You were created for relationship with God. Through daily prayer and listening to His voice, you can experience the love and guidance He has for you.
We are a unified body of individuals where God has specifically gifted you with different talents and abilities than me so that when we come together, we have a better output than if everybody was just like me. That wasn't in my notes. So when you when you think of the word community, what do you think of? When you think of the different communities that you are a part of, what communities do you associate yourself with? Now there's 3 different perspectives.
Did some research. There's 3 different perspectives on community. Right? And so here's here's kinda the teaching part. There's the social perspective.
So who you identify with socially when if somebody else were to look at your life and look at the different groups that you hang out with your time, that you spend time with the most, who would they say that you are socially connected with, the communities that you are a part of? Right? Would they say that you're a part of you know, you're you're an integrated part of your workplace? Would they say that you're an integrated part of this friend group or that friend group? Would they say that you're an integrated part of the church?
Would they say that you're an inter what would they say that you are a part of socially? The social perspective. Then you have the virtual perspective. Right? If we were to look at your Internet history online or your phone history, what communities would would I say that you are a part of virtually?
Are you a part of this Facebook group or that Facebook group? What does your history show? Are you a part of Instagram or or or not an Instagrammer? Are you a part of Pinterest or not a Pinterest part of that community or or there's a new thing that that a lot of the the teenagers are getting into called TikTok. I don't understand it but okay.
But what virtual community are you a part of? Now when you get into the third 1, which is, I think, the most important because it influences the other 2. See, social the social perspective and the virtual perspective are all about what other people how other people perceive what communities you're a part of. Now the third 1 is the individual perspective. This is the perspective that influences the first 2 because the communities that we think we belong to, that's a part of the individual perspective.
Which ones we identify with? These are not the ones where we think we're outsiders, but everybody else thinks we're a part of that community. These are the communities that we think we're on the inside, the the communities that we feel comfortable being a part of. These are the communities that we always go back to. Our very life, our habits, and our lifestyle begins to take on the communities that we say we are integrated in, that we're the insider of.
I'll give you a good example. I think it's a good example. There's a community in the Tampa Bay area of of Tampa Bay Lightning fans. Are are you part of that community? Does anybody *love* the Lightning?
Yeah? We we got a couple. Well, if you know Mike and Angie Gabbard, every time that you see them, anytime that you get into conversation with them, you're going to hear about the lightning. Why? Because they identify themselves as part of the lightning fan group.
Right? They as a matter of fact, that because they're a part of that community, it impacts their daily habits, it impacts what they listen to, it impacts how they speak, it impacts even some of the people that they hang out with sometimes. You know, it it impacts their pocketbook. Right? Because if you look at their finances, they've reorganized and shifted some things so that they can more effectively be a part of the Lightning community.
Because they are there. Right? So because they identify with that, it impacts a lot of of of places of their life. But not only that, because they're so passionate about the community that they are a part of, it's almost like this gravitational pull. If you get around them because they speak about it so much, because they live it, the lightning community, you almost wanna go to a game with them.
Like, you're like, woah. You you almost you know, when you when you go and you see this lightning gear, you think about Mike and Angie, and you're like, maybe I could buy that. You know? You it's a draw into that community, the individual perspective. You get it?
So question. What groups of people, what community or communities do you identify with, do you consider yourself on the inside of, and how does that affect your life? Is it life giving, or is it life draining? And do you need a shift of your communities? Now the next part, I I talked with a someone who specializes in grammar just to make sure I was getting this right because I was a I was a mathematics major, not a English major in college.
But community, if we split it apart, you have the prefix com. I told you I'm gonna I'm flexing teacher today. The the prefix com, and then the root word is munity. That is an actual, like, old word. Com means with.
Munity means a privilege that is granted. So in any community, you're with people, and there's a privilege of being with those people in that community. Now it might be positive and it might be negative, but there's a privilege granted from being with those people. What is the advantage think about the different communities that you're a part of. What is the advantage of being a part of those communities?
And do we need to continue in that direction, or should we cut those communities out of our life and shift to more life giving communities where we can be a part and be influenced by them? So as people, we as people, individuals created by God, we are created to be in community with our creator. God created us to be in relationship, in community with the father, the son, and the holy spirit through because of Jesus, through the spirit, we're in relationship with the father. We are in that amazing community. Jesus said, me in them, god in us here and now, created to be in that community, and we are invited into that community.
