The
Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
notes by Pat Krabacher
19. Cultivating community
A. You can develop a healthy, robust community
that lives right with God
and enjoy it’s results only if you do
the hard work of getting along
with each other, treating each other with
dignity and honor.
James 3:18 (MSG)
They committed themselves to the teaching
of the apostles,
the life together, the common meal, and
the prayers.
Acts 2:42 (MSG)
B. It takes both God’s power and our effort
to produce a loving Christian community.
Many people grow up in families with unhealthy
relationships,
so they lack the relational skills needed
for real fellowship.
Cultivating community takes honesty.
You will have to care enough to lovingly
speak the truth, even when
you would, rather gloss over a problem,
or ignore an issue.
Many church fellowships and small groups remain superficial because they are afraid of conflict..
When conflict is handled correctly, we grow closer to each other by facing and resolving our differences.
Self-importance, smugness, and stubborn
pride destroy fellowship faster than anything else.
Pride builds walls between people, humility
builds bridges.
The truth is, we all have quirks and annoying
traits.
But, community has nothing to do with
compatibility.
The basis for our fellowship is our relationship
to God:
We are family.
C. Point to Ponder:
Community requires commitment.
Verse to remember:
We understand what love is when we realize
that christ gave his life for us.
That means we must give our lives for
other believers.
1 John 3:16(GWT)
Question to Consider:
How can I help cultivate today the characteristics
of real community
in my small group and my church?
Please
feel free to post your comments about this
chapter
on the NCCoB PDL Forum for discussion.
Use
the link below:
