Scripture:
Colossians 3:1-14 NIV [1] Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. [3] For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. [4] When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will ¹appear with him in glory. [5] Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. [6] Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. [7] You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. [8] But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. [9] Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices [10] and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. [11] Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. [12] Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. [13] Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. [14] And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Text:
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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.
Introduction
There is a powerful, modern myth about faith. It’s the myth of the "solo" Christian. The rugged individualist who can climb the mountain of faith all alone.
This is the idea that my faith is just "me and Jesus"—a purely private, personal, and internal affair. We see it everywhere. People will say, "I'm spiritual, but I don't need the church," or "I can worship God just as well by watching TV or Facebook Live or YouTube or on a hike or at the beach."
And while God certainly meets us in those places, this idea of a solitary faith is profoundly, dangerously, and un-biblically incomplete.
NOTE: This, written by Meg Bucher of Crosswalk.com, was not included in the original sermon but added to the manuscript later. “We must challenge ourselves to leave our devices and dive into God’s mission for the church. There are lives that need our personal touch, our in-person hugs, and our shared laughter and tears. The family that forms in a healthy church body equips and consoles us in a hard world with a difficult mission to spread the gospel. When we show up, we give ourselves the opportunity for Him to show us who He made us to be. There’s a reason it’s easier to swipe ‘yes’ than it is to fight traffic and schedules and let God use our lives. “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). We’ll never know what part we’re to play if we don’t physically show up to listen.”
The title for our message today is Faith in Community. That community is the Church. Here’s the central truth I want us to wrestle with: You cannot grow into the fullness of faith God intends for you, by yourself.
God, in His infinite wisdom, designed faith to be a "team sport." It is not a marathon we run alone; it is a relay race we run together. It's not a private performance; it's a symphony that requires every instrument playing its part in harmony.
Take a look at Genesis 1:31 NIV God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
After creating everything including man and seeing that all creation was very good but there was one thing He declared "not good"?
Look at Genesis 2:18 NIV The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
The church is not just a gathering of separate believers; it is an interdependent system where each member relies on the others to function fully.
1 Corinthians 12:12-20 NIV [12] Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. [13] For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. [14] Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. [15] Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. [16] And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. [17] If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? [18] But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. [19] If they were all one part, where would the body be? [20] As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
Think about that. A hand cannot decide, "I think I'll just be a hand over here, by myself. I don't need the arm or the eye." It's absurd. The moment a hand is detached from the body, it ceases to be a hand in any functional sense. It loses its power, its purpose, and its life.
So it is with us. To be a "lone wolf" Christian is to attempt to be a body part disconnected from the body. It doesn't work. We need the body to fulfill our God-given purpose.
First, the church is a Workshop for Growth.
If you want to know how you're really doing in your faith, don't just look at yourself when you're alone in prayer. Look at how you interact with your brothers and sisters.
Proverbs 27:17 NIV says As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
Sharpening involves friction. It's not always comfortable. We need others to hold us accountable, to challenge our blind spots, and to help us see where we need to grow.
Second, the church is a Hospital for the Hurting.
Here's what it says In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 GNT [9] Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively. [10] If one of them falls down, the other can help him up. But if someone is alone and falls, it's just too bad, because there is no one to help him. [11] If it is cold, two can sleep together and stay warm, but how can you keep warm by yourself? [12] Two people can resist an attack that would defeat one person alone. A rope made of three cords is hard to break.
This is the beautiful, practical reality of the church. Life is hard. We will stumble. We will face loss, doubt, sickness, and heartache. As we’ve said before, faith is not a shield from the storm; it is the anchor in the storm. And often, that anchor is held by the hands of the people sitting next to you.
Galatians 6:2 NIV says Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Carrying each other's burdens is the law of Christ in action. It is the living, breathing fulfillment of the command to love your neighbor as yourself—a radical, costly, and selfless outpouring of compassion.
