the kids are dismissed I'm sorry if you could stand for the reading of God's Word Hebrews chapter 3 in verse 12 Hebrews chapter 3 verse 12 and brother Tom is going to read for us this morning the book of Hebrews and I will get there I'm already shaking it because I can't find Hebrews you can either read here or read here Hebrews chapter 3 verse 12 starts take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief departing from the living God but absorb exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. While it is said today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke, albeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you Lord for the strength of your scripture. And I pray Father as we look into it, Lord, just give us something we can take home with us. But I pray Father, if there's someone here this morning that don't know you as Lord and Savior, may they call upon you for salvation or even online. And I pray Lord for God's people this morning. The message will be an encouragement to them as we go on serving you each and every day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. You may be seated. So we are called to community. That's the title of the message this morning. Somebody... Thank you. I'll get an extra bottle of water here. Thank you. For the sake of introduction here this morning, and I want to talk to you as a man of our church, if you want to come up here on Sunday morning and read the scriptures. Started with Brother Tom this morning. and I will put you in a rotation and I would like that to happen if you I know some people are kind of a little people shy and they have a hard time I understand that but if it's yeah I understand I'm listen I don't want to put you in the spot if it's something you're comfortable with you know I want to use you I want you to come up here and read God's Word okay so the mission of East Bay Baptist Church is this is to glorify God by worshiping Him that celebration loving our neighbor community, sharing the gospel, communication, and growing in Christ-like cultivation. So this is the reason why we exist as a local church. We are here to worship God, to love our neighbor, to share the gospel, and to grow in Christ-likeness. That is what we are all about as a church. If you are not part of this body of believers and curious about what we are or what we're about, let me tell you what we're about. Some people are asking this all the time, okay? We teach and preach from the KJV Bible, okay? We sing the old hymns of faith and use special music both individually and as groups such as the Pioneers. We are a Bible-believing church. We are not a contemporary church. We do not believe in Calvinism. We are a church that loves Jesus and loves people. That is us. That is who we are. And sometimes if the pastor didn't greet me, please forgive me. Sometimes you're busy doing other things and you miss on that. But let me tell you, I try to reach to you as much as I can. I try to be as friendly as I can, not as a fake. I'm not a fake, okay? That's who I am. If you see me today and see me tomorrow on the streets, you're going to find the same person. i'm not different okay today i would like us to focus on what on that second purpose or or for just a bit community or loving your neighbor as christians we are called to community We cannot fulfill our purpose as believers in isolation from others. We cannot reach people for Jesus if we function in isolation. We will not grow properly if we live in isolation, folks. The purpose of our existence as a local church is to love the Lord and love people. Okay? We have to love the Lord and love people. You say, well, I don't go there because of my lifestyle. Well, I don't... Dislove you. I love you in Christ. I mean, I agree with you lifestyle. All right, so This morning. I would like to look at three reasons from the bible why we are called to community. We need each other Okay, we belong to each other. We are called to be a witness of christ together So this morning let's understand the reason this church or church is very important in the life of believers. We live in a society today on which that says that church is irrelevant, that I don't need church. Listen folks we need church, we need God's word so we can grow properly. Our world is teaching us things every day but they're not filling your soul with godly things because think about it we took God out of a public schools. We took God out of the public arena. In many jobs we took God out of the workplace and the subject goes on and on and on. You know what? Now we say church is not important. So Let's understand that this place on which we are here every week, we are to love God with all our hearts, our mind, and soul and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. So let's look at this from several points, or these three points I just gave to you this morning. We need each other. If you like to follow an outline, we need each other. I need you, you need me. Okay? I might not need your counseling, but tomorrow I might do. Today you might need my counseling, tomorrow you might not need my counseling. But we need each other. We live in a very selfish world where many people actually say that they hate people. Very sad to hear people speak like