Day 9 | Designed With Desire And Need For Community

"Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’" Genesis 2:18 ESV
This is the only time we see in the creation narrative that God said what he created was “not good.” I believe there are a few reasons that God did not think it was good for man to be alone. One of the most impactful reasons is that Adam was alone, without community to another human being. Yes, Adam had a relationship with the Creator, but he was missing a relationship with someone who was like him; created. From the moment God created mankind, we were always designed with the desire and need for community.
When my wife and I first got married we joined a young married small group at another church. After a year in that group we decided we need to start one at LifeChurch because we needed to build and develop friendships within our church. That group has turned into some of our closest friends. We have celebrated birthdays, holidays, and births of children. But we have also mourned the passing of loved ones and walked through very difficult seasons of marriage and parenting. I am extremely grateful for the community we have in our LifeGroup. But the truth is that to have good, Christ-centered community, then we have to be willing to deal with the mess. The mess of our own lives. The mess of other people’s lives. To have community, we must be willing to ride the highs and lows of life with other people and sometimes that means we get on their rollercoaster so they are not alone and allow others to find a seat on our rollercoaster.
Maybe you find yourself feeling lonely and not wanting community. If this is you, pray that God would bring people into your life. Pray and ask God for you to find a LifeGroup, a Connect Group, a men’s study, or a women’s study for you to be a part of. Maybe you are a person who has great community at the church. If this is you, pray that God would bring to mind someone who would love to be part of that community. Ask God that He would give you eyes to see those who are not connected to a community in the church and that you could be the person to help them get connected. After all, God said it was not good for man to be alone. I don’t think He has changed His view on loneliness.
Pastor Jericho Toilolo
We’ll see you at the Prayer + Fasting Night tomorrow at 6:00pm! Please ensure you’re RSVPed here.
This is the only time we see in the creation narrative that God said what he created was “not good.” I believe there are a few reasons that God did not think it was good for man to be alone. One of the most impactful reasons is that Adam was alone, without community to another human being. Yes, Adam had a relationship with the Creator, but he was missing a relationship with someone who was like him; created. From the moment God created mankind, we were always designed with the desire and need for community.
When my wife and I first got married we joined a young married small group at another church. After a year in that group we decided we need to start one at LifeChurch because we needed to build and develop friendships within our church. That group has turned into some of our closest friends. We have celebrated birthdays, holidays, and births of children. But we have also mourned the passing of loved ones and walked through very difficult seasons of marriage and parenting. I am extremely grateful for the community we have in our LifeGroup. But the truth is that to have good, Christ-centered community, then we have to be willing to deal with the mess. The mess of our own lives. The mess of other people’s lives. To have community, we must be willing to ride the highs and lows of life with other people and sometimes that means we get on their rollercoaster so they are not alone and allow others to find a seat on our rollercoaster.
Maybe you find yourself feeling lonely and not wanting community. If this is you, pray that God would bring people into your life. Pray and ask God for you to find a LifeGroup, a Connect Group, a men’s study, or a women’s study for you to be a part of. Maybe you are a person who has great community at the church. If this is you, pray that God would bring to mind someone who would love to be part of that community. Ask God that He would give you eyes to see those who are not connected to a community in the church and that you could be the person to help them get connected. After all, God said it was not good for man to be alone. I don’t think He has changed His view on loneliness.
Pastor Jericho Toilolo
We’ll see you at the Prayer + Fasting Night tomorrow at 6:00pm! Please ensure you’re RSVPed here.
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Archive
2023
January
Don’t Waste Your Year | Week of January 1stFasting and Prayer ResourcesWhen You Feel Like You Need A Comeback | Week of January 8thFamily Resources | Week of January 8th21 Days of Prayer & FastingFamily Resources | Week of January 15thHow Is My Appetite? | Hungry | Week 1Day 1 | Hunger Produces ActionDay 2 | Praising God For His MovementDay 3 | Revealing With Dulls My AppetiteDay 4 | Delighting In The LordDay 5 | Constant Access To Living WaterDay 6 | Approaching God Without FearDay 7 | Enlarging Your Capacity For LoveFamily Resources | Week of January 22ndHungry To Love And Be Loved | Hungry | Week