2.4 Choose Community

One of the most common ideas in our culture is that faith is personal and private, something you figure out on your own, something you keep to yourself. But that's not what we see when we look at the picture of Jesus. Jesus never invited people to follow him alone. From the very beginning, he called people into community, real people, real stories, and real mess. In Matthew 18, 20, for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I with you, highlighting spiritual significance and communal gathering. In John 15, 12, and 13, my command is this, love each other as I have loved you. I'm talking about sacrificial love and really the foundation of Christian community. In Galatians 6, to carry each other's burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. We'll talk more about Galatians 6 here in just a second, but all throughout scripture you see that they learned together, they grew together, they struggled together, they did life together. Community wasn't an optional add-on to faith. It was central to the way that Jesus lived and the way he formed his followers. Scripture makes this incredibly clear. We touched on this a minute ago, but in Galatians chapter 6, we're reminded that we're called to carry one another's burdens. That means showing up when life feels heavy, celebrating when life is good, and choosing to stay connected through all of it. We also see this in Acts chapter 2, where the early church devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, sharing meals, and prayer. They didn't just attend something, they lived life together, and God used that kind of community to build his church. That's why step four in joining the mission is choose community. At Canvas, community isn't just about finding people who think like you or live like you. It's about choosing to walk toward Jesus with the people of God. We believe that God works through relationships, that spiritual growth doesn't happen in isolation,

and that we're never meant to follow Jesus alone. Choosing community means letting others walk with you as you put God first in every season. Not just the ones. It means being known, being supported, and being willing to show up for others the same way that they show up for you. This reminds me of the paralytic man. The paralytic man, just kind of a short story about this, is he needed to get to Jesus, to be healed, but there were so many crowds. He shared that with some brothers of his, and he needed those brothers to help him get to Jesus. And because of the crowds, it became very difficult, but how did they figure it out? They just thought creatively, they got up to the roof, they lowered him down, and Jesus saw that. They saw how desperate he was to get there, but it wasn't just his desperation. It was the desperation of the community that he had, that that community wanted so badly to get him to Jesus because their faith, they knew that Jesus would heal him. They knew that. And because of not just his faith as a paralytic man, but because of their faith in his community, Jesus healed him because of their faith. So what does choosing community actually look like at Canvas Church? One way is by joining a serving team or jumping into a Canvas outreach event. When you serve alongside others, you're not just helping, you're being the church together. But we also believe one of the best ways to experience biblical community is through Canvas groups. Canvas groups are where faith becomes personal, where conversations get real, and where people commit to growing together while putting God first. We have groups for every stage of life, for every season of faith. No matter where you're coming from, there is a place for you. And if you're ready to take that step, you can see a full list of Canvas groups at canvasfl.com forward slash groups.

Joining community is choosing to walk the God first life with others. And it's one of the most meaningful steps you can take in joining the mission.