that. That word hate is a very strong word. We shouldn't hate anyone. Listen, God did not create us to hate people. I know sometimes we use the word out of context many times, but to say I hate you, that is very strong words. Be careful what you say, how you say it, the way you say it, because it can cut somebody's heart. We can say I don't agree with you, that's a proper word to say. And sometimes we don't agree with each other, right? Do you agree with me every time I talk to you when we fellowship? I don't agree with you, okay. I don't get offended, sometimes you don't agree with me. So, but the very word, that very say, I hate people, that's a very sad word to say. Actually, that testifies of the sad reality of our depraved and away from God many people really are these days. Now, such word doesn't sound good coming from the mouth of a believer in Jesus Christ. Actually, it's very sad, a very sad testimony of our I'm sorry of our God the way he really looks at people for us even to say that as Christians. He is a loving God who loves you and he loves me and he loves your neighbor and yes those who reject him as well. That's why we say as preachers that no one goes to hell unloved. God loves his creation. God loves every tree, God loves every bird, God loves every fish, God loves every little cat and little dog, every cow, every camel, every tiger, every lion. God loves this creation, but he loves you too. And just because they're not saved, they don't come to churches. I mean, we are to hate them. We are to love them in Jesus. Why we give the gospel to people? Because we love them and not tell them the truth. We are to love people. I understand some people are not very lovable. Listen, don't go to work tomorrow and go fuzzy. I love you. That's not what I'm saying here. All right? All right. Don't misunderstand me, OK? Goodness. Listen, please. It is easy to say that we really don't need anyone, that we can't really, that we can't rely, that we can rely and take care of our own selves. For folks, the truth is that we can be as independent as we want. There is always a time on which we need someone. You may not need anyone today, but someone might need you today. You follow that? You may have a need tomorrow, and someone that doesn't have a need may be there to help you. Yes, we need each other. We are sinful people living in a sinful world, going with constant trials, problems, discouragement, temptations, and we are kidding ourselves if we think that we can't make a Christian life alone. We cannot. We need each other. Letter A, encouragement in the battle against sin. We need encouragement in the battle against sin. Let me remind you all of us here this morning that we are sinners by birth and we can easily fall in the snare of sin, any one of us. It's not a person in this room right here that cannot fall into sin. We're not sinless. We can sin less, but we're not sinless. So sin is such a strong grip in all of us that we need each other so we can sin less. We need each other first to encourage each other in our walk with the Lord. Look what it says in Hebrews chapter 3 verse 12, take heed or listen up. Listen up, brethren, talking about we are brothers, okay? Least there be any of you in an evil heart of unbelief and departed from the living God. But exhort one another daily while it is called today. Least any of you may be heartened through this deceitfulness of sin and sin. Exhort one another daily. Every day encourage each other. Every day have a word of encouragement towards a brother, towards a sister. They need your encouragement. You need their encouragement. But let me tell you, you can't go home and have sad news coming up and you go down. You need encouragement. The Bible says cry with those who cry and laugh with those who laugh. Why the Bible says that? Because those who cry need encouragement. And those who are laughing, they need to rejoice in their walk with the Lord as well. So the Christian life is made of their crying and laughing, crying and laughing. You know what, because I cried today, you're laughing today. I cried, you cried tomorrow, I'm laughing tomorrow. So you know, we need to encourage, we need each other. We need each other. Get this. Did you get that? Sin is deceitful. Sin never comes right out advertising its consequences. Sin sneaks into our lives and our ways and takes us down slowly, one heartbeat at a time. Sin promises so much and it gives so little. Get this. The cultivate effort of those decisions can be deadly. It is like harden of the arteries. It doesn't happen all at once. It takes place over a period of time and in places unseen. But the damage is building. The danger is real and all of a sudden you have a heart attack. Some actually have turned their hearts away from the Lord because of it. Some have become bitter towards God because of it. Listen, be careful. I'm gonna say this with love, be careful what some hardship that happens to you that you don't give up on God and blame God for it. You say that never happened pastor, don't say never because I heard a lot of Christians say that. It's God's fault. God doesn't love me. I go to his house and look what he did to me. What kind of love is that? Listen folks, I heard it all. And what we do in those