Sermon @ Coast Vineyard by Jamie Wilson on September 28th, 2008

Building a Community of Love (a message from Acts 2:42-47)

A Dream for Our Church…We aim to build a community of love…

  • A community that loves God. (Passionately)
  • A community that loves each other. (Most effective method of communication and apologetics)
  • A community that loves the world. (With the same sacrificial love that God loved us first with)

The Building Blocks for a Community of Love…We are suppose to be a sign to the present and coming Kingdom of God

  • A commitment to the Bible. (God’s word.  Often times we don’t know when to say what, or what even to say.)
  • A commitment to sharing life together. (Christ’s disciples were known by their love for each other, committed to the relationships and the pain and joys of lif are the things that matter.)
  • A commitment to worship. (”We become what we worship.” -NT Wright.  The body of Jesus, broken for us is our unity.)
  • A commitment to prayer. (Intentionality, sticking with it, and pressing into situations with prayer is where we catch glimpses God’s heart.)
  • The power of the Holy Spirit. (Tension and messiness are a given when the Holy Spirit starts acting).
  • The practice of generosity. (open and generous, our God is fundamentally giving).
  • A community that is really love will grow as the result of new faith.  (If the first six are present, it will be hard for keep this seventh aspect from being evident.  Likewise, if any of the first six are absent, the seventh will likely be impossible.

This was a good reminder to me about the importance of love in our everyday lives.  Each of the commitments that are building blocks for a community of love are an expression of love.  A commitment to the Bible is a love for God’s word to influence and transform our minds and hearts.  A commitment to sharing life together is a love for the social structure that God has designed for us.  A commitment to worship is a love for God in who he is to us, the world, and what he has done for us and the world.  A commitment to prayer is a love for our relationship of dependence on God and his provision for us.  A commitment to the power of the Holy Spirit is a love to see God supernaturally guide and counsel us.  A commitment to generosity is a love for the people around us who God has created and their physical, emotional and spiritual well being.  And lastly, a commitment to a growing community of faith is a love for God’s creation in light of his plan to save it from sin.