Class 4: We Grow In Community | Salvation Made Simple

If you've just given your life to Jesus, or you're ready to grow deeper in your faith, this is for you. Hey, I'm Pastor Amberly, and today we're talking about community. We grow in community. Not optional community, not convenient community, but committed, life-giving, God-ordained community. Because the truth is, you cannot fully become who God has created you to be by yourself. In Ecclesiastes chapter 4, 9 through 12, it says this, two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. If either one of them falls down, one can help the other up. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. And God designed us to need people. He designed us to be strengthened by people, and he even designed us to help hold each other up. Even Jesus lived this way. Think about it. Jesus had the twelve disciples. Within the twelve, he had the three, Peter, James, and John. And then within those three, he had John, the one that was closest to his heart. So think about this. If Jesus, the son of the living God, chose to live in community, how much more do you think that you and I needed? In Hebrews chapter 10, verses 24 through 25, it says this, and let us consider how we may spur one another toward love and good deeds. Not giving up meeting together, but encouraging one another. You need people in your life who will encourage you when you're tired, who will challenge you when you're stuck, who will pray for you when you're weak, and remind you who you are when you forget. Because get this, isolation is where the enemy whispers the loudest, but community is where truth gets restored. Let's be honest, though.

Community can be hard. For some of you, the reason you've stayed out of community is because you've been hurt by people. Maybe someone has betrayed your trust. Maybe someone judged you. Maybe someone walked away when you needed them the most. And when that happens, it's easier to say, I'll just do this on my own. It feels safer. It feels more controlled. And I want to tell you a little bit about myself. I prefer control. As a child, I had no control over the things that happened to me. So as an adult, I tend to fight for safety, which comes in the form of control. The problem with that is this. What we call control is often just fear dressed up as strength. But I want you to hear this. The same place where you were hurt can also be the exact same place where God heals you. Healing often happens in safe, healthy community. Don't let that one painful or maybe many painful experiences rob you of the life-giving relationships that God still has for you. Not everyone is your past. God has assigned people to your future. If stepping back into community feels hard, start small. You don't have to share your whole life on day one. Just show up. Be present. Take one step. Because healing happens one safe moment at a time. I want to talk to you about this. Community will accelerate your growth.

It says in Proverbs 27, 17, that as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. You will rise or fall to the level of the people that you consistently surround yourself with. There's an old leadership principle that says you become the average of the people that you spend the most time with. If you surround yourself with people operating at an 8 or a 9 spiritually, your faith rises. If you surround yourself with people who pray boldly, you'll find yourself starting to pray boldly. If you surround yourself with people who live with discipline, you'll start living with discipline. Your environment matters. Community either sets the ceiling or it removes it. God will do things in you through people that he will not do in isolation. The next thing is this, community protects you. First Peter 5.8 says this, your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Notice it says someone because lions don't attack the herd. They look for the one that's isolated, the one that's separated, the one that's alone, the one that has drifted, the one that is even disconnected because isolation makes you vulnerable. But when you're in community, you're covered. Someone notices when you're having an off day. Someone checks on you. Someone prays for you. Community isn't just about connection. It's about protection. The next thing is this, community reminds you who you are. There will be moments when you forget your identity. There will be moments when you doubt yourself. And community speaks truth when your feelings lie.

And guess what? They will. Community reminds you of God's promises, calls out the good in you, and helps you keep going. I want you to think about this for a second. Picture a herd of buffalo or antelope on the African plain. Listen, I've spent a lot of time in Africa, so just go with me. They move together. They're close, they're covered, and off in the distance, there's a lion watching. The lion waits, he watches, and he's looking for the one that will slowly drift away, the one that will get isolated, the one that will get disconnected, because the moment it gets far enough from the herd, it becomes vulnerable. And this is exactly how the enemy works. He doesn't need you to stop loving God. He just needs you to slowly drift out of community, because isolation makes you vulnerable. But the power of the herd is proximity. The power of the herd is protection. And the power of the herd is this, you are not alone. And that's what tribes are. Here at Transformation Church, we do community through our small groups, which we call tribes. Tribes are where you're covered, they're where you're known, they're where you're strengthened, and they're where you grow.

My encouragement to you is this, don't do life alone. Don't let fear, hurt, or hesitation keep you from what God wants to do in your life through community. Take the step, join a tribe, not because we need you to fill a group, but because God wants you to grow. Your healing might be in your tribe. Your breakthrough might be in your tribe. Your next level might be in your tribe. Here at Transformation Church, we have virtual options where we have people that meet together all over the world in their tribes. And we also have in-person options where you meet up at someone's house or a coffee shop or a restaurant. We have tribes that meet to play pickleball. We have tribes that meet to crochet. And we have tribes that just get together and talk about life. I promise you this, there's a tribe for you. If you're interested in finding community like this, do us a favor and text the word tribes, T-R-I-B-E-S to 828282. Our prayer is that you'll find the community that's right for you and in the right season that you're in. We love you so much. Go out and live a transformed life.