Bible Text: 1 Peter 4:1-11 | Preacher: Pastor Steve | Series: Mighty in His Power
Building Up Our Community
Reaching Out Into Our Community
9 Signs Your Life Is Getting out of Control
You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three
You text your son to let him know it’s time to eat. He Face Times you back from his bedroom, asking you what’s for dinner?
Your daughter sells Girl Scout Cookies via her Facebook page
You text several times a day with a friend who lives in Florida, but you haven’t spoken with your next-door neighbor yet this year
Your grandmother clogs up your e-mail inbox asking you to send her a JPEG file of the kids so she can create a screen saver
Your reason for not staying in touch with your family is that they are not on Facebook
You consider second-day air delivery painfully slow
You hear most of your jokes via texts and messaging instead of in person
You’re laughing at this
1 Peter 4:7-11 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.  And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.  Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ…
We Are Better Together!
We will live life better in a healthy community!
Commitment to our community is what leads us towards health, holiness and wholeness.
1 Peter is emphasizing COMMUNITY
1 Peter 1:22 Love one another fervently with a pure heart
1 Peter 3:8 …all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another
1 Peter 4:8 And above all…have fervent love for one another
1 Peter 4:9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling
1 Peter4:10 …minister it to one another
1 Peter 5:5 …all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility
1 Peter 5:14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 4:7-9
Be serious and watchful in your prayers.
Live each day as though Christ could return TODAY.
Keep a clear head; clean head!
Stay disciplined and alert in prayer.
Showing deep love for each other is our priority.
…love will cover a multitude of sins
Mutual love, support & encouragement provides strength.
…Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength… …love your neighbor as yourself
The covering of sins is the ability that believers have to forgive one another because Christ has forgiven them.
…Be hospitable to one another…
In 2014, the estimated number of people in the U.S. who are defined as “churchless”—meaning they have not attended a Christian church service, other than a special event such as a wedding or a funeral, at any time during the past six months but call themselves Christians—stands at 156 million (out of 318 million) U.S. residents.
The Church Today is in REAL Trouble!
We are becoming DISCONNECTED and DISENGAGED from one another.
Relationship is the breath of human development.
Jesus established the Biblical Relational Mandate.
The fact is there can be no maturity in the spiritual life, no obedience in following Jesus, no wholeness in the Christian life, apart from commitment and participation in community. I cannot really be myself by myself!
Romans 12:5 Since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other and each of us needs all the others.
Being in a community is safer.
Being in a community is supportive.
Being in a community is smarter.
Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.
The Basic Laws of Relationships
Proverbs 15:22 Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many counselors bring success.
People will take on the attitudes, traits and behaviors of those they spend the most time with.
Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise will become wise; whoever walks with fools will suffer harm.
Philippians 2:5-11 Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form.   And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross. Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (NLT).
Breakthrough Will Come When We Break Out Of Isolation!
And the LORD God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.
I need you and you need me…
We are partners in life’s journey!
Living as a biblical community will bring out our best!