Revelations chapter 22 verse 17 says this, the spirit and the bride say, come and let the 1 who hears say, come. Let the 1 who is thirsty come and let the 1 who wishes take the "free gift of the water of life". Come. Come. Come.
It's an invitation to be a part of the community that is the community of God. The free gift of the water of life. Who is the water of life? Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the father but by me.
Jesus is that life. The water of life is his spirit, which he fills us with. Jesus said in Matthew-11:28, come to me, all who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. It's an invitation to enter into community with him, and the privilege of being in community with Jesus is walking in a state of rest. Verse 29.
Says, take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will you will not maybe, not if. No. No. No. If you enter into community with Christ, you will find rest for your soul.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. What would it look like to go into every situation of life with rest for our soul? *Peace*. Jesus promised peace. All you who are burdened and heavy laden.
Do you feel burdened and heavy laden? Right? There's an amazing woman of god that's sitting in here. I think that that maybe she coined it or maybe she got it from somebody else. She said if it's heavier than light and it's easier than hard, then it's not from Jesus.
Think about that. It's heavier than light, and it's easier than hard, and it's not from Jesus. Do I mean that everything that you experience in life is gonna be easy and light? No. You're gonna you're gonna experience all kinds of hard stuff, all kinds of trials and situations.
But because we're in community with the god of the universe and his spirit is flowing through us, he is empowering us to walk through hard situations as if they were easy, to carry heavy burdens as if they were light because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It's the benefits of being in community with the god of the universe. *Rest*. What would it look like? See, it says "rest for your soul".
Your soul is your mind, your will, and emotions. What would it look like in every situation because you're in community with the god of universe, in every situation to have peace and rest in your mind no matter what circumstance. Like, it sounds almost too good to be true. What would it look like? Your your your your will, your go do it and get it done.
What would it look like to be able to go do it and get it done from a state of rest instead of a state of, oh my gosh. I gotta get this done, then I can rest. And your emotions, what would it look like for your emotions not to run haywire? Everything, it looks like something's out of your control because you realize you don't live life by your control anyway because you're in community with your father in heaven who is is there leading and guiding you, and you can trust him no matter what circumstance so you can put your emotions at rest and at peace because you know that he is with you. At night, every single night, I'll go into my living room.
It's after everybody goes to sleep. And I say this to encourage you, do the same thing. I go into my living room. I just close my eyes. My posture is I I put my hands kinda like this.
It's kinda like, god, here I am. Some people kneel on their knees. Some people sit down. Some people, you know, stand, whatever. But I'm just like, god, here I am.
What would you what would you say to me? And in that moment, I just feel his presence fill the room. And I and and from my spirit, I sense him say, I am with you. Every single night, I am with you. What else do I need?
Like, really? If he's with me in every circumstance and I have the God of the universe with me in every circumstance, the God that spoke me into existence. If we really trust him there, then why should we feel burdened and stressed? I'm Sticking there a little long. So what are the benefits?
What are what are some of the other benefits of this? I'm excited about this part. Another definition of community, there's multiple definitions if you look it up in Webster's dictionary. Right? You have what we said earlier, a unified body of individuals.
But this 1, it says, a body of persons or nations having a common history, common social interests, common political interests, and just a side note, I'm a citizen of the kingdom of heaven first. Amen. Yes, I'm a citizen of America but I'm a citizen of the kingdom of heaven first. First and foremost and my first political interest is what my king in heaven says. Amen?
And that shapes everything else. But common history, common social interest, be joint ownership and participation. So, another definition of community is joint ownership, joint participation. Question, how does that relate? Common history, common social interest, joint ownership, joint participation.
Let's go to Romans-8. I think, I think this might encourage you. Verse 14 says, for those who are led by the spirit of god are the children of god. The spirit you receive does not make you slaves so that you live in fear again. Again.
You know, most people experience fear in many aspects of their life. Fear of this, fear of that. It's that that burden that you feel that and it's because you think, man, I have to control this, and I have to control this. But, no, we didn't receive we're led by his spirit. And if we're led by his spirit, then he's responsible for the results.