moments, we encourage that person. That person saying that, a lot of times we don't mean what we say, we say it because we are beaten down, discouraged. And we need to be encouraged. You know, I remember this when I used to play sports. I don't know how many of you play sports, but I still love sports. Yesterday, I was shooting hoops, and I understand that I was not as flexible as I was one time. My shoulder began to hurt. But you know what? Here's one thing I remember, losing big. And one of the players, the game is not over yet. The game is not over yet. How many times have we overcome it? Because someone said something. We better than them, we can beat them. Just those words of encouragement. Look what it says in verse 13 of Hebrews 3. But exhort one another daily. while it is called today. Exhort one another daily. It is important that we exhort, we encourage each other. You know, sometimes, you know, when we discourage, we need to speak up too. Because listen, we can't, we don't know what's going on in your minds. If you don't say I'm hurting, if you know I'm sick, how the hell are we going to know? Sometimes we can know like three months down the line. So, let it be. Pick each other up when we fall. It is great when we can encourage each other to help keep each other in a ways of sin. But there are times when we do fall into sin and sometimes we fall hard. There are times when we really need a Christian brother or a Christian sister to come alongside and get their hand and say, get up, get up. You can do this. Don't give up. Number one, when falling into sin. Look what Paul says in Galatians chapter 6 verse 1, it says, brethren, Look what it says, Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself least thou also be tempted. And bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. When someone is caught in a sin, we are not called to judge or to condemn. We are called to law alongside and restore them gently. It doesn't mean that we ignore what they did Doesn't mean that we shove it under the rug. We have to call them to say listen what you did is wrong You need to ask forgiveness in that God to forgive you and let the given the opportunity But in the same time we didn't become we don't become judges over that person Who am I to be a judge over somebody else? We come alongside and say brother. You know what? Come on up God can forgive you. Let's go on. Let's serve the Lord together. I remember this thing. Do you remember the old TV commercial for the Life Co product? Do you remember that? Anybody remembers that? The life call product, yeah. Do you remember the woman who had fallen down and would cry, help, I've fallen, I can't get up. Remember that? Well, as Christians, we need to be on the life call for each other. We need to exhibit that kind of mercy and grace for each other that gives us the confidence when a brother or sister falls, when they say, I'm falling, I can't get up, and we go, yeah, I can help you up. We need to carry each other's burdens and fulfill the law of Christ. So let us see, encourage towards love and good deeds. Thirdly, we need to encourage each other in love and good deeds. It is not enough that we encourage each other against sin and pick each other up when we fall. We should also be positively encouraging each other towards good works. All right, so you come and you let's say you clean the garbage cans in the church. Good job. I love what you do. No one can do that better than you do. Oh, you know, you vacuum the carpet. Seems like insignificant. Nobody knows I'm doing that. Hey, brother or sister, you're doing a good job. See, encourage each other for their good deeds. Don't you like it when you have work and your boss comes to you and say good job I appreciate what you're doing. Don't you feel good that they actually acknowledge that you have done something? Listen it's not like we're going to do something in order for God to be impressed with me. It's not that. We do that in love and gratitude but it's good somebody comes along and say and recognize your work and say good job. Listen if you say to me pastor good message I always say praise the Lord. i don't give glory to me i say praise the lord but you know it feels good when somebody says a good message you know i know everybody's going to say good message today someone said these words the christian needs another christian who speaks god's word to him he needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged for by himself he cannot help himself You know, when we get in the deeps of discouragement, sometimes it's hard to get up. It's like a storm is raging and never stops. We need someone to help us. Number two, we belong to each other. Not only we need each other, but we belong to each other. So that's the first reason we are called the community, because we need each other. Secondly, the second reason is because we belong to each other. Let me explain myself. We have one Heavenly Father. We've all been adopted to God's family through our salvation in Jesus Christ. We have one place that we all belong to, it's heaven. And we eventually did a new heaven and a new earth. We are part of God's family. And because we are part of God's family by adoption we need each other. You say pastor I live by myself. You