We are individuals. We have different strengths and weaknesses. We have different interests, different opinions. In fact, the idea of being an individual has crept into the way we interact in communities. There’s the idea that we are self-sufficient, needing only to rely on ourselves for getting our work done, raising our families and overcoming our challenges. We’ve becoming so adept at solving our own problems, that it’s hard to grasp the idea of relying on something else.

I have a quirk. I’m constantly lost when driving. What’s funny is that although I am well aware of my directional challenges, I refuse to use GPS. Each time I tell myself that I’ll remember the way, or that I’ll be able to depend on directional signage. So I spend a lot of time – and gas – before I acknowledge that I need help and I pull out my phone. I think a lot of us make the same assumption with our lives. We know what’s best for us, and the idea of coming to church as a part of following God seems archaic and unnecessary.

When we follow God on our own, we are subject to many negative influences. We are bombarded with messages diluting who Jesus is and what he did for us. As a result, we are vulnerable to building our own religion based mostly on the thoughts and opinions of the people around us, and little on what God actually has to say. We fashion our own God. If we want to follow God, shouldn’t we listen to what he has to say? I started by reading the bible, and found a community of people for support – more commonly referred to as a “church.” We cannot follow God on our own. Jesus knew that, which is why he created the church. We need a community of Christians to provide support and guidance, because we are individuals, and where we have a weaknesses, others will have strengths. Click here to listen to the sermon.

September 11, 2016 Sermon