We're just responsible for following his spirit in and through every moment of the day. We're responsible for being obedient. He's responsible for making all things happen for us. So we follow him in obedience. We don't have to walk in fear anymore.
I just feel like I I need to sit there for for a minute. Look, there is no fear in *love*. I get to do this prayer thing on a local TV station called CTN, Christian Television Network. And from time to time, I'm a fill in. They call me in, and and I get to from 12:30AM to 03:30AM, I get to take in calls from all over United States Of America and minister to them on TV.
They call in and they ask for prayer. And, you know, 1 of the most repeated things I say to people from Alaska to Florida, as I'm ministering to them, I say, hey. There is no fear in love. Fear is an epidemic, but we didn't receive a spirit that leads us into fear again. There's no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, for fear has to do with punishment.
No. See, we you are perfectly loved by the father in heaven, So you do not have to walk in fear anymore. You can walk in trust because god is with you no matter the circumstance. And when you trust, stress and worry who are just cousins of fear, when you trust him, you realize you don't have to stress or worry because you are following your father who has nothing but good plan for you. The fear, the stress, and the worry worry only come in when we think that we have to take control and when we feel out of control.
Feeling out of control is the best thing because we're trusting him. Okay. Done with the fear thing. So the spirit you received does not make you slaves so that you live in fear again. Rather, the spirit you received brought about your **adoption to sonship**.
Everybody say adoption. 1 more time. Adoption. Adoption. Good.
And in and by him, we cry, Abba, *father*. So Abba Abba is an Aramaic word that just means daddy. You know? It means dad. So that's the kind of relationship.
That's the kind of community. That's the kind of closeness that we are invited into because of Jesus. Not this distant god, but we're in invited into a relationship where a sonship where we can cry, daddy god. You're not estranged anymore if you receive Jesus. So I just wanna I wanna focus on this term rather the spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.
In my little cheap NIV Bible, there's a superscript there. A. Now, if you're reading the Bible or you're reading on your app and there's something like that, you can look down at the bottom where it says A and read exactly there's a little note there for adoption of sonship, what it means. So I look down and I read. It says, the Greek word for adoption of sonship is a term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male *heir* in the Roman culture.
So Paul's writing this letter to the Romans, and he's trying to get across a certain point. And in getting across a certain point, he uses something that he knows the Romans of that time will understand to its fullest extent. And so he uses adoption to sonship, this certain term. And so for us to understand what he's meaning and how he's meaning it, we have to understand what Paul was saying, what adoption to sonship in the Roman culture of that time meant. So I looked it up.
To understand the depth of what he's trying to convey here, we have to understand something, and I'm "patria potesta". You say that 3 times fast? You don't have to. I'm just kidding. Patria potesta.
What is that? That is, in Rome, the father's power over his family. See, a father had absolute power over his family. He had the power of life and death over his wife, over his sons, over his daughters, over his servants, over everyone connected with his family. The father had absolute power, and that power never went away as long as the father was alive.
Never. So the son might be 60 years old and the father 90. The 90 year old father, like, he didn't age out of it. He still has patria potesta. He still has absolute power there over his son, period.
If he says, kill him. He's done. Right? That kind of power. So adoption in the Roman culture was a very difficult and serious step because of the absolute control of the father.
Basically, the son was going from absolute control of 1 father to the absolute control of the adopted or the the father who's adopting him. Amen. He's getting it. There were 2 steps to this process. Number 1, the adopted father would do this huge ceremony to purchase the son from the other father using copper.
Okay? So he would literally and he would go through it and would take a couple times but he would he would literally purchase the son from the other father. Guess what Jesus did for us? Jesus is the son who was sent and died for us. He paid his blood to purchase us from the power of sin.
Number 2, after the son was purchased, the adopted father would then take the son to the local judge and would prove that he had purchased the son, and the judge would judge him. This is this is your child. Right? Well well, our our father in heaven has judged us as children of god because Jesus' payment was good enough to pay for us. Now if that's not good enough, there there's even more.
It gets deeper. There were 4 different consequences. 4 different consequences of being adopted in the Roman culture. And I think these 4 consequences will encourage you because these are the same consequences. Paul's trying to get this across so we would understand what it means to be adopted into God's family.
When we receive Jesus, we receive what he did for us. This is what happens to us. You ready? Number 1, it followed that the adopted person became heir to his new father's estate. Even if there were other sons who were blood relations, it did not affect his rights.
