Why is Christian Community Important?
Sermon Notes
Today we’re continuing our teaching series on a book of the bible called Romans. It’s a series about renewing your mind for the transformation of your life, and what we’re talking about specifically today is Christian community. We’re talking about why is Christian community important? As many of you know my father recently passed away, and we were supposed to celebrate Father’s Day together. I was planning on making him chicken piccata which is our favorite Italian dish, but he passed away just a few days before Father’s Day. We just had his memorial service this past week, and there are only 3 things that helped sustain my grieving heart. It’s my faith in Jesus, the support of my family, and the loving care of my Christian community. My family is very thankful for all the prayers, meals, loving care you showed us. It’s truly helped sustain our grieving hearts.
But being a part of a loving community like this isn’t just important in times of grief, it’s important for basic human growth and development. In fact many studies have shown that if an infant lacks something as simple as physical touch from a loving community, it’ll cause them to have less developed brains, lower IQ’s, an increased risk of depression and mental health issues. One researcher said, “It's now clear, that a caregiver's nurturing isn’t just good for the child’s development. It actually physically changes their brain.” But there’s also studies that are starting to discover the negative affects the digital world’s having on human growth and development. As our face to screen time is increasing, our face to face time with others is decreasing, which is creating an isolated society lacking social skills, emotional coping skills, and also an increase in things like loneliness, depression, suicidal thoughts, especially with teens. Harvard recently said,“This rise coincides with the release of the first iPhone.” My point is studies are constantly showing that a loving community is critical for basic human growth and development. The fact is we’re designed to grow in community not isolation, and so today we’re talking about the importance of Christian community. Let’s turn to Romans 16 and get into it. You’ll find Romans in the last quarter of the bible, and we’ll be in Romans 16:1-16. Title of today’s message is Why Is Christian Community Important? The big idea is Jesus creates community, and strengthens us through community...Jesus creates community, and strengthens us through community...
Here’s your context. Romans was written by the Apostle Paul who was a skeptic and enemy of Christianity, until 35 A.D. when he has an interaction with Jesus that changes his life, and he becomes a Christian. He writes this letter to teach others about Jesus and the gospel that transformed his life. In the first 11 chapters of Romans he focuses on the gospel and our vertical relationship with God, but in the last 5 ch’s he focuses on our response to the gospel and how God wants us to live in our horizontal relationship with others. Ch 16 is the final chapter, we’re breaking it down into 4 wks, and this week is about Christian community. So let’s check it out.
Romans 16:1-16 states, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe...” Something we’ll notice as we read Romans 16 is Paul mentions over 26 names. It’s kind of like the credits at the end of a movie, which we tend to dip out on unless there’s a preview for a sequel at the end. Well in this case we need to be careful not to dip out on the credits, on these 26 names, because we can learn a few things from these names. You probably won’t learn too many cute baby names from this list, since most are names like Ampliatus which sounds like a virus, or Narcissus which sounds like you’re calling your baby egocentric. So we won’t learn too many cute baby names here, but we can certainly learn a few things from these names, especially as it relates to Christian community. The 1st name Paul mentions is a woman named Phoebe, and here’s what he says about Phoebe.
Again vs. 1, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae. 2 So you should welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help. For indeed she’s been a benefactor of many, and of me also.” So Phoebe’s the 1st of roughly 8 women Paul will mention in this text, which is an extremely high number for ancient civilizations. In ancient civilations they didn’t mention the significance of women much since they were patriarchal societies, but Christianity changed that like we’re seeing here. Paul mentions 8 women showing the significance of women in ministry, and he trusted Phoebe so much, that scholars say he gave her the task of delivering this letter to the Christians in Rome. He says she was a servant of the church, meaning she served as a faithful volunteer in the church. She didn’t just come to church saying “How can the church serve me? How can the church help me?” She came saying “How can I serve the church? How can I help the church?” Paul also says she was a benefactor of many, including to him, which means she was wealthy enough to help the church financially and to fund Paul’s ministry as a missionary. Scholars say she either inherited a large amount of wealth, or she was a wealthy businessperson, a successful business leader. But regardless of how she became wealthy, the point is she used her skills and wealth to serve and support the church community and ministries. Some people want to serve and not give their wealth, others want to give their wealth and not serve. But Phoebe was willing to both serve and give her wealth to support the church community and ministries.
