This week we’re talking about belonging. What does it mean to belong?
We are in a season we’re people are getting triggered. People are upset, and we’re all up in our feelings because of the weight of the world, for various reasons.
Today the audience includes 3 people:
- Those of us who feel like we belong
- Those who believe in Jesus but are a little disconnected right now
- Those of us who are still having an outer body experience and can’t believe they’re exploring Jesus
Prayer: Today, we pray that this word will receive fertile soil in our hearts and bear fruit. Lord, help us to hear through the noise and
allow the word to grow down deep and one day bear good fruit.
Anecdote: “I hate church. Maybe I hate church people and actually like church, the music, the tradition, or even the message… but for sure, hate the church people.” This was the message Carlos told himself growing up in church. “If it weren’t for those people.”
Even with the urge to know God, he fought it. He finally gave his life to the Lord, and tried to go to church without talking to any people.
Though growing, he only grew as much as you could in that state. It was likely like a weed.
About a month later, someone tapped him on the shoulder. It was a real preppy, put together guy. The conversation was weird, but he invited him to participate in a play in the student ministry. He didn’t know anything about him, but he still invited him.
Now, he was with the pastor’s son, and before you know it, he was performing in front of students with the guy, Gracie Wilson.
Today, Carlos wants to be like that. To tap you on the shoulder, even though there may be a reason you’re in the shadows. Somebody did that for him and he wants to do that for you.
Defining Belong
- Belong:- to be suitable, advantageous or in a proper situation
Alternatively, to belong can be defined as follows:
- To be the property of, or to be attached.
Sometimes when it comes to church, the latter is what we’re afraid of.
“I’m independent. I’m my own man. I know what I’m doing.”
Do you though?
For instance, in the beginning of the pandemic, the church leaders at gateway put in hours to figure out what to do. They didn’t know what they were doing. It’s likely that you didn’t know either.
Scripture
John 15:1-5 NIV – “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Before he committed to Jesus, he had slept with someone he didn’t know the name of.
In addition, the hurting in his heart showed that he didn’t have any answers.
However, when connecting to Jesus, He began to prune Carlos, i.e. remove anything that would not bear fruit.
Scripture cont’d
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. My command is this: Love each other as I
have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. – John 15:9-10, 12-13, 16-17 NIV – https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.15.9-17.NIV
Jesus is saying that He chose you. You didn’t choose Him.
Jesus is not asking you to do anything He has not already done.
He is modeling for us how to walk this out.
It’s a beautiful picture of Him doing it first.
1. We Belong to The Gardner
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV – https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.6.19-20.NIV
God woos you. He draws you in. There’s something compelling you because we don’t belong to ourselves, we belong to the Gardner.
He created a garden to have relationship with Adam and Eve. He wants those connected to him to be growing. It’s not always fun. It can be tough, but He does it out of love for us.
Maybe you lost something, but maybe in the middle of that you’ll be a better version of what God wants you to be if you’ll be connected to God.
Apart from Jesus, you can’t do anything. You can’t grow or heal by yourself or you would already be healed. We heal in community, when we work on our marriage, and when we submit ourselves to God and stay connected to the life and vine of Jesus.
All you have to do is show up and be connected to see how God can heal you.
Is it really easier to not be connected to anybody?
Jesus needs us to obey as He had obeyed. He even obeyed to death and nobody is asking us to die on a cross. We need to be connected to the one who loves us.
Were you fruitful this year? Not financially, or with homes etc., but the fruit of your soul, your life. When we’re connected to the vine, we’re connected to other branches in the vine.
Have you ever seen a vineyard with just one branch? We can’t grow the best wine in a hundred years with one branch. It’s the connection, intertwining and messiness of relationships.
2. We Belong to Others
We have to be connected with others.
If you’re connected to the vine, the people around you will know.
For instance, some are connected to the news and others can tell when you talk.
We need to be connected to the vine to be fruitful, and then connect others.
For example, when we lose pressure in an airplane, we have to put our mask on first. How much time of lucid thought do you have without that mask? 18 seconds. If you’re not connected in that time, you lose your cognitive abilities and can’t help others.
Here we are in the pandemic at 18 months. Are you connected, useful, growing, and fruitful?
There are different ways to get connected. It can be fun, it doesn’t have to always be spiritual and heavy. It can be mountain biking and growing in connection instead of being home by yourselves doing nothing. Get connected first and then connect others.
3. We Love Others
You need a running partner. It’s a person you can bounce things off, ask questions, keep each other accountable, pray together, train each other spiritually. Someone to do life with spiritually like you would with a running partner.
It can be awkward. When you make a formal commitment, it can feel like you’re asking your friend out.
Even so, it takes work. It takes connecting to the vine before you can be connected to anyone else.
Your running partner asks you things that matter.
Gatewaychurch.com/runningpartners
4. We Sacrifice
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. – John 15:13 NIV – https://john.bible/john-15-13
How can high school students do it, but why can’t we as adults do it, claiming we don’t have time to sacrifice for others?
Sometimes we don’t feel fruitful.
Some of you literally have no good reasons for staying home. If you can get with your friends to restaurants and bars then you can go to church more than once a month.
You’re intentionally starving your soul. Your heart is longing for it, yet it’s being ignored.
How can you be fruitful when life is difficult?
Carlos’ mentor would say, “you’re called to stay connected, to belong to the one who created you, and your job is not to be fruitful, your job is to be faithful.“
Faithful, faithful, faithful, faithful…
Aren’t you tired of being faithful? You are called to be faithful. Faithful, faithful, faithful, faithful…connected, belonging, faithful, and one day you’ll be fruitful.
One day you’ll be fruitful, even if it goes to the next generation. It’s about the journey of being connected to the vine.
There’s a place for you to belong and His name is Jesus, and there are branches that you can connect to.
Finally, maybe you do feel like you belong. Or, maybe you did belong but you feel a little disconnected. Alternatively, maybe you’re ready to be connected. If we remain in Him, He remains in us.
Gatewaychurch.com/alpha – great course to ask tough questions. Maybe that’s a next step for you.
Watch the Full Sermon: https://www.gatewaychurch.com/media/message-archives/
Abby Olurin Dames
I love Jesus, my husband, Will, my toddler daughter, Sola, and the beautiful friends and family in our lives. Me and Will are from the Bahamas, but we currently reside in Austin, Texas. We joined TC Nation as online members of Transformation Church in 2017 when we moved to Austin from Miami, Florida. In 2020, we also happily took on a more active role with the E-Fam of Elevation Church by fellowshipping with other married couples and were pleased to have the opportunity to join TC Beta Belong Groups. I believe that representing God doesn’t have to be done in “traditional spaces”. After listening to Pastor Mike's sermon, "Who's the Minister Here?", it became my mission to shed light on Christ in all arenas, including, but not limited to, corporate America, marketing, technology, and finance. I'm not perfect, but I'm progressing. I am a marketer, but first, I am a Christian, and the aim of this blog is to publicly share my sermon notes as a form of stewardship. I hope that these message notes can bring clarity to anything you may be seeking and help you to experience the peace and glory of Jesus Christ. I'm happy to pray for you as well if you ever wanted to shoot me an email. The effectual fervent prayers of many of you have helped countless circumstances in my life and in the lives of those around me. Thank you! Also, for any Amazon specific links that you see, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
