Category: Community

God’s Team

“And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 2:44-47 (ESV) God’s team is made up of those who have been saved by His grace. God’s team members wear the Jesus jersey and play for His glory. His team is characterized by unity, community, selflessness, generosity, compassion, loyalty, fellowship, gladness, sincerity, evangelism, and growth. Doing church first involves being the church. Our doing flows out of our being. It is possible to become so busy doing church that you bypass the relational aspect of being the church. God has called us, the church, to an abiding relationship with Christ. “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.” Eph. 2:19-20 (ESV) As a member of God’s household, you are called to abide in Christ. Your perpetual connection to Christ and His resources will result in bearing fruit. However, don’t focus on bearing fruit. Focus on abiding. As you abide in Christ, fruit will be born. Apart from Christ, you can do nothing. His is your Source and He is your Life! As you abide in Christ, you will instantly add more value to the team, the Body of Christ. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Christ Community Devotion

Fully Devoted

“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” Acts 2:41 (ESV) Wow! On the day of Pentecost, three thousand were adopted into God’s family. Three thousand were delivered from the clutches of hell and placed on the path that leads to heaven. Three thousand were saved by God and for God. They became followers of Jesus Christ and were added to His Body, the church. An eternal transaction took place! What’s next? Now that the three thousand are in Christ, how are they to function as a community of Christ-followers? What will be different about their conversation and their conduct? Do they go back to business as usual or do they embrace a new way of living? “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.” Acts 2:42-43 (ESV) Notice how their lifestyle radically changed. On this side of their salvation, the three thousand along with the other 120 believers start doing life together. They begin to operate as a community of believers. They are walking together in unity. Their priorities have shifted and their time allocation reflects the heart of God. Take a moment to examine your life in light of Acts 2:42-43. Are you devoted to the reading, study, hearing, and application of God’s Word? Are you in fellowship with a group of believers you can do life with? Are you consistently embracing the privilege of prayer? Are you in awe of the redemptive activity of God? Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Body Life Community Spiritual Family

Belonging to the Body

“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Romans 12:4-5 (ESV) God has placed within us the abiding desire to belong. We were not created to live in isolation. God created us to live in authentic community with other believers. God designed the Body of Christ to function in community. Once you are adopted into God’s spiritual family, you immediately belong to every believer on the planet. You are eternally linked with millions of believers. Now that you are in Christ, you are a member of His global body. You are connected to every believer who has ever lived. Though we are many, we form one body and belong to each other. Being connected to the body of believers has an immediate and local implication. You are to express your spiritual gifts by serving through the local body of believers. That’s why it is vital that you connect to a Christ-centered, Bible believing, and soul conscious church. God wants you to connect with other believers in a local church. Don’t try to live the Christian life in isolation. God does not want you to be a closet Christian. God wants you to go public with your faith and He wants you to get connected to a thriving local church so you can worship, grow, and serve. Your function in the local church is part of God’s master plan. Your contribution to the life and ministry of the local church has immediate and eternal implications. God has saved you and adopted you into His forever family so that you can participate with Him in bringing others into His family. Do you long to belong? Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Church Community Spiritual Growth

God’s Team

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:44-47 (NIV) God’s team is made up of those who have been saved by His grace. God’s team members wear the Jesus jersey and play for His glory. His team is characterized by unity, community, selflessness, generosity, compassion, loyalty, fellowship, gladness, sincerity, evangelism, and growth. Doing church first involves being the church. Our doing flows out of our being. It is possible to become so busy doing church that you bypass the relational aspect of being the church. God has called us, the church, to an abiding relationship with Christ. “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” Eph 2:19-20 (NIV) As a member of God’s household, you are called to abide in Christ. Your perpetual connection to Christ and His resources will result in bearing fruit. However, don’t focus on bearing fruit. Focus on abiding. As you abide in Christ, fruit will be born. Apart from Christ, you can do nothing. His is your Source and He is your Life! As you abide in Christ, you will instantly add more value to the team, the Body of Christ. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Christ Community Devotion

Fully Devoted

“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Acts 2:41 (NIV) Wow! On the day of Pentecost, three thousand were adopted into God’s family. Three thousand were delivered from the clutches of hell and placed on the path that leads to heaven. Three thousand were saved by God and for God. They became followers of Jesus Christ and were added to His Body, the church. An eternal transaction took place! What’s next? Now that the three thousand are in Christ, how are they to function as a community of Christ-followers? What will be different about their conversation and their conduct? Do they go back to business as usual or do they embrace a new way of living? “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.” Acts 2:42-43 (NIV) Notice how their lifestyle radically changed. On this side of their salvation, the three thousand along with the other 120 believers start doing life together. They begin to operate as a community of believers. They are walking together in unity. Their priorities have shifted and their time allocation reflects the heart of God. Take a moment to examine your life in light of Acts 2:42-43. Are you devoted to the reading, study, hearing, and application of God’s Word? Are you in fellowship with a group of believers you can do life with? Are you consistently embracing the privilege of prayer? Are you in awe of the redemptive activity of God? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Body Life Community Spiritual Family

Belonging to the Body

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:4-5 (NIV) God has placed within us the abiding desire to belong. We were not created to live in isolation. God created us to live in authentic community with other believers. God designed the Body of Christ to function in community. Once you are adopted into God’s spiritual family, you immediately belong to every believer on the planet. You are eternally linked with millions of believers. Now that you are in Christ, you are a member of His global body. You are connected to every believer who has ever lived. Though we are many, we form one body and belong to each other. Being connected to the body of believers has an immediate and local implication. You are to express your spiritual gifts by serving through the local body of believers. That’s why it is vital that you connect to a Christ-centered, Bible believing, and soul conscious church. God wants you to connect with other believers in a local church. Don’t try to live the Christian life in isolation. God does not want you to be a closet Christian. God wants you to go public with your faith and He wants you to get connected to a thriving local church so you can worship, grow, and serve. Your function in the local church is part of God’s master plan. Your contribution to the life and ministry of the local church has immediate and eternal implications. God has saved you and adopted you into His forever family so that you can participate with Him in bringing others into His family. Do you long to belong? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Community

“There is one body and one Spirit– just as you were called to one hope when you were called–one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Eph 4:4-6 (NIV) What do you have in common with those in your sphere of influence? If you look closely you be able to discover some common ground even with those different from you. God loves variety. Take a snapshot of creation. View the landscape, wildlife, and aquatic life and you will quickly ascertain that God values variety. God specializes in diversity. There are no two people alike. There are more than 12,000 people groups on our planet of 6.4 billion people. The wonder of God is displayed when He brings unity in the midst of diversity. For example, there are over 400,000 churches in the United States. Each church is unique and diverse. Yet, God produces unity in the midst of diversity. That unity is the common unity that forms community within the local fellowship of believers. Spend some time today looking for God’s evidence of unity in the midst of diversity. Try to detect the common unity that God creates among those who have been adopted into His family. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care