might be living by yourself. You might be the only survivor of your family but in God's house you're part of God's family and your family is quite big. It's quite big. Okay so be encouraged because you belong to a big family and you have a great father and because we are part of God's family by adoption like I said look what it says in Galatians 6 10 and we are there for uh and we have this opportunity let us do good unto all men look what it says especially unto them who are of the household of faith folks first is those who are in God's house and you expend our blessings outside the house after Letter A, we are a family. As Christians, we are a family. Those of us who are saved here, those of us who have placed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and receive Him as our Savior, we are part of God's family. God is our Heavenly Father. We are His children. Isn't that great? Isn't that great that I can call you sister? Isn't that great that I can call you brother? Isn't that great that we are part of this great family? Praise the Lord. Yesterday I was sitting down having breakfast first thing in the morning and ironically we went there to celebrate life my daughter's birthday and this man walks in with some things he said oh we have a a meeting here you know somebody passed away I was like oh some people died some people are living and I see the guy was down is and and he says he says to me he's a brother it's funny the way life works he called me brother he never knew me the first I don't know another guy but interesting that's who we are We're part of God's family. I had no doubt that man was a Christian man. I might never see him again, but he's a Christian man. One of the most common designations for believers you will find in the New Testament the word brother. That is because we have been brought into the family of God and we should love each other in God's family because we are part of that. Of course the family of God is pretty big, is a worldwide thing. So how do we practically go about doing this? We go to the local church. We are part of God's family. We have to greet one another where we go. We have to help each other. We have to love each other. But God placed you in a local church where you flourished and served the Lord there. You know, some people are against local churches. I tell you, I'm not. The New Testament is full of local churches. You go all the way to the book of Revelation, there's local churches. See, every believer needs to be involved in a local church where they can grow in loving relationships with other people. Christianity has never been and never will be a one-person sport. Christianity never will be about, I do what I want to do by myself. That's unbiblical. The local church is a vitally important act in the growth of the Christian. It is here that we learn to love one another. It is here that we learn to get away of our imperfections. It is here that we learn to encourage each other. It is here that we learn to pray for each other. It is here that we learn to love God and love others and forgive each other. It is in local church that we learn that is better to give than to receive and this is all part of God's family. The world does not understand this folks. The unsaved people of this world does not understand but we do understand because we are part of God's family. This man wrote those things and I quote, the Christian life is not just our own private affair. We have been born again into God's family, not only as he become our father, but every other Christian believer in the world has become our brother or sister. let it be we are of we are the body of christ not only are in a family but also part of the body of christ look it says in first corinthians 12 27 that now he or you are the body of christ and members in particular the point paul is making in first corinthians 12 is that is that just as as different members of our human body are we all have the same function christ is the head of the church We are the members of the church or the body of Christ. You know what? I might be the little toe. You might be the big toe. You might be the arm. I might be the leg. But you know what? The whole human body have the same function. Function for one common thing. My hand does what my mind is thinking. My finger does what my hand is thinking. You see, it functions. That's the way a body functions properly. So is the local church. We are part of the body of Christ. Let us see we are members of the body dependent on on on the I'm sorry each member of the body depend on each other and and again in Romans chapter 12 takes this concept even deeper look what it says in Romans 12 for for as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office so we being many are one body in Christ and every one member of another Not only do we all belong to the body of Christ, but each member belongs to each other. That is the way it works in the human body, folks. All the parts of the body work together to advance the health of the whole body, not just individual parts. You know, my body didn't say to me, you know, I didn't come to church this morning, my leg said, I'm staying home because I'm tired. All right? Or, you know, or my eye said, you know, the condition of my