He was in inalienably a co heir with them. What that means for us in us being adopted into God's family is that all that is Jesus' is ours. We are co heirs with Christ. All of the the goodness that was attributed to Jesus is now attributed to us. All of the benefits of of Jesus being who he is is attributed to us because we are co heirs with him.
Jesus that's that's just good. What is another consequence of being adopted? Number 1 or another is the adopted person lost all rights to his old family and gained the rights of being a full and legitimate son of his new family. In the most literal sense and in the most legally binding way, he literally got a new father. That's what it means to be born again.
You're adopted into his family. Literally, you have a new father, born of god, no longer no longer born of this world, but we are new creations, new citizens of heaven because we have been adopted into a new community. What's another consequence of this? In the law, the old life of the adopted person now check this out. This is huge.
Ready? In the law, the old life of the adopted person was completely wiped out. For instance, legally, all debts were canceled. They didn't carry their old debts into the new relationship with the new family. They were all 100% canceled.
They were wiped out as though they had never been. The adopted person was regarded as a new person entering into a new life with which the past had nothing to do. You, if you've given your life to Jesus, are completely separated from your past. Has nothing to do with you anymore. You're new in him.
Once a drug addict, now a new creation. Once a prostitute, now pure. Once a sinner, now forgiven. Brand new now. Man, come on.
That's amazing. In the eyes of the and the fourth 1 is in the eyes of the law, the adopted person was literally and absolutely a son of the new father. That's I mean, so we are adopted into his family. Now another definition of community. So we have individuals who are united together.
Right? We have in the definitions of community, joint ownership, joint participation. We have which we saw with with Jesus. Let's see. What was the other 1?
0, a body of persons having a common history. See, if we are all adopted into Christ, our common history is completely wiped out. So our common history equals forgiven. Right? So then what's another definition of community?
Common character. This is from Webster's. Common character. *Matthew-7:16* through 19 says, by their fruit, you will recognize them. Right?
By the the the fruit, the results of their life, by their character, you will recognize them. Well, see, if we are children of God and we've been infilled with his spirit, the results of our life are 1 and the same. Galatians-5 talks about the fruit, the results of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, meekness, self control. Like, that is when you see someone who is following the spirit in their daily life, someone who is in relationship, understands that they're not cast out of community, but they're walking in community with the father in heaven because of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. You see that.
You see someone who's walking in love, in joy, in peace because they understand who they are and they understand whose they are and they understand all of the benefits that come with walking as a son or daughter. That's the community that you have either entered into or are being invited into. See, what happens is, like Mike and Angie with the lighting lightning, your speech begins to change. Your outlook on life begins to change. Your finances begin to change.
Everything in your life shifts because the community of God has you have identified yourself with them, and God has identified you with him because of Jesus. Every act so when people begin to get around you then, their social perspective of you shifts because what's happened on the inside is beginning to come out on the outside. If people were to see your your virtual history, their their their perspective of you shifts because what happens on the inside affects our activities on the outside. It affects the way that we speak. It affects the way that we walk.
It changes us. The more that we see who we are and whose we are. In John-17, Jesus literally prays for us to become more connected in community, and he literally prays. She's playing some dance music. *John-17*.
It's a good break. Comedic break right there. That was planned. In John-17, Jesus literally prays for you to become a part of the community and for the community to become more connected. Listen to this.
Jesus praying. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message that all of them may be 1, *father*, just as you are in me and I am in you. That's the kind of connectedness that we're talking about. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
See, when you understand that we that I I have I have god in me. I have Jesus in me, man. I have I have a holy spirit in me, but not only that, you have the holy spirit in you. And because of that, because I'm in community with god and you're in community with god, guess what? We're in community with 1 another closer than you think.
And as you understand how connected you are with him and that I have the same God in me that you have in you, if you've given your life to him, then you understand there should be no divisions between us. Because he takes away everything. When I look at you, I see a son of god. I see a daughter of the king. I see a sister in Christ.
I see a brother in Christ. I see part of my family. I don't wanna tear down my family. I wanna build you up. I wanna encourage you because we're connected because we're a part of the same community, the same family, the family of God.
