Sermon: Belong (Social Restoration II) ("The Way" series)

Often we talk about restoration in a spiritual, and miraculously in a physical, sense but it also exists in the social sense. God does not desire for us to be alone. Being social with one another is built into the church. It is built into our DNA. God has given us helpers and communities to aid in the work we are called to do. Because we recognize the importance of this social connection, we should be driven towards restoration of others to us such that the body of Christ can be complete. Some are in the habit of seeking out the body when they are in-need. They realize their life is off-track or that they need community, so they seek to “get their life right’ then quickly fall back into their isolation. What a missed blessing! When God shows His love and graciousness to us, we have the opportunity to respond. We can respond selfishly, getting what we want from the ‘transaction of religion’ before leaving, or we can recognize God’s blessings as a wake-up call to God’s design that calls for us to not be alone and for the body to be one.