1. Christ is Lord - Community Life
Welcome to our class on Christ is Lord - Community Life!
Now that we have studied the importance of having Christ as Lord of our personal lives, we need to think about what it means to have Christ as Lord of our Christian family or community. Through this class, we will look at how being part of a community of believers is a vital part of God’s plan for each of us as His children, what a Christian community should look like, and how God uses believers living in community as part of His greater purpose to build up His church.
Christ is Lord - Community Life

2. Community Life
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)
This is our class key verse. Let’s read it together.
Jesus gave this command to His disciples after He showed His love for them at the last Passover by washing their feet. This is one of the final commands Jesus gave to His disciples before He went to the cross. During such a critical time, Jesus was concerned about how His disciples would relate to one another once He went to be with His Father.
Jesus did not want his disciples to scatter, living isolated lives. In fact, He commanded them to love one another. To do this, they needed to stay together; they needed to continue to be an integral part of each other’s lives. You can’t love someone you don’t spend time with. Here, Jesus is establishing the foundation of Christian community. Christian community is rooted in love.
Rooted in Love

3. The Beginnings of Christian Community
God establishes a community for Himself.
1“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’” (Genesis 12:1-3)
God’s community on earth is meant to glorify Him.
12“When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12,13)
How and why did God establish Christian community? Let’s read Genesis 12:1-3 together.
The concept of Christian community is not new. It can be found as far back as in Genesis chapter 12, when God began His plan of establishing a godly community for the purpose of influencing the world, by calling one man, Abram. What God asked of Abram wasn’t easy; to claim God’s promise he had to obey God practically by leaving everything familiar, his country, people and father’s household, to follow Him to an unknown place, in faith. God required Abram’s love, obedience and sacrifice. In return, He blessed Abram beyond what we can imagine, not only with the privilege of becoming God’s friend and the parent of a single child and heir, but by using Abraham’s obedient faith as the seed from which the godly nation of Israel was formed. God claimed this nation or community for Himself; although it was an imperfect community, God loved, led and used Israel to reveal Himself to the world with each generation, culminating in the fulfillment of His plan to send Jesus, as our Messiah.
Now let’s read 2 Samuel 7:12,13
Generations later, God confirmed His promise to Abraham through His servant, David, who was known for being a man after God’s own heart. In 2 Samuel 7:12,13 God promised that He would establish an eternal kingdom through David’s line, a promise that was fulfilled in Jesus. This promise helped to sustain Israel’s hope during the dark periods of its history when the nation suffered in exile while God was silent.
Through these verses we learn that community is established by God and for God. It is meant to expand, grow and transcend from this world to the next.

4. An Example of Christian Community
The very first Christian community.
41“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to their number that day. 42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.” (Acts 2:41-43)
Now let’s take a look at a great New Testament example of Christian community. Let’s read Acts 2:41-43 together.
Acts chapter 2 gives us a good snapshot of what a true Christian community should look like. This fellowship of believers was established at Pentecost, following Jesus’ resurrection, when the disciples, who were filled with the Holy Spirit, preached the gospel in Jerusalem, and about 3,000 people from all over the world heard the message and accepted Christ as Lord of their lives.
Many of these new believers were far from home. They knew very little of Jesus, His teachings and the faith that they had embraced. There was no Bible house or church building for them to meet in or sleep in. These new believers must have been very different. They had different cultures and customs, different foods; in fact, most likely the only thing that they did have in common, was their faith. But God used their faith to bring them together into this first Christian community.
From the above verses, we see that these believers devoted themselves to 3 things: the apostles’ teaching / fellowship (word of God), the breaking of bread (communion) and prayer. The result was a vibrant, Christ-centered community of love, unity and service.