It's the meal brought to a grieving family. Bringing a meal is an act of carrying their burden, offering a moment of grace in their darkest hour. It is a silent declaration that they are not alone in their pain. It is the practical provision that allows them to focus on healing rather than survival.
It's the late-night phone call to a friend in crisis, not a quick, hurried piece of advice, but a willingness to sacrifice personal rest and comfort to become an unwavering anchor in their emotional storm. This is the act of sitting in the uncomfortable space of another's fear, offering the profound, unshakable peace that underlies all true healing when every other support structure gives way.
It's the quiet prayer of intercession for someone who is too weak to pray for themselves, the highest form of spiritual solidarity. This is the unseen, powerful work of carrying a brother's or sister's burden directly before the throne of grace, trusting in the strength of God when human strength has completely failed. It is acknowledging their spiritual exhaustion and lending your own faith when theirs is depleted.
This is the kind of faith that Jesus modeled. He didn't just teach love; He became love made visible. He didn't wait for formal invitations; He moved toward the marginalized, the broken, and the hurting. The law of Christ is not a set of rigid rules, but a constant, relational posture—an ongoing choice to prioritize the needs of others and to live out God's will through tangible acts of sacrificial kindness, making the intangible power of God's Spirit real and accessible in the world."
First, the church is a Workshop for Growth, Second, Community is a Hospital for the Hurting, Third, the church is a Megaphone for God's Guidance.
While God can speak in the quiet of our hearts, in His Word and when we pray He often He guides us through His people.
When you are isolated, you are vulnerable to your own biases and to the deceit of the enemy. But when you are in a loving community, you are surrounded by a "great cloud of witnesses." Remember that scripture from Hebrews 12:1
Hebrews 12:1 NIV [1] Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
We run alongside one another. We are stronger together.
You have the wisdom of those who have walked this road longer than you. You have the encouragement of your peers. You have the gift of prophecy, of teaching, of wisdom, and of discernment distributed throughout the body, the community of believers.
We need each other to hear God clearly.
3. And Finally, the church is not an exclusive club or a "holy huddle" to protect us from the world. The church has a mission.
John 13:34-35 NIV [34] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Jesus didn't say, "They will know you are my disciples by your perfect theology," or "by your political power," or "by your beautiful buildings."
No, He said, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Our love for each other—our messy, imperfect, grace-filled, "iron-sharpening-iron" community—is a beacon, a light to the world. In a world that is fractured by division, loneliness, and tribalism, a community that loves across differences, that forgives freely, and that carries one another's burdens is the most powerful testimony for the Gospel we have.
The early church is a perfect picture of this.
Acts 2:42-47 NIV [42] They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. [43] Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. [44] All the believers were together and had everything in common. [45] They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. [46] Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, [47] praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
They shared everything. They took care of one another.
And what was the result? "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
The church was attractive. Their supernatural love was a signpost that pointed directly to a supernatural God, and that is what we should be.
John 13:34-35 NIV [34] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Conclusion
So, where do we go from here?
Faith is a continuous process, and we cannot walk it alone. We need a strong foundation, and that foundation is Jesus Christ. But the house we build on that foundation is built together.
Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV [19] Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. [21] In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. [22] And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
I want to challenge you today with a simple question. Are you just attending, or are you belonging? Are you a consumer, or are you a contributor?
If you are on the fringes, feeling isolated, I invite you today: Plug in. Look around. Whose burden can you help carry this week? How can you be the "iron" that sharpens someone else?
We need each other. We are God's design. We are the Body of Christ. We are a family.
Prayer
Gracious God, you who are a perfect community of love, thank you for not leaving us alone. Thank you for designing us for family, for fellowship, for the Body of Christ. Forgive us for the times we have chosen isolation over the messy, beautiful work of community. Lord, knit us together. Make us a people who carry burdens, who sharpen one another, and who love so fiercely that the world can't help but see You. Amen.
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