Jesus prayed that we may be 1 because we understand who's in us and who's through us and who's leading and guiding us and a result of our connectedness of of being in that community is that the world believes. He's praying that the world would believe because we are so connected in him. If you came today and you felt more loved than you have in a in a long time, that is the result of community. And the more people that get connected and understand the closeness there, the more Clearwater will see the love of Jesus. Amen.
The most effective form of evangelism in the world is unity in the body of Christ. So if the most effective form of evangelism is unity, isn't the most effective form of for Satan to prevent that unity disunity? Isn't that the most effective thing to to prevent the world from knowing Jesus? So we have a charge by God to do whatever it takes to stay in community with him, but also to be in community with 1 another. In Ephesians listen to this.
*Ephesians-2*. Let me turn that down just a little bit. *Ephesians-2:19*. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household. See the family language there?
Built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him, you are being built together to become a dwelling place in which God lives in his spirit, by his spirit. Man, the more that we come together, the more that we stay connected and are connected and become more connected because of the relationship that we have we mutually have with him, the more that other people see his spirit in and through us, and it changes them from the inside out. So he gives us a charge.
Before I give that, I've been talking a lot about the benefits of being in community with God. And I, you know what? No, I'm a give this first. In Hebrews-10, in verse 23, it says this, let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess. For he who promised is faithful.
Now, if god is faithful because he promised all of these benefits that come with being a part of community with him. If god is faithful, then we know that we can have faith in him. Because he's faithful. So we can hold unswervingly. What would try to serve swerve you?
Circumstances that come, situations that come to make you think that god is not faithful because of this happening or because of this happening and make you try to take control instead of walking by the spirit. And when you try to take control and things feel out of control, guess what? You feel stressed and worried and fear again. But through the circumstances that seem to make it look like God is not there, we trust his word despite those circumstances and continue moving forward knowing that he is there despite our feelings in the moment. And guess what?
God always comes through. God always proves himself. He is faithful despite what our circumstances say. And eventually, our circumstances line up with his word. It's just part of relationship.
So we can hold unswervingly no matter what the road brings at us. We can stay the course because that's who we are in him and who he is in us. So, let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for we who or for he who promise is faithful. Now, check this out and let us consider how we may spur 1 another on towards love and good deeds. Man, I wanna be in a family that is constantly, not only are they thinking of how they can grow, but they're constantly thinking of how they can encourage me and spur me on to love and good deeds.
That's the kind of life giving community that I wanna connect myself with, become a part of, and so that others see that I'm a part of it and they're like, man, I want that. And let us consider how we may spur 1 another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up. Now this is listen here. Not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing. But encouraging 1 another and all the more, meet together even more, not less, more as you see the day approaching.
People are in the habit of giving up meeting together because of circumstances. But my family, I was taught growing up as a boy, this right here, man, no matter the circumstances, I'm gonna do whatever it takes so that I can meet together with my brothers and sisters in Christ. And no matter the circumstances, every single day, I'm gonna I'm gonna get along with Jesus, and I'm gonna spend some time, quote, unquote, Jesus got away to the mountaintop. It's my my personal prayer time. I'm a spend some time praying, getting in his word, and and growing in community with him.
And as I do, I'm growing in community with you guys, and there's something that you guys have in Christ that maybe I haven't seen yet. And so when you see me, you can encourage me and spur me on to good works. And if I don't stay in community with you, then I'm missing out on what God has put in you, and I'm not gonna grow like I should. So my encouragement is to get connected. 1, community with the father.
You're invited. If you're not in relationship with god, Jesus is inviting you to to start that relationship today. But number 2 is stay connected to a life giving church that can encourage you and spur you on and don't give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing. We are in covenant relationship with our god. We're in covenant relationship with our wife.
We're in covenant relationship with the body of Christ. Period. And so my encouragement, 1, is let's all just take a moment to close our eyes, bow our heads. I want to encourage you. I believe that there are some in here that you hear about this relationship, this community with God, and you've kinda been on the outside looking in.
You haven't totally said, you know what? I'm receiving what Jesus has done for me and all the goodness and all the amazing stuff, and you're just like, hey. I know that it's time for me to really consider myself to give my life to this thing and be a part of relationship with the God of the universe because I realized for the first time that he loves me, that he cares for me, and he wants to impact every aspect of my life in an amazing way.
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