5. Fruits of Living in Christian Community
Fruit 1: We grow in Love.
Love must be our foundation.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)
What should a Christian community look like and what kinds of fruit should it bear? Let’s read John 13:34.
The first fruit or foundation of such a devoted community is love. John 13:34 is a command. Love starts with Jesus. We can love one another, only because Jesus first loved us.
As a community, we can do many things (acts of service). But without love as the foundation, it’s all meaningless and can’t be sustained. We can’t be united or continue serving one another if we don’t love each other. We’ll eventually go our own way and / or stop serving due to lack of love. Instead of it being a willing offering, it’ll just be a tiring duty.
Selfless or sacrificial love isn’t found in this world. It is what sets God’s family apart and gives people a glimpse of God’s unconditional love. Also, godly love isn’t always a feeling. It’s a decision or choice, which results in acting in love toward another person.
Example: 1 to 1 Ministry
It takes commitment to get involved in people’s lives and to let them into your life. Time consuming (have to prepare, study with the person, give them rides, advice, etc.)
It can sometimes be uncomfortable (or even frustrating!) when people’s sin problems surface.
In involves patience, humility and sacrifice; utter dependence on God.
It means loving unconditionally, learning how to give more of myself for Jesus’ sake.
There is NO personal gain! This is godly love.

6. Fruits of Living in Christian Community
Fruit 2: We grow in Unity.
42“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.” (Acts 2:42-43)
Unity within the Christian community:
Begins with a common devotion to Christ (Acts 2:42)
Occurs only through the work of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:43)
Our Acts chapter 2 example of New Testament community is a great passage for examining the importance and beauty of unity in the church. Let’s look at Acts 2:42-43 and see what enabled these early Christians to be united and how God blesses a united church. Let’s read verses 42 and 43.
Unity within the Christian community:
Begins with a common devotion to Christ:
Devotion means making a clear and conscience decision of commitment.
A Christian community should be devoted to: the apostles’ teaching / fellowship (Bible study), breaking of bread (communion) and praying together.
The reason they could be so united is because they had these 3 common devotions. Also, it can be very easy to be devoted to the wrong things, or to different things individually.
It’s important to note that their first devotion was to the word of God.
Occurs only through the work of the Holy Spirit:
In their devotion, they created an environment for the Holy Spirit to work as He wills.
The power and working of the Holy Spirit was evident in their community.
In reality, only through the Holy Spirit can we be united.
Example: Small church ministry
Our church is very diverse. Different cultures, generations, gender, etc.
Because we are a small church, everything gets done thru volunteering.
Overflo committee is made up of 5 young guys with different ideas, not always seeing eye-to-eye.
Each of us wanting our own way could be a big problem and cause a lot of division.
Because we are all devoted to the same goals, which are to follow Jesus and discern how to best share the Word of God, we can overlook our differences and work together.
We’ve gotten to know, appreciate and utilize each other’s strengths and cover each other’s weaknesses.
The same could be said for all of our small groups.

7. Fruits of Living in Christian Community
Fruit 2 (continued): We grow in Unity.
46“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:46-47)
Unity within the Christian community:
Involves selflessness and sacrifice (Acts 2:46)
Becomes a testimony to the world (Acts 2:47)
Is this the kind of church you would like to belong to? How beautiful and meaningful such a church can be!
Verses further describe the beauty of unity in this New Testament church. Let’s read these verses together.
Unity within the Christian community:
Involves selflessness and sacrifice:
They spent time together.
People were moved to sacrifice for the sake of the body.
People opened their homes, shared with one another.
Becomes a testimony to the world:
The fruit of their unity was praise to God, enjoying the favor of the people.
God was glorified.
He added to their number daily.
Example 1: Small groups
Helps us to spend time in God’s word and in prayer together outside of Sunday service.
Overflow (college), Purity mtg (young men), Women’s mtg, Men’s mtg.
Includes times of praise, Bible study, prayer and fellowship.
Not only for existing members, but also provides a place for new people to come and experience Christ through our Triton community.
Example 2: Common Life / House Church ministry
Church is not just a once a week activity, but a way of life.
Common life: Shepherd’s or shepherdess’s apartment.
House church: For families, this is deciding to open your home to serve God’s work. This could be in housing a Bible student or young leader, opening your home for a group Bible study, prayer or fellowship time.