eyes is too bad this morning, I'm going to stay home. Somebody else will give you a ride. It's not the way it is. You know, the whole body functions together for the common good of the body. So does we, as Christ is the head of the body. In the same, we belong to each other in the body of Christ. Each member belongs to all the others and we should be working together in advance the health of the whole body, not just on individual interests. Now, let me get something right here. As members of the local church, as members of the body of Christ, like the human body, one member does not disrespect the other member. You follow that? My finger doesn't say to the other finger, I hate you. My finger doesn't attach to the other finger. I don't like you. Actually, this finger likes this finger. This hand likes this hand. You follow what I'm saying? In the local body, as Christians, we are to love each other. We are to pray for each other. We are to encourage each other, but we are to respect one another. We are to respect one another. That's the way the body functions properly. That's the way the human body responds properly. We respect each other. So we need each other in the local church or we need each other in our Christian life but also we belong to each other. Listen, God is our heavenly father. He loves us. We have one common purpose. Christ is the head of the church. We are the members. But interesting like so well you know if we belong to each other. No, we have to respect one another. Respect goes a long way. Number three, we are called to witness together. Look what it says in Matthew 5.14, You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. So Bible literally tells us in these verses that we are the light of the world. Why? is a simple answer. At one time we were spiritually dead in trespasses and sin and we have put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and received him as our Savior. We've been adopted into God's family and we are to be witness of who we are as Christians. We are citizens of heaven, the children of the living God. We should live like it. Listen, this world has its teachings and emphasis. You know what? We should be different from the world. We should be different from the world. We are a living testimony of what God does in the lives of people. We are a living testimony of the goodness and the grace of God. So let us shine for Jesus. Let us live a life that brings glory and honor to the one who saved us. Let us live our lives in a way that others will see and glorify God for the things that we do. Let us go in the way that others will see and say, I want that for myself. Why are we called to community as believers? We need each other. We belong to each other. We are called to be a witness of Christ. Letter A on that third point, God is building a people. Part of the big picture of the Bible is that God is building for himself a people. He's not just interested in individuals. He loves you for sure. He cares and he loves you very much, but he's building his church and this church is made up of people. Church is not a building. You know, it makes me sad when people look for a church, oh, they have to have a steeple. If it's not a steeple, it's not a church. Where did you find that in the Bible, folks? There's no such thing as a steeple in the Bible. Actually, in the book of Acts, they used to meet from house to house. The church is not a building, it's people that have been saved and baptized and added to the church. You know, those little stones that God places there. Church is made of people. Listen, if there's no people here, there's not a church. If I come here during the week or you come here during the weekend, you're by yourself right here. You're part of the church, but the church is not here. God is building a people. Look what it says in Titus 2.13. It says, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. You give himself for us that we might read that that I'm sorry that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself. Look what it says, a peculiar people zealous of good works. See, we also can see this in 2 Peter 2 verse 9, what he says again, a peculiar people. It looks like we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people that we should show forth the praises of him who had called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. As you can see, the Lord is building for himself a people. Churches are made of people. We are the children of God. We together are the children of the living God. We are part of God's family. Now, what does peculiar people mean? If we look at the word peculiar in a dictionary today, they would still see that is one of several meanings. This word can have probably the most common usage of the word peculiar today is referring to someone or something that is strange, odd, uncommon. The other alternative meaning in dictionaries still tells us that this word can be used to describe something or someone that belongs exclusively to some person, group or thing or to refer to a property or privilege belonging exclusively or character to another person. So, okay, so if we are strange, odd, if we are different, why we are like that? Because we don't belong in this world. Because we are the children of