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Community: Interdependent relationships marked by oneness, devotion, sharing, fellowship, participation, communion, and unity. 

There are 3 parts to this case: Theological, Sociological, Organizational 

1. Theological 

Exhibit A: God's Nature 
He is community and we bear His image. 

Genesis 1:26--Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness." 

Deuteronomy 6:4--Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 

2 Corinthians 13:14--May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 

Genesis 1:2--...the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 

John 1:1-3--In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God... Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 

What this fact means to me: 

• Point: We too are created in and for community. 

• Application: The oneness of God shatters our independence. 

• In summary: To be human is to hunger for community. 

Exhibit B: God's Example 
He desired, chose, modeled and celebrated community. 

John 1:14--The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

Mark 3:7-10--Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 

Mark 3:13--Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 

Exhibit C: God's Passion 
He lived and died for community. 

John 17:20, 21--"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."

2. Sociological 

A. We need community. 

B. There is a vertical factor to be considered. 

Acts 17:24-27--The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 

God wants to be one with us: 

• Emotions (Exodus 32:9, 10) 

• Decision (Genesis 18:23-26) 

• Concerns (Romans 8:26, 27) 

• Bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20) 

C. There is a horizontal factor to be considered. 

Evidence: Marriage and the Church (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:29, 30; Rom. 12:4, 5) 

Some benefits of interdependence: 

• You'll gain strength. (Ecc. 4:9, 10) 

• You'll gain wisdom for life. (Prov. 15:22) 

• You'll need accountability. (James 1:22-25; Prov. 27:17) 

• You need acceptance. (John 15:12, 13; Prov. 18:24) 

3. Organizational 

A. Everyone needs connection and care. No one person can do it all. 

1 Corinthians 12--...The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body... The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!"... 

Ephesians 4:16--From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. 

Exodus 18--...The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone... select capable men from all the people...and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens... 

B. God's method for providing connection and care: small groups. 

Ephesians 4:3--Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 

Small Group Discussion Questions: 

*Scripture is quoted from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.
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