8. Fruits of Living in Christian Community
Fruit 3: We grow in Serving Each Other.
13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:13,14)  
16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)
Service within the Christian community involves:
Bearing with and forgiving each other (Col. 3:13,14)
Serving one another in prayer (Ja. 5:16)
Wow! Serving our brothers and sisters in Christ isn’t easy! In fact, we can only do these things by God’s grace, when there is a foundation of love and a spirit of unity.
Colossians 3:13,14 and James 5:16 gives us a good description of how we should serve one another. Let’s read these verses together.
Serving within the Christian community involves:
Bearing with and forgiving one another.
Serving each other in prayer.
Bearing with, forgiving and praying for others isn’t easy. It involves having a humble attitude and caring for their needs above our own. At times it can mean submission or sacrifice. Sometimes it can feel like dying, and it is a type of dying, to our pride, self-righteousness and selfishness. At times we are tempted to count the cost. But, as we grow in serving, we also grow in the heart and image of Jesus who humbled Himself and washed His disciples’ feet.
Example 1: Deciding to love 1 person (bearing & forgiving)
There was 1 person that was very different from me that I could not love.
Because both of us were very strong women, it was causing a lot of division and friction in the church.
At first I tried to ignore this person, but she was deliberately doing things to hurt me.
Through Bible study, the word of God challenged me to love this person. (I didn’t feel like it and didn’t want to do this at first.)
As I prayed, God spoke to my heart and showed me that even though I wasn’t big enough to love this person, He was big enough to love her so much that He died for her as well as for me.
God showed me that in order to love this person, I had to learn to serve her; humbling myself to put her needs above my own.
As I stepped out in obedience to pray for and serve this person, God did a work in my heart and I was able to forgive and eventually love her.
He helped me to see beyond my own hurts, to see and understand her struggles and to accept her with His love.
This person became one of my dearest friends and coworkers until this day.
Example 2: Serving one another in prayer
Allowing ourselves to be trusting and vulnerable enough to share our struggles and prayer needs with others.
Not only expecting prayer support, but being concerned to carry others’ needs before God in prayer. (ie. Praying for S. Teddy / Sunday message, etc.)

9. Why Christ Must be Lord of our Community
Christ is the head of the body.
17“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” (Colossians 1:17-18)
He is the source of our strength.
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)
So, how can we grow as a community that reflects God’s heart of love, unity and serving; a community that glorifies Him and is a testimony of His love to the world? We need Christ’s power and strength to maintain community. Let’s read Colossians 1:17,18.
Christ needs to be Lord of our community. We can lose some parts of the body and still be alive / function, even if function is limited. The head is vital; the body ceases to live without the head. Christ leads the church. He is in charge of the church’s growth / well-being. To be a healthy community, Christ must remain the source of our identity and the center of all we teach and do.
How can we do this?
Philippians 4:13 reads: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” The truth is, we can’t sustain a God-honoring community by our own strength. It is impossible to love God or to love one another selflessly. This is only possible when Christ is our head and we submit ourselves to Him.

10. Why Is It Necessary to be Part of a Christian Community?
First, it should be our response to God’s love.
19“We love because he first loved us. 20Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” (1 John 4:19-21)
“He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10:27)
Why is it necessary for a Christian to be part of a Christian community? Perhaps the most important reason for being part of a Christian community or church is that this is God’s will for us. Let’s read 1 John 4:19-21.
As we discussed earlier, God works through community, and loving our brother or sister in Christ is not possible without community. This shows how high of a priority Christian community is on God’s list. According to 1 John 4:19-21, loving our brother or sister in Christ should be our natural response to God’s love for us. 1 John 4:20 goes so far as to say that “...whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” The reality is that we can’t love God properly if we withhold or exclude ourselves from Christian community.
Let’s read Luke 10:27. God’s command to love our neighbor as ourselves is second only to His command that we love Him. Such dedication and commitment seems foreign in an individualized world where even human family ties are tenuous at best. But Jesus’ love for us is total and complete, going way beyond the conditional, situational love that is familiar to this world. It is this kind of love that God wants us to have for Him and for each other in Him.