Vs. 3, “Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches.” The next set of names Paul mentions is Prisca and Aquila, which is a married couple mentioned in other parts of the bible. Paul says they’re his coworkers in Christ, and they risked their necks for him. We don’t know what happened, we just know they risked their lives to save his life. We also know in Acts chapter 18 they opened their home for ministry, they helped grow the faith of a man named Apollos, and Apollos became one of the greatest preachers in the 1st century. Christian community is about loving each other so deeply, that we’re willing to open our homes to each other, even risk our lives and make sacrifices for each other like Prisca and Aquila.
Vs. 5, “Greet also the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who is the first convert, to Christ from Asia., 6 Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews, and fellow prisoners. They are noteworthy in the eyes of the apostles, and they were also in Christ before me.” Notice how often Paul’s greeting people. He uses the word greet 18 times in vs 1-16. There’s a few times where he’s greeting an entire church or an entire household, but he’s mostly greeting people personally by name. Two of the people he’s greeting are Andronicus and Junia. They were fellow Jews and prisoners who came to faith in Christ before him. He says they loved Jesus so much, they were willing to go to prison together for the sake of sharing the message of Jesus with others. They were willing to sacrifice their freedom in this life, so others could enjoy freedom with Jesus in eternal life.
Vs. 8, “Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my dear friendStachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those who belong to the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. 12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord.”Paul uses the phrase my dear friend 3 times here, and a better translation of the Geek is my beloved. Combine this with all the repetitive personalized greetings, and what Paul’s doing is expressing how much he really cares about them. He calls them beloved, which is something spouses need to hear from each other, kids need to hear from their parents, everybody needs to hear from Jesus. Above everyone else we need to hear we’re beloved by Jesus, because Satan’s constantly telling us we aren’t beloved. He’s constantly whispering lies telling us Jesus doesn’t love us, he doesn’t forgive us, or if something bad happens in our lives he tells us Jesus doesn’t really care about us. But if Jesus didn’t love us, forgive us, care about us, he wouldn’t have gone to the cross for us. He goes to the cross for us because he loves us! In John 15 Jesus says there’s no greater love than this, that you lay your life down for your friends, which is exactly what he did for us on the cross. He laid his life down for us on the cross, and calls us his beloved friends.
Vs. 13, “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.” Scholars believe it’s very possible Rufus is the son of Simon of Cyrene, which is the guy who helped carry Jesus’ cross. Mark 15:21, “They forced a man coming in from the country who was passing by, to carry Jesus’s cross. He was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.” It’s very possible this is the same Rufus, which means Simon most likely came to faith in Jesus after carrying the cross, and so did his wife and kids. Paul even says that Rufus’ mother was like a mother to him too. It’s because Christian community is supposed to be like this, it’s supposed to be like a family. We’re supposed to love and care for each other like a family.
Vs. 14, “Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send you greetings.” He tells them to greet one another with a holy kiss, which would be awkward for us here in the United States. The only people who might like that are single guys looking for a future bride. Outside of that, most of us aren’t running around looking to give each other a holy kiss. So what kind of greeting is this? What’s the meaning of a holy kiss back then? The 1st thing to realize is Paul calls it a holy kiss, which separates it from an unholy kiss. The kiss of adultery is an unholy kiss. The kiss of death and betrayal like Judas did to Jesus is an unholy kiss. What Paul’s talking about is a holy kiss on the cheek as a way of greeting and welcoming each other. In countries like the U.S., Canada, or Europe we greet each other by shaking hands. In a lot of Asian countries they greet each other by bowing. In Paul’s context they greeted each other with a holy kiss on the cheek like you see in a lot of Middle Eastern countries today.
The 2nd thing to realize is this was common for them. It was a way of expressing family like affections for each other, like a parent hugging and kissing their child. But the reason Paul says it here, is because he’s making a point that their love for each other should be expressed with actions not just words. He’s making a point that the love of Christian community should be expressed with actions not just words. We need to remember that love is a verb, which requires actions...Love is a verb, which means it requires actions...The holy kiss is just one of many ways they expressed their love for each other with actions not just words. This is what makes Christian community so important, it’s that it helps us put our love in action. What we see in Romans 16 is that Christian community helps us put our love in action. It can help us put our love in action by:
#1 Uniting together, instead of pulling apart = We can keep uniting together in Christ, instead of being pulled apart by our differences. These 26 names Paul mentions consists of men and women, Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, prominent and prisoners, all uniting together under the one name Jesus. All 26 names are uniting together under the one name Jesus. Christian community is important because it can keep uniting us in a society that keeps pulling us apart. Our society keeps pulling us apart based on things like gender, race, economics, politics, but every time we gather together as a community like this it fights against that. It’s a declaration that Jesus saves us, pulls us together, unites us together, so we can love each other as a family.