God. We belong to God. We belong to heaven. That's why our language is different. That's why we behave different. That's why we get, we got all convicted when we do something wrong because we don't belong here. Listen folks, when we die is now over. No, we're going home to be with the Lord. That's why the word peculiar is a very good word in the Bible because we're different. You know, even the world says, you guys, you Christians, you guys are weird. You guys are different. You guys are close minded. Yes, we are different. Rejoice in that. Don't think that's an offense. I'm glad you can see that. You know, people get offended. I'm glad you can see that. I am different. I speak different. I act different. I dress different. You see, why we do that? Because we are the children of God. I love that word peculiar. You see another way of saying is that believers God owns special people. We are a special people. If you are a Christian here this morning you are a special person. You are a special creation. Jesus came to redeem people for himself A community of people who would glorify Him in their lives and relationships with each other. The closing chapter of the book of Revelation puts the finished touches on this big picture. Look what it says in Revelation 21-3, And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. And God Himself shall be with them and be their God. You see, you follow that? We are a special people. You are a special person. I hope that encouraged you this morning. You know, if you're discouraged, God looks at you and you're special to him. Listen, it's like, let's put it like this. It's like, let's say you go into the playground. Picture that. And let's say you little kids are there. And let's say it's about 50 other kids are there. You love all the kids there. You know you love them all kids playing around but those kids that belong to you they're special. They're special your eyes are on them. You don't want them to put dirt in their mouth or a little wood chip because you love them unconditionally. There's something different about them and the same thing with God. You know what God loves his creation. God loves all people from all nations in all languages but it's one thing you're special to him. He looks at you differently because you belong to him. We are peculiar people, a special people. You can even song tomorrow when you go to get out of here or go to work tomorrow. I am special. I am very special. Make up a song. Let it be. God gives us hope in Jesus. Looking for that blessed hope. Titus 2.13 Jesus is our living hope. Jesus is the meaning and the reason of why we go to church. Jesus is the meaning why I sing. Jesus is the reason why I preach. Jesus is the reason why I live. He is my living hope. We should have messages on hope. Because a lot of people have no hope at all. You see, he is a hope why I sing, why I live, why I dress, why I get out of the house, why I tell people about him. It's because he's my living hope and he's coming again. Living hope is anchored in the past. Jesus rose from the dead. Matthew 28 6. It continues in the present. Jesus lives. Colossians 3 1. And endures through the future. Jesus promised eternal resurrection, life. John 3 16, John 4 14, John 5 24, Romans 6 22, 1 Corinthians 15 23. Living hope. Also enables us to live without despair as we encounter suffering and trials in this present life. Listen, God promised you eternal life. God promised you eternal heaven. God promised you to love you, to care for you. But you know what? We live in a sinful world and sometimes we have to suffer. Not that you do and sometimes people do it to yourself. And sometimes we got dragged on because of others. It happens. Unfortunately, it happens. We worship the Lord and make a joyful noise because He is our living hope. He is that hope that we need. So people cannot survive without hope. Hope keeps us going through painful experiences and fear of what the future may hold. In a falling world where people face poverty, disease, hunger, injustice, disaster, war and terrorism, we need living hope. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2.12 that those who don't have Jesus have no hope. Believers are blessed with the real hope to the resurrection of Jesus Christ by the power of God's Word and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This living hope is inside of our souls. It changes our thoughts, it changes our words, it changes our actions, it changes our way of living. Once dead to sin we live with a living hope. The believers living hope is solid and secure. Luke says in Hebrews 19 which hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast which enter in enter into that within the veil so we need each other Hebrews 3 12 to 16 folks we do need each other in the christian life don't say i can live in a christian life by myself listen the christian life is not made for you to live in the desert alone or in a desert island by yourself the christian life is a life of community we have to live together we need each other The next one is we belong to each other. We are part of the same body. We are part of the body of Christ. We are part of the local church. We act and behave and live that way. We are not strangers to each other. We shouldn't be