11. Why Is It Necessary to be Part of a Christian Community?
Second, it encourages personal and reciprocal growth.
24“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24,25)
Don’t wait for 6 strong men to take you to church!
Another reason for being part of a Christian community or church is that it encourages personal and reciprocal growth. Let’s read Hebrews 10:24,25.
When Jesus began His ministry, He chose to call and commit Himself to living with His disciples. They studied the Bible, prayed and ministered together. They also shared many ordinary moments together like eating, sleeping and and traveling. Jesus knew each of His disciples intimately, and because they shared each others’ lives, they grew to know Him and each other intimately as well. They got to know the “real” person; their greatnesses and weaknesses. They laughed together, cried together and most likely fought together. There were misunderstandings and hurt feelings. But, because these disciples loved and were committed to Jesus, there were also plenty of opportunities to grow in virtues like grace, forgiveness, humility, empathy, self-denial and sacrifice. By God’s design, this community became a training ground, helping the disciples not only to experience Jesus’ unconditional love, but to learn how to become more like Him by practicing this kind of love, first toward their brothers in Christ, and eventually to the world.
Another essential outcome of Christian community is that it encourages us and keeps us accountable. “To spur one another on” means to urge or encourage to go faster. In this case, we have the responsibility to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ toward love and good deeds, as well as to allow ourselves to be encouraged by them toward the same goals.
Meeting together regularly is essential to a healthy Christian community. Today there are so many sources of information; internet, TV, radio, etc. that we can easily customize our worship and Bible study experiences to suit our time and schedules, without ever having to set foot in a church or interact with other people. This contributes to a self-centered mentality that faith is a “personal” or “private” matter. Attempting to grow in personal faith without the encouragement and accountability that an active Christian community provides, often results in our faith becoming stagnant.

12. Why Is It Necessary to be Part of a Christian Community?
Third, God uses His church to show His love to the world.
The church community should be a place where believers and non- believers can receive love, healing and care.
Our church community should be a picture of the kingdom of heaven.
God uses His communities as His means to reach the world. As we said earlier, community was created by God and for God. It is His way of giving us a small taste of His perfect community, the kingdom of heaven, which should be our hope.

13. What Happens When Christ Is Not Lord of a Community?
The community loses connection / direction.
“They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.” (Colossians 2:19)
Love for self and the world grows.
15“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16For everything in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - comes not from the Father, but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)
What happens when Christ is not Lord of a Community? Let’s read Colossians 2:19.
When Christ ceases to be Lord of a community, it loses connection / direction. We go our own ways. We become disjointed; there is a lack of love, unity, etc. We become selfish, looking only to our own interests, rather than those of the body. We cease to glorify God and begin to glorify self.
[There is a danger that a church no longer has Christ as the Lord of its Community, deteriorates into a worldly secular church]
Let’s read 1 John 2:15-17.
Love is like a fire; when its not fed, it goes out. When Christ ceases to be Lord of our personal life (or community), we begin to feed our love for the world and this love grows until it consumes us.
One of the things Satan does best is to distract God’s people so that we gradually lose the point or focus of our community. Remaining in community is important, but it is even more important that Christ remains the center or Lord over our community.

14. Participating in our Triton UBF Community
Our Triton ministry is a beautiful community of love, unity and service. Below are just a few of the many ways that you can be a part of our Triton family.
Meetings / Events
Sacraments *
1 to 1 Bible Study
Baptism
Group Bible Study
Communion
Sunday Worship Service
Overflow – College Ministry
JBF / CBF – Teen / Kids Ministry
Conferences
House Church / Common Life
God has blessed our Triton ministry to be a spiritual family. There are so many beautiful stories of faith and sacrifice upon which our ministry was founded and has grown. Our foundation of 1:1 Bible study results in deep friendships and mentoring opportunities. We strive to be like the early Christian church in Acts chapter 2, a community devoted to the apostles’ teaching / fellowship (word of God), the breaking of bread (communion) and prayer. We are not perfect, but we want to grow to be more like Jesus, maturing in love, unity and servicing, opening our hearts, lives and homes to one another and the world in obedience to God’s commands.
Please take this opportunity to join or re-commit yourself to this precious community of faith.
* Sacraments are sacred rites ordained by Christ and should be undertaken with the proper attitude and spirit of worship.

15. Q&A ?