Why Church - Why Do I Need Community

Three of the guys on our staff team are into grilling. I mean, really into it. They will baste, smoke, marinade, and even time the various meats they cook. To them, it’s a science. In fact, I want to say that they are obsessed with it, but I don’t think that does it justice. And frankly, I don’t get it. I mean, that is what restaurants are for. I will grill if it’s necessary or if my wife makes me, but I don’t really enjoy it, and I’m certainly not good at it like those guys are. Now long before there were smokers or flavored wood chips, there were charcoal briquets. In fact, this may be where my disdain for grilling began. Back in the day, you had to go out and buy this bag of nasty charcoal, somehow keep soot from getting on every article of clothing and out of every crevasse on your body, all while cooking and tending to your food. The idea with charcoal is that charcoal briquets are better together. If you take one away, it will quickly lose its heat, grow cold, and fail to fulfill its purpose, which is to cook a meal. It is impossible for a briquet to cook a steak by itself. You will eat that steak rare every single time. Try to cook some vegetables over a single briquet, you may as well eat them raw right out of your garden. But you gather them together, it’s a thing to behold. Together, they feed off in other in such a way as to fulfill their mission (which is to cook). Together, heat builds in them and erupts in flame. Together, they maintain the intensity to needed to fulfill their purpose. When God’s people gather, passion and intensity for Jesus erupts and builds. Together, Christians become more effective in their mission of making Jesus known. Together, followers fan into flame a passion for Jesus. Together, they stoke up the glory of God. They demonstrate to a world that desperately needs to see it that they love one another. When Christians gather, they demonstrate that Jesus is first. Period. Join us this weekend as we discuss the importance of Christian community and what difference that should make for you.