which they are developing today

"How Devoted is God to Biblical Community?" {Heb5:11-6:1, 1Thes3:11-4:3}
* Intro: bag of marbles v bag of grapes -- Lord desires a community whereby individuals are changed after being together
* Magnitude of Biblical community
- "Christians will be strong and the church will flourish only when there is fellowship" -- JI Packer
- Fellowship is a "ministry of caring marked by love . . . partnership . . . exercise of spiritual gifts . . . and sharing of possessions."
* Lord's plan for His community is that we grow
* Christian growth is called sanctification
- Defined as personal holiness, progressive work whereby we become imitators of God
- Your fruits reflect where you are in journey toward Christlikeness
- Growth cannot be accomplished alone
- Spiritual growth chart
* Christian life inescapably corporate
- Every promise & exhortation in NT is corporate
- Ministries of church corporate (preaching, teaching, worship)
* Small groups are the labs of application
- Hear, be convicted, be changed, practice
- Wesley brothers pioneered small groups, serious about accountability
* Lord's plan for His community is that we are cared for
- Must occur in local church
- Must occur in small groups
* Application
- Join the family of God: put your trust in Christ
- Make a commitment to grow