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Sep 08, 2019

You Need This

You Need This

Speaker: Tyler Ferguson

Series: Other

Category: Sunday Morning

Sunday mornings are imperative, but they aren't sufficient on their own. The answer to our loneliness is often right in front of us.

 

Hebrews 10:24-25 “…and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

 

We’ve been talking about a rational gospel vs. a relational gospel – I want to share how Freedom Fellowship attempts to help you walk out the relational Gospel.  The writer to Hebrews admonishes us: “do not neglect to come together”.  Is this preaching to the choir? Not really! We are being told to not neglect something much more than just this – sitting in rows each week to worship and hear the Word.

 

Directly after service, you will have the opportunity to meet our 13 home ministers in the courtyard.  My hope is that by that time you will see how much you need the types of relationships that can really only be found amongst believers, sitting around a living room, walking with one another.

 

Have you ever had a problem you couldn’t solve, only to find that the solution was right in front of you?  I used to lose my keys all the time – especially on Sunday mornings!  I would try and not wake up my wife, but I wanted to give her the opportunity to enter into my suffering. This problem plagued me – I even googled “tips to not lose keys” to no avail.  But that search triggered a facebook ad for “Tile”.  I ignored it for weeks but finally gave in and bought one, fixing my key-losing problem forever.  The solution was literally right in front of me.

 

But I want to talk about a more serious problem and the solution God has given us. The problem is loneliness and the solution is right in front of you.  75% of Americans struggle with feeling alone – across all categories (age, socioeconomic, those who say that they have good community, even religion).  Luckily, solutions abound (which is part of the problem).  If you google it, you’ll find 283M results for “how to not be lonely.”  And, the struggle is real for believers too. You’ll find all sorts of advice – come to church more, read your Bible, all you need is God.

 

There really are 2 competing ideas of how we are to handle our loneliness.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (NLT)  “ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.”

 

Paul explains how the church is supposed to function, but it was a new idea.  The Greek word Parakaleo meant 2 different things to 2 different groups of people.

 

Solution 1 – Rational

Greeks and Jews who had a mixed world with religion used this word to almost exclusively mean “to exhort or instruct.”

 

Listen to what the church would be if the world and religion had their way:

“3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all instruction. 4 He instructs us in all our troubles so that we can instruct others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same instruction God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his instruction through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your instruction and salvation! For when we ourselves are instructed, we will certainly instruct you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the instruction God gives us.”

 

The world and religion say we would have people around us to instruct us in right behavior, but do you see how anti-Gospel this is? Jesus came to first serve and meet needs.

 

Solution 2 – Relational

Christianity tells us that we need to be instructed less and walked with more.  Are you stuck in a bad place because the people you surround yourself with are more interested in giving you content than comfort? Maybe you find that you are too quick to give others content instead of comfort.  If the church is really going to be the church, we must start instructing less and caring more. There are 59 “one anothers” in the Bible – only two of them have anything to do with instructing one another.

 

God set up His church to be His conduit for caring for His people, and you are the church.

My fear is that we will lose our drive to give lasting relational care if all we do is focus on growing bigger in here.  Because when everyone is sitting in rows, you can’t do any of the “one anothers.”  We must grow bigger and smaller at the same time.

 

Home Ministries

The way we have committed to growing smaller is through home ministries. Thirteen homes are opening their doors each week doing the “one-anothers”.  In HM’s you will find out that there are some things that simply can’t happen here in rows. Each week people are being comforted, encouraged, and built up in living rooms across this area. 

 

{VIDEO of some couples who have experienced real transformation and healing through home ministries}

 

What do these people have in common? – Trials, and not being alone. Whatever you go through, let’s go through it together. My goal – for no one in here to ever describe themselves as alone again.   Hurt, sometimes… Sad, angry at times – no doubt … But not alone.

 

After describing the comfort that can only come through a relationship in the church, Paul says in

2 Corinthians 4:8   We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

 

Paul bought into the wonderful purpose that the church serves: to “one another” one another. Will you buy in as well?  After service, God’s provision for your loneliness, difficulties, and anything else you’re facing will literally be right in front of you in the courtyard – don’t miss it.

 

A lot can happen in this room, but we cannot “one another” very well in rows. Living rooms, however, work great.