Introduction

Welcome church, it’s great to have you with us today. This morning we are starting a new 4-week sermon series called One.

We’re going to explore what it looks like for us, as believers, to live as one. But first, we need to talk about independence.

It's one of the core values of American culture. We are taught from an early age to be self-sufficient. We are told to fend for ourselves as a sign of strength and maturity. It's a preferred trait. Those who can't go it alone are viewed as weak or at least as "less capable" than those who can.

We value independence and individualism above almost everything else. But, we weren't created to live this way. It may feel counter-intuitive, but the truth is, we are created and called to live in community. Let me say it again, only this time let me make it more personal.

You were created and called to live in community.

In the book of Genesis, God creates man… and then says, "It's not good for man to be alone." (Genesis 2:18) And not just because he might be lonely or need a buddy. But because God wired us to do life together. He created us and called us to do life in community.

The problem is, most of us don't want to do this. Not because we are anti-community…

We don't want to do it because we don’t understand it.

We don't want to do it because we have been trained to do life independently.

We don't want to do it because we don't know what we're missing.

We don’t want to do life in community because we don’t know how to do life in community.

And as a result, most of us are far too focused on being individuals. But this individualism is robbing us of the joy, strength, and hope we are so desperate for. And the only way to break the habit of doing life alone, the only way to experience the life we were truly meant to live, is to learn how to live in and amongst community.

And that's what this series is all about. For the next several weeks we are going to explore what it looks like to live life in community… not just as a group of different individuals, but we're going to learn what it looks like to live as one.

You were created and called to live in community.

Main Teaching

This is far more important than most of us realize. Not just because doing life alone leaves us lacking, but because we are each wonderfully and uniquely created to be a part of a community and through that community to transform our world.

This means we must learn to do life together. We must learn to do life with others, (even when life with others is difficult). When we learn to do life as a united community, there is nothing that can stop us.

So, if we are going to learn to live in community… do life in community… transform the world as a community, we need to understand a couple of things about ourselves. And that's what I want us to explore today.

Open to Ephesian 2:10

Question: Have you ever discovered one of the reasons you struggle to connect with others is not THEM, but rather it's YOU?

This takes some time and some honest thinking…

Multiple failed relationships - what's the common denominator?

Multiple jobs ending badly - what's the common denominator?

Can't find a place to connect… never feel like you belong… etc. - what's the common denominator?

I'm not saying there aren't times others have left us out or have rejected us ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium