The Key of Community
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:13-19
Jesus told us that it was HIS JOB to build the church! Our job is to learn how to use the KEYS that we might ENTER the Kingdom. As we focus on building heaven’s culture on the earth, He will build His church with us and around us.
What is the Kingdom?
The Kingdom is the realm that Jesus rules over in righteousness. (Hebrews 1:8-9) It exists uncontested in heaven, and our job is to invite it and establish it “on earth…”
The Kingdom is the realm of our truest citizenship. (Phil. 3:20)
The Kingdom has a culture that is antithetical to the earthly realm. (Romans 14:17)
The Kingdom has ALREADY come but is NOT YET fully here. We are living in the collision between 2 empires. One day, our King will return. His rule and reign will be established upon the earth for all to see.
How do we access the Kingdom?
1. First, we must be BORN AGAIN.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:9-13
Through faith, we receive Jesus as King and surrender to His rule. We transfer our allegiance to Him.
2. Then, we embark on a lifelong journey of learning how to USE THE KEYS.
Those who have been reborn through the blood of Jesus have had their citizenship transferred to the realm of heaven. We become ambassadors of this inbreaking Kingdom and get to spend our lives representing its culture and contending for its full manifestation. Discipleship is simply learning the culture of heaven and growing into spiritual maturity by learning to use the keys that Jesus gave us.
The Keys are spiritual truths. These keys are not carnal, earthly principles. They are heavenly, spiritual realities that we must learn to access by faith.
We find these keys in the teachings of Jesus. His sermons and His parables contain a treasury of Kingdom Keys that gives us access into the unshakable nature of His Kingdom.
The Key of Community
Surrender and allegiance to the King is a personal decision, but the decision knits you into a spiritual community that becomes ESSENTIAL for your journey of discipleship and your endurance through trials and temptations. The story of the new testament is not about individuals who persevered in faith and discipleship… It's about communities (called churches) surrendered to Jesus who are learning to establish heaven’s culture on earth TOGETHER.
Let’s look at 3 scriptural exhortations associated with the Key of Community. These exhortations are connected to warnings that highlight the perils of abandoning spiritual family.
1. ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER
See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. Hebrews 3:12-14
Warning: True believers can be deceived, hardened by sin, and eventually turn away from God.
Promise: Encouraging one another is a KEY that helps us endure to the end!
Practical: The word for “encourage” here is parakaleō. It means to “call to one’s side” or “summon” - it is closely connected to the word that Jesus uses for the Holy Spirit, who we know as the “Helper, Comforter and Advocate.” It is a call to HELP ONE ANOTHER, advocate for another, and draw near to one another for comfort, counsel, and strength.
Pitfall: ISOLATION is one of the spiritual strongholds over our city. This means that we will all feel an increased magnetic pull (or temptation) to pull away from one another and isolate ourselves. Proverbs 18:1 warns us that “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.” Don’t take the bait! Resist the devil! Draw near to God by drawing near to one another.
2. CONFESS YOU SIN TO ONE ANOTHER
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:5-10
Warning: Don’t hide your sin and deceive yourself.
Promise: “Walking in the light” leads to true fellowship that has a cleansing effect on our lives!
Practical: “Confess” means to “openly declare and proclaim” - be bold about exposing your sin! Sin grows in the dark, like mold. But THE LIGHT has a powerful, cleansing effect that kills impurity. When you humble yourself (literally humiliate yourself) by openly acknowledging your sin, it loses its powerful grip over your life. [Share my testimony about being completely delivered from immorality in college.]
Pitfall: Be wise about who you share your faults with. In the hands of the wrong people, your faults can be weaponized against you. Find a small trusted group of 2-3 people who you trust.
3. DO NOT FORSAKE YOUR GATHERING TOGETHER
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:19-25
Warning: “Neglect” in this passage means to forsake, abandon, or desert. True believers can get in the habit of “neglecting” or abandoning the rhythms of community that are meant to KEEP THEM IN THE FAITH through trials and tribulations. The Key of Community promises to keep your heart tender, to strengthen you through the comfort of others, and to cleanse your life from the bondage of sin. Of course satan would seek to pull people away from community and isolate them from the POWER OF THE BODY OF CHRIST.
Promise: The simple discipline of gathering with other believers connects you to the presence of Jesus. In His presence is joy, and His joy becomes our strength to ENDURE.
Practical: Keep showing up! It really is that simple. “Where two or more are gathered…”
Pitfall: Don’t let offense lead you to abandon the body of Christ! Let’s bring this very close to home. Many have left our fellowship over the past 6 weeks because of the disruption caused by conflict in the body of Christ. Rather than trying to assign blame and take sides, we should be concerned about where these precious people are going. Who is going to take care of them? Who is planning to pastor them? Sadly, this is a common story in the body of Christ. People withdraw from fellowship, decide they need to take a break from church, and slowly get comfortable in a place of isolation. Weeks can turn into months, and very slowly, people stop pursuing the Lord’s Kingdom altogether. It is a very real possibility that true, born again believers can fall away from the discipleship journey and not move on to spiritual maturity. It’s the spiritual version of the 30-year-old man who is unemployed, living in his parents basement and playing video games… something went wrong along the path to mature adulthood.
If you have a friend that has left fellowship, exhort them to find a new community quickly. If you truly love them, text them monthly until you know that they have reconnected somewhere where they can continue to grow spiritually. ISOLATION is a real trap that will shipwreck faith.
Beware of the “house church” excuse. We believe in house churches because we believe in the Scriptures. But there are 2 pitfalls here.
Those who lead house churches are often pushing back against “organized religion” or “leadership hierarchy.” The ironic thing is that some then become the new leader of the group and quickly realize the weight, pressure and responsibility of leadership.
Because this weight is often more than they anticipated or were prepared for, they eventually fizzle out. The house church stops meeting, and people get further scattered and isolated. It CAN work, but it OFTEN does not without proper oversight, support, commitment and accountability.
Lean in with your spiritual community. Help each other out. Confess your sins to one another. And most importantly, KEEP SHOWING UP. Keep gathering… somewhere.
Response
Father, where have I neglected the Key of Community?
How can I obey Your word this week?
Who have you put in my life that I can help?
Who have you put in my life that can help me?