Minister's Blog

Created for Community
Community is something that happens in every context. People cannot seem to do otherwise. We may write books and screenplays with characters that are loners and do not seem to need anyone, but none of us truly want to have that type of existence. We experience community in our families, workplaces, schools, clubs, sports teams, and basically anyplace we gather with others regularly. The depth of relationship within these communities varies based on the significance of what we hold in common. Within the body of Christ, we have a name for the common life we share. We call it fellowship. The fellowship we share in the body is based on the fellowship we have with the Lord Jesus.
John stated in 1 John 1:3, “what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ,” CSB. My recent studies in Romans 8 have led me to examine the union described by Paul so often as being “in Christ.” We actually share in, or are taken into, Christ’s life when we are born again. We have fellowship with the Father and with His Son by sharing in the life of Christ through the Spirit. This allows us to have fellowship with one another in a way that goes so far beyond community we may enjoy on a sports team, civic club, or even family units where other members are nonbelievers. The church shares a common life in the body, with Christ as the head. The Spirit is able to grant us the same mind, same corporate objectives, and ever deepening love for one another. If this is true, why do many of us neglect the gathering of the saints, and others testify that they do not feel like they fit in?
Family Worship
Beginning Sunday night, September 11 at 5:00 pm, we will be seeking to answer the question above. We are calling these Sunday evening meetings, “Family Worship.” These meetings will be designed to glorify the Lord through deepening unity, fellowship, and relationships. We will meet in the Family Life Center around the tables. Our first family worship time on September 11 will include the Lord Supper, the ordinance the Lord Jesus gave to us to celebrate the New Covenant we all share in Christ. We will be praying, singing, studying, and growing together. The outline for this study will come from Jerry Bridges True Community. I love Emmanuel and the fellowship we share, but we all know there is still room for growth in our understanding and appreciation of God’s design for the Body of Christ. Please pay close attention to all of the upcoming ministry events listed in our monthly newsletter and weekly worship bulletins. Fall is a busy time and we do not want you to miss a thing!