Investing our time in a community group is essential because community groups provoke us to live like Jesus as we provoke others to live like Jesus...

This week we have been talking about why we believe it is essential for us as followers of Jesus to be consistently investing our time in a community group. And to do that, we have been looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of Hebrews.

So far, in Hebrews 10:19-22, we have seen the writer of Hebrews remind the readers of his letter that Jesus Christ, who was a superior priest than the Levitical priests who led the Jewish religious system, had ushered in a New Covenant, or agreement, between God and man by providing one sacrificial offering, once and for all, to pay the penalty of the selfishness and rebellion of humanity through His death on the cross. And as a result of Jesus sacrificial death on the cross, in our place, for our selfishness and rebellion, followers of Jesus now have confidence that we can enter into the very presence of God as a result of placing their confident trust in what Jesus did for us through His life, death, and resurrection.

The writer of Hebrews is reminding the readers of his letter, and followers of Jesus throughout history, that Jesus replaced the Jewish sacrificial system and the Levitical priesthood as the way by which humanity could experience a relationship with God and enter into the presence of God.

And because of that reality, the writer of Hebrews urged followers of Jesus throughout history to approach God with a state of complete certainty in their devotion to Jesus that was based on their confident trust in Jesus. Followers of Jesus were urged to approach God with a state of complete certainty because their hearts and consciences had been purified as a result of what God had done through Jesus life, death, and resurrection that had led them to believe, trust, and follow Jesus as Lord and Leader.

Followers of Jesus were urged to approach God with a state of complete certainty because they had publicly identified with Jesus through being baptized as a public proclamation of placing their confident trust in Jesus. But not only were these followers of Jesus strongly urged to draw near and approach the presence of God with a state of confident certainty. The writer of Hebrews also strongly urged the readers of his letter and followers of Jesus throughout history, the do something else. So let’s discover what that something else is in Hebrews 10:23-25:

 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; ²⁴ and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵ 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.

Here we see the writer of Hebrews strongly urge the readers of his letter throughout history to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. Now if the writer of Hebrews was communicating this in the language we use in our culture today, this phrase would have sounded something like this: I strongly urge you to firmly adhere to the profession of allegiance that you have made to Jesus and the confident expectation in the future that we have in God’s promises through Jesus without wavering. The writer of Hebrews then explained that the reason why followers of Jesus were to firmly adhere to their profession of allegiance to Jesus was due to the fact that He who promised is faithful.

The writer of Hebrews point is that followers of Jesus can have confidence to remain firm in their profession of allegiance to Jesus because God is a promise maker and a promise keeper who is worthy of our trust. As followers of Jesus, we can place our confident trust in Jesus and place our allegiance in Jesus because Jesus is worthy of trust. Then, in verse 24, we see the writer of Hebrews urge followers of Jesus throughout history to consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.

What is so interesting is that the phrase “stimulate one another”, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to rouse to activity or to provoke someone. What followers of Jesus are to provoke one another to is love and good deeds.  The word love here refers to a warm regard and interest in another that places others before self. When the writer of Hebrews refers to good deeds, he is referring to deeds or actions that exhibit a consistent moral character that is of a high moral quality.

So the writer of Hebrews is strongly urging followers of Jesus throughout history to provoke one another to live lives that are marked by a selfless and sacrificial love that places others before self and that engages in actions that consistently reflect the character of Jesus and make a difference for Jesus. The writer of Hebrews is strongly urging followers of Jesus throughout history to provoke one another towards lives that love like Jesus and live like Jesus. The writer of Hebrews then provides two instances where followers of Jesus are to provoke one another towards lives that love like Jesus and live like Jesus in verse 25.

The first instance is revealed with the phrase “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some”. Now when the writer of Hebrews uses the word forsaking here, this word literally means to separate connection with someone or something. This word conveys the sense of abandoning, deserting, or ceasing to engage in something. In addition, the phrase “our own assembling together” referred to gathering together at some location by a group. This word was not exclusively used for a Sunday worship service.

As we have talked about in the past, early followers of Jesus would gather and scatter. Early followers of Jesus would gather for times of large corporate worship and early followers of Jesus would also scatter into smaller groups that met in homes in the community. Apparently, there were some followers of Jesus who were failing to remain connected in community with other followers of Jesus. There were some followers of Jesus who had abandoned the idea of being a part of a corporate time of worship or a smaller community group that met in homes. There were some followers of Jesus who had ceased being a part of community.

And because of that reality the writer of Hebrews recognized that these early followers of Jesus were in danger of failing to draw near to God. So the writer of Hebrews strongly urged followers of Jesus to reject the temptation to separate the connection of community with other followers of Jesus. Instead, the writer of Hebrews urged followers of Jesus throughout history to be encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

In other words, the writer of Hebrews here is urging followers of Jesus to provoke one another to engage in community with other followers of Jesus. As the day draws closer to when Jesus will return to usher in the kingdom of Heaven and judge all humanity, as followers of Jesus we are to provoke one another to live in community with one another, whether it is gathering together for times of corporate worship on Sunday, or whether it is scattering into community groups that meet throughout the week.

And it is here, in this section of this letter, that we discover a timeless truth as to why it is essential for us as followers of Jesus to be consistently investing our time in a community group in that investing our time in a community group is essential because community groups provoke us to live like Jesus as we provoke others to live like Jesus.

Investing our time in a community group is essential because we are called as followers of Jesus to provoke one another to a life that approaches God with a state of complete certainty in our devotion to Jesus that is based on our confident trust in Jesus. Investing our time in a community group is essential because we are called as followers of Jesus to provoke one another to a life that places our confident trust in Jesus and places our allegiance in Jesus because Jesus is worthy of trust.

Investing our time in a community group is essential because we are called as followers of Jesus to provoke one another to a life that is marked by a selfless and sacrificial love that places others before self.  Investing our time in a community group is essential because we are called as followers of Jesus to provoke one another to a life that engages in actions that consistently reflect the character of Jesus and make a difference for Jesus. And investing our time in a community group is essential because we are called as followers of Jesus to provoke one another to a life that loves like Jesus and lives like Jesus.

That is what we are such big believers in community groups at the church where I serve. That is why we have as a goal that everyone who attends the church where I serve would be investing their time in a community group. Community is not optional. Community is critical, because what you do is not optional, it is critical.

We believe that the circles that are community groups are betters than the rows of corporate worship gatherings because transformational spiritual growth occurs in community with others where those supportive and encouraging relationships can be developed where people can take that next step in their relationship with Jesus wherever you are at in that relationship with Jesus. And, as a church, we believe that the earlier the better when it comes to community groups. That is why we have community groups for every age and stage of life as a church.

And here is the thing: If you wait to get in a community group until you need it, you will not have community when you need it. And when you are in close community as part of a community group, community is already there for you when you need them to be there for you. Community groups have the potential to keep you from getting off track when it comes to your relationship with Jesus and the relationships around you because somebody can see what you can’t see.

Community groups have the potential to resist the temptation to fail to remain connected with other followers of Jesus. Community groups have the potential to resist the temptation to abandon the idea of being in community that can provoke us to strive to live in a way that loves like Jesus and lives like Jesus so that we can be used by Jesus to bring others to Jesus.

So with all that in mind, here is a question to consider: When will you take the step to get into the community that you need the most by being a part of a community group? When will you take the step to get into the community as part of a community group that can provoke you to love like Jesus and live like Jesus?

Because, investing our time in a community group is essential because community groups provoke us to live like Jesus as we provoke others to live like Jesus…