strangers to each other. We have the same Father. We go into the same heaven. We are brothers and sisters. But let me tell you, it's like in a regular household. Let's say you have a family of 10 or 12 or 15. You know, some kids are more drunk to others than each other. They love each other. Let me put it this way. My aunt, she had seven kids. It is interesting. Some of the kids, they didn't even play with each other. I mean, they're my age. My cousin John, his brother was one year younger and they kept going down. You know, he has older siblings too. It was seven of them. Some of them, they didn't connect with each other well, but they were brothers and sisters. You saw a conflict, you know what you saw? You saw the whole troop, everybody together. When there's a conflict, you know, because they belong to each other. They're brothers and sisters. So we are called to witness together. Not only that, but our unity as believers testifies to the world that we love Jesus. When the world sees believers truly loving and caring for each other in the Christian community, they will stand and take notice. And they will believe that God sent his son into the world in the name of Jesus. Let me tell you this. If people come and visit the church and see the love and caring for each other, don't you think they're going to notice? They're going to take notice. Or let me put it this way. Okay. So let's say all of us here are like about five or six kids. Somebody comes knocking on your door and you open the door and you hear it. It's like they're killing each other inside the house. What are you going to say? There's not much love in this place. Let me get out of here. The local church is the same thing. You know what? We have to love God and we have to love people. So when they come in, they see the love of Christ in us and flows through them. That's the way it should be. Listen, a person can never be hospitable. If that person is anger all the time or always with the attitude, you're not going to do it. You want to walk away as fast as you got there. But you can see a person is friendly and kind and loving. Look what it says, folks. We are a community of believers. Listen to the words of Jesus on this. John chapter 17 verse 20 says these words, Neither pray I for thee alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word, that they all may be one. See, that they all may be one as the Father art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." How the world is going to believe that Jesus is the Savior of the world that died for them when they see Christ living through us. Pastor, I am not perfect. I didn't say that. Neither am I. Pastor, I fall. Yes, you do. So I do too. but we have a wonderful Savior. I'll tell you what I saw this week. They changed my desk where I work and placed it in an area on which I can see everything in my job. We have four doors that come to my building. My building is big. My apartment where I work is as big as a football field and I can see everything. but they can see me too because now I am in the open space when they come through this door, you're first in line there, bing, they see me right there. So it was lunchtime, I do this and I don't care who's around or not around, I do this, I always thank the Lord for my food. And this man approached me, I actually saw me, I mean, I was praying when he passed by me before he got out, he says, I like to see that. This guy is not a believer. He says, I like to see that. I said, thank you. And I said, praise the Lord. I don't know if you heard it, but you know what? That little thing is a testimony of God's goodness. Because let me tell you folks, before I got saved, I didn't ever pray for my food. I just gobble it down. But you know what? You learn those things as you grow together in the Christian life, because I've seen other Christians do the same thing. So you learn from each other. I remember the first time I heard a Christian pray and my I mean this that was my pastor actually he was praying and I I'm listening I'm listening I'm sweating I literally I'm sweating I didn't know what to say I like I knew that I was gonna pray next and I didn't know what I was gonna do so he's praying and he's praying is going on and on it was my word I still remember that Lord teach me how to pray like my brother because I didn't know how I was a brand new believer. I didn't know how. I have memorized prayers. He was talking to God. And I needed to learn how to do that. How we do that? Together, as believers, we learn from each other. You know how many times you say, oh, I read this verse in the Bible. You know what it does to me many times? I'll go see it. Or sometimes a brother is teaching a lesson. You know what? You give me a message. Or sometimes you say something, that's a message. And sometimes you say, oh, I love that song. Guess what happened next Sunday? I'm singing that song because it encouraged me. We need each other. We belong to one another. And the Bible says right here, Jesus says right here, that the world may believe that thou has sent me. And that's the purpose. The purpose is not ourself. The purpose is that they see Christ in us and they also want that for themselves. because we know where the world's going. We know that. Let me