“Two
are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if
they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he
falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they
will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by
another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
Today, I want to talk to you
about the importance of home groups. At our church, I strongly encourage all of
the members of our church family to be involved in a small group where they can
love and be loved, to care for others and be cared for. Why?
In Genesis 2:18, the Lord
said, “It is not good that man
should be alone.” In other words, God never intended us to go
through life all by ourselves. If you read through the Books of the Law (the
first five books of the Old Testament), you‘ll see that God has a special love
for the strangers, the widows, and the fatherless. He says, “You shall not afflict any widow or
fatherless child.” (Exodus 22:22). “He (the Lord) administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and
loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing.” (Deut. 10:18).
What is He saying here? The Lord is deeply concerned about and compassionate
for people who are alone – the fatherless, who have no dad – the widows, who
have no husband – and the strangers, who don’t have anyone. God doesn’t want
you to be lonely. Psalm 68:10 says, “God
sets the solitary in families.” So the encouraging word for today is
God doesn’t want you to be alone or lonely. When you became a Christian, He
adopted you into His family. Not only is God your Heavenly Father, but all
Christians have become your brothers and sisters in Him.
Now let’s go to our Scripture
verse in Ecclesiastes. King Solomon said that two people together are better
than one person alone. Why? Because if you’re alone and you fall, you won’t
have anyone to help you up. Now, he’s not just speaking physically here, like
when you trip and stub your toe, and fall down to the ground. He’s also
speaking spiritually. If you fall spiritually – backslide, sin, rebel– if you
don’t have a small group of other believers that you meet with on a regular
basis, you could keep falling until you hit rock bottom. But, if you have a
small group fellowship that you are a part of, then they can usually see when
you’re starting to fall, and pull you up before it’s too late. King Solomon
says that the reason two are better than one is because if one of them falls,
the other will help him up. He finishes off by saying that one can be easily
defeated by an enemy, but two can hold him off, and a threefold cord is not
quickly or easily broken. Who is that third person? I believe it’s Jesus.
Jesus said in Matthew 18:19, “For where two or three are gathered together
in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” So when you and other believers come together in Jesus’ name, He
meets with you there, and there’s safety and power in that place of fellowship
and unity. I want to encourage you today – if you don’t have a home group that
you meet with on a regular basis – get connected. The Bible says that our enemy
“the devil walks about like a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:7). And you
know the first person he’s going to come looking for? Someone who’s alone. The
old adage is true – there is strength in numbers. Get involved in a small group
with other believers today.
Pastor Chris Jordan
www.beausejourchurch.ca
Check out my new book's webpage:
0 comments:
Post a Comment