From Pastor Tom - Getting Connected Matters
The world has never been more connected. Companies have laid millions of miles of fiber optics and shot satellites into space so that people can communicate with each other. People all around the world are texting each other on smart phones. Yet people feel more and more disconnected. We don’t feel nearly as connected to each other as people did a generation ago.
We were created for Relationship - In fact the first thing God said was, “It’s not good for man to be alone.” God said that humans were not made for isolation. We were made for connection. Why? We were created in the image of God. The Bible says God is love. And to love, you’ve got to have somebody to love.
The Bible says that that being spiritually connected means:
We’re built like a Building - “In Christ you are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God” (Ephesians 2:22 NRSV). We are meant to fit together like bricks in a new building. It’s essential that the parts of a building fit together. You aren’t safe otherwise because there’s no support. Likewise, those who aren’t connected to a church family in any meaningful way have no support. Life is tough. We all need the support of people who care about us.
We’re joined in a Body - “Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ’s Body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others” (Romans 12: 4-5 TLB). What Jesus Christ did when he was here in his physical body, he wants to do today through the church. We are the body of Christ on Earth. We are his hands. We are his feet. All of us have to play our part. Being part of the body of Christ means we are a part of something bigger than ourselves, and if we don’t play our specific part, the mission of the church is impacted.
We’re born into a Family - “I want you to know how people who are members of God’s family must live. God’s family is the church…” (1 Timothy 3:15 GW). This is my favorite metaphor for the church. Most people think that Christianity is a belief system. There are beliefs in Christianity, but it’s so much more. Christianity is a belong system. The Bible says we were born again into God’s family when we became a follower of Jesus. It also says that we’ve been adopted into God’s family. Because we are part of God’s family, we should accept one another and love one another.
We’re attached to a Vine - “Live in me, and I will live in you. A branch cannot produce any fruit by itself. It has to stay attached to the vine. In the same way, you cannot produce fruit unless you live in me" (John 15:4 GW). Being connected isn’t just a horizontal issue. It’s a vertical one as well. We need to be connected to God himself. Jesus says when we are connected to him it’s like being attached to a vine. Fruit not connected to a vine dies. It’s that simple.
Two new opportunities for getting connected are starting this month at APC.
1. Purpose Driven Life Bible Study Starting July 9th at 6:30 pm we will begin a study on the book - "The Purpose Driven Life". I will be teaching the study which will help us discover what God's purposes are for our lives.
2. Sit and Sew On July 19th starting at 9 am - Sit and Sew will be meeting in the Manse Hall. This is an opportunity to meet with others and work on your crafts or learn a new one. Quilting, Scrap-Booking, Knitting are just some of the crafts that you might want to share.
Let’s work together to stay connected.
Pastor Tom