1. The Importance of Community

Harvard has conducted a study for the past 73 years on what makes people happy. They have followed the lives of 250 men, collecting data on what gives them the feeling of Joy. For the past 47 years the man leading this study has been George Vaillant. The Atlantic asked him for the secret to happiness. He replied: the only thing that matters is our relationships to other humans.

I think the Apostle Paul had read the study, or at least he anticipated the importance of relationships. Look how much he emphasizes it:

27 Only let your manner of life be worthy

2:1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Why is it so important?

1. Selfishness is the definition of sin – is it so selfish to just think about myself?

2. Serving people is the definition of Holiness.

I’m sorry guys, I know you want the summary of God’s law to be, don’t drink or smoke, but it isn’t. The summary is love your neighbor as much as you love yourself

3.You never see yourself as you really are.

Think about the advice that is really helped you – you will always blame the people around you until someone lovingly lets you know that you are the problem.

Let me ask you, is the importance of community encouraging to you or discouraging? We live in a culture where it is absolutely expected that you will give relationships the backseat to your own personal goals. We leave home to go to college. We change towns and churches for work. We put off marriage for grad school. We put off children until we have the right job.

Somebody may need to ask the question: For the past fifty years we have lived in the first culture to abandon community relationships for self-fulfillment. How is that working out for us?

2. The Difficulty of Community – why is it so hard?

3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit,

Selfish ambition and vain glory, or empty glory is the desire to be noticed, or rather the fear that if I do not promote myself I will be missed. And if I am missed, I will cease to exist all together.

The enemy of community is not difference of opinion. If you agree with me on everything, then I am not necessary. The enemy of community is disagreement on who we worship. If I worship myself, and you worship yourself then we will be at war. If my primary aim is to show how smart I am, and your primary aim is to show how smart you are then we will fight. If our goal is to find a solution then we can discuss. If our goal is to worship Christ, then we can become one.

You see it on the playgrounds all the time. You see it at dinner parties all the time.

May I submit that maybe, the reason why it bothers you so much is that you are the same way.

Why? Because we are afraid that in fact we just might not matter. And we are so afraid we might not matter, that proving we matter is all we can do. Whether by being loud or quiet.

3. The Possibility of Community

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,