#2 Carrying burdens together, instead of alone = Christian community helps us put love in action by carrying burdens together, instead of alone. Paul mentions he received support from Phoebe, Prisca, Aquila, and so many others. It’s what should happen after Jesus unites us and we start viewing each other as a family. We should be carrying each other’s burdens, making our burdens a little lighter and more manageable, than if we’re carrying our burdens on our own. Some burdens are way too heavy for you to carry on your own, but some of you are trying aren’t you?...Some of you are trying to carry your burdens on your own, and it’s crushing you!...Jesus gives us the Christian community as an incredible gift so we don’t have to carry our burdens on our own. It’s a gift of grace he’s given to help lighten our burdens so we aren’t crushed by our burdens. Losing my father was a very heavy burden to carry, but as I said this church community helped lighten that burden. There will always be days where it feels like you’re ready to break, but Jesus gives us Christian community to help us so we don’t ever fully break...
#3 Growing in love together, instead of in isolation = Christian community helps us to keep growing in love together, instead of in isolation. Just like a baby’s growth gets hindered without a loving community, our growth gets hindered without a loving community. Paul’s one of the greatest Christian leaders in history, yet even he shares the names of people who impacted his life in a loving Christian community. In fact you can’t even live out most of Jesus’ teachings in isolation. Jesus says in John 15:12, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” You can’t love one another in isolation. You can’t love one another like Jesus loved us, from a distance. Jesus didn’t shout his love from a distance in heaven, he displayed his love up close on a cross. So Christian Community is important because it can help us grow in loving one another, as Christ loved us. Paul mentions 26 names in Romans 16, and he says some special things about all of them. But people can’t know your name, they can’t get to know you personally, if you aren’t connected and committed to growing in community instead of isolation.
The big idea is Jesus creates community, and strengthens us through community...There are many more reasons why Christian community is important than this, and next week I’ll talk about the importance of Christian community when dealing with Satan and the demonic. But the point is Jesus gives us Christian community as a gift, and salvation through faith in Jesus is at the center of that gift. The feelings Paul has for the 26 names mentioned are driven by his salvation in Jesus. It’s like a cave collapsing on some miners hundreds of feet underground. While trapped underground, their families are praying above ground. But when they’re finally rescued, when they’re finally pulled above ground, they all start hugging and celebrating with their families.
Christian community is supposed to be like that. We’re supposed to be concerned about each other when we’re struggling, but also hugging and celebrating as a family that we’ve been rescued. We should be hugging and celebrating as a family that we’ve been rescued by Jesus from the depth and darkness of hell. Jesus rescued us, he gathered us together in this Christian community to celebrate our new life in Christ, and to love each other as a family. We aren’t stuck in the mine shaft, stuck in the depth of hell anymore. We’ve been rescued, forgiven of our sins, eternally greeted and beloved by our savior Jesus. So let’s celebrate our new life in Christ, and love each other as a family like Christ. Let’s love one another, in Christian community.
Communion
Communion is a chance to celebrate our great rescue together. It’s a reminder that Jesus died for our sins on the cross, and united us as a family. If you don’t believe he died for your sins, then please refrain from taking communion so you don’t go through the motions of this. Instead use this time to reflect on the message, and consider asking Jesus to forgive your sins, to make you a part of his eternal family, so you can enjoy eternal life in heaven with him...As the elements are being passed let’s take a few minutes to prep our hearts and for those at home to prep their tables. Let’s pray asking Jesus to forgive our sins, thank him for dying for our sins, and ask him to help us love one another in this Christian community, just as he loved us,
On the night Jesus was betrayed he took some bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it saying “This is my body which is to be broken for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you eat it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done for you.” When supper ended he took the cup, blessed it, gave thanks for it, and said “This is a symbol of my blood which is to be shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you drink it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done.” City Awakening let’s eat, drink, worship Jesus for rescuing us and giving us community.