conclude with this. It has been said that we suffer from a lack of community in 21st century America. Part of this is because people move around a lot. We change jobs, homes, neighborhoods far more frequently than we used in the past. The breakdown of many things, of friendships, families, lack of communication between people, but it is more than just that. We are designed to be part of God's family. We cannot say, I don't need God, I don't need church, I don't need to go to a church. Yes, we do. We need to grow spiritually. We need to understand that there is a God that loves us and we need to understand it's better to give than to receive. It's better to help because you know what? I need you today, you need me tomorrow. You know how many lonely people is in our world today? because they learned somewhere, somehow, to take care of themselves. That's what they did. I'm going to close, OK? I promise you. There's two guys in my job, two older guys in my job. Neither one of them is a Christian. He comes to work and the first thing is this, he's complaining about everything and everybody. He does that routinely. I mean it's a common thing. He is the complainer. We call him the complainer. That's a new one. I never mentioned this guy. So the other guy goes to him and says to him, listen, why are you complaining? I mean you just walk in, you've been here for two minutes, you're already complaining. You go, he says, you know, I live for myself. I've got to complain about something. I said actually he comes to work because he lives by himself because he needs to complain. So those two go against each other every single day. They work second shifts. I got to hear that for about a half an hour or an hour sometimes. But see, I want to conclude with this is this. We need each other. We need each other in local church. We belong to each other. We do. We belong to each other. We are to call to witness with the life that we live. Be witness of Jesus Christ. Jesus loves you and loves me. You are important to him. And he calls us to be in the local church serving together. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for this passage of scripture. Thank you, Lord, for this lesson. May we learn that we need each other. May we learn, Lord, this morning that we belong to each other. as part of believers. And Lord, help us, Lord, to respect one another in Christian love. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. If you could stand, please, we have a song of invitation. This is what I was going to say tonight, but it's not tonight, it's this morning. I believe it's 336 Amazing Grace. And I believe we're here because of the amazing grace of God. That's the reason why we're here this morning. Let's sing Amazing Grace. 336. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind, but now I see. Isn't that wonderful to be part of a local church? Isn't that wonderful to have brothers and sisters in Christ which believe the same thing you believe? Talking about even on Saturdays here, I was not here this Saturday, but the time, the fellowship that we have, and the way we talk, the way we understand each other, and it's all in Christian love. You know, the reason we're here is because of Jesus. That's because of Jesus. Jesus saved us. We want to be together because we know here people love us. You can come here to this church, but when you think about your church, people there love me. I have no doubt that you love me and you pray for me. You express that all the time. And I do that to you. I love each one of you. That's Christian love. Can you say that about the people in your job? Or the people in your neighborhood? You can say, I can stand that guy. But don't say you hate him. We should pray for those people. But His amazing grace is by the grace of God that we are saved by the grace of God that we live and serve the Lord Jesus. Number two as our last verse. It was grace that taught my heart to fear. And grace my fears relieved. One thing I want to say before we leave is this, if you're online or even here this morning, how do you become part of God's family? By admitting that you're a sinner. by bowing your head down and call upon Jesus to save you from your sin. You become part of God's family. It's not a secret. It's not a hard thing to do. It's just admitting that you need help, you need Him as your personal Savior. Let's pray and we'll be dismissed. Heavenly Father, thank You, Lord, for this morning, for the Sunday school hour. Thank You, Lord, for the morning service. And I pray, Lord, if there's someone here or someone watching us online this morning, I pray, Father, that if they're not saved, they'll call upon you for salvation this morning. May they admit they are sinners, they have done wrong, they have broken your laws. They ask forgiveness of their sin and call upon you to be their Lord and Savior. And I pray for God's people, those who are online, those who are here. Lord, that may we keep in mind that we need each other. In this so discouraging world that we live in, we need each other. We belong to each other. We ought to be witness of your love and grace. We have to extend that to those who are lost. Go with us, Lord. Bring us back tonight. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.