really connected with the people around you. Can I encourage you today? You don't have to walk alone anymore. Your next step may be joining a connection group. It may be serving on a ministry team or connecting with a ministry group. It may be inviting a few trusted believers into your life who will help you follow Jesus more faithfully. Whatever your next step is, don't leave today without taking it. Leave today with the next step to take. Find your circle. Help someone else find theirs. Because the church isn't just a place where we attend, it's a family where we belong. And as we move from these rows into circles, lives are changed, faith is strengthened, communities are transformed, the gospel is lived out. And as we read in Acts 2 47, and the Lord added to their number daily those who are being saved. That's the kind of church I believe God is calling generations to become. Let's sing together.