We find it so easy to naturally be selfish and yet Jesus spends so much of his time teaching us that to be like Him is to put others first.
· He tells us that He did not come to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.
· He tells us repeatedly that the first will be last and last will be first.
· He tells us not just to invite those to dinner who can pay you back but invite those who there’s nothing in it for you.
Jesus showed this in how He lived and in what he taught. He imparted it to His disciples through how He lived His life. It’s no surprise what we find in the early church.
Acts 2:1
Acts 2:42- 47
Acts 4:32-35
Jesus creates this idea of community, of His church that is so attractive and so powerful. It’s so different from what society looks like today. It’s something that people desperately want. To belong is one of our greatest needs. Our world around us is longing for community.
Our Father in Heaven
Matthew 6:9-13
Jesus didn’t say this is what you should pray. Jesus said this is HOW you should pray. Jesus was teaching us how to pray not giving us a formula to recite.
The personal pronouns Jesus used were not singular but rather all plural (our not my, us not me). It wasn’t an oversight that Jesus spoke it this way.
HOW WE LIVE OUT COMMUNITY
1. We worship together
Our Father in heaven…
· Communal worship. Not just individual worship.
· People from so many different life backgrounds coming together to worship God. (would we be together without Jesus as our focus?)
· If we don’t feel like worshipping, the worship of others can help carry us into God’s presence. Our praise and our worship is directed at God, but it also supports and lifts up others.
Your Kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
· Together we declare His Kingdom come, we declare Heaven on earth.
· Together we worship and together we believe for His Kingdom here on earth as it is in Heaven.
2. We provide for each other
Give us today our Daily Bread
· Jesus isn’t just my provider, He’s OUR provider.
· Whatever I have in my possession is ours and not mine. This means if I see a need and have the means, I meet the need.
· If I let others go without when I have plenty, then I just see God as my provider and not our provider.
· Our prayer to God ‘give us today our daily bread’ is about provision for all of us, increase for all of us.
3. We live in right relationship with each other!
Forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors.
· When I ask for forgiveness of my sins (and I need to regularly), I generally am just thinking of my sins. Yet here Jesus encourages us to pray 'forgive us our debts'. It’s this sense of when it comes to prayer, it’s God forgive us for our shortcomings.
· This is a genuine heart of repentance that says God we’ve missed it. God, we’ve fallen short. God forgive us. Help us to be more like you.
· This is forgiving others. We don’t live in isolation. It’ an ‘our’ and ‘us’ thing too.
· If I am genuinely struggling with forgiveness, the best remedy is to pray for that person. When we genuinely pray for the blessing of God on their life, it’s hard to stay in unforgiveness.
4. We look out for each other!
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.
