Jesus said, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” Worship is a key element in a person’s relationship with God, but worship is something that should be done when people gather as well as when they scatter. The pastor in Hebrews tells us that we ought not give up meeting together, but that we should do so and encourage each other towards love and good deeds. That is why we meet together on the first day of the week to worship God as we gather and to encourage one another towards love and good deeds. That way, when we scatter we have been empowered by God and encouraged by one another.

The early church often came together in smaller groups and “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” This is what our Life Groups at Grace are all about. We all need people we can connect with as we continue on our spiritual journey. We need people to spur us on, encourage us, and even hold us accountable as we continue to grow. God’s word doesn’t give us the option of following God without connecting with the body (the church). Whether we know it or not, we need each other both so that we can be loved and so that we can love others.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” We were created to live in community where we love one another and serve one another. Whether it is in the church or outside the church everyone needs to serve somewhere. At Grace we encourage everyone to serve in one of our ministries or in the community through ministries like Whiz Kids. We all have different gifts, personalities, and skills, but we are one in the body of Christ and everyone is uniquely designed to serve somewhere.