"What's Important to Us? Authentic Community"

"What's Important to Us? Authentic Community"
We seek to build Authentic Community - believing that life change, healing, and growth occurs best within Christ-centered,healthy relationships characterized by generosity, grace and authenticity.

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who 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 ‭2‬:‭42-47‬ NIV)

1. Authentic Community is vital for life-change because we are the context for spiritual growth.

2. We seek to build Authentic Community characterized by generosity, grace and authenticity.

Generosity:
All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who 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, (‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭44-46‬ NIV)

Grace:
- accept one another, then, just as Jesus Christ has accepted you.
- stop passing judgement on one another.
- be kind and compassionate to one another, forging each other, just as in Jesus Christ God forgave you.
- encourage one another.

Authenticity:
- teach and admonish one another.
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. (‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ NIV)

- encourage one another.
Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. (‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭11‬ NIV)

- speaking the truth in love.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭15‬ NIV)

Applications:
- sign up for Fall Focus
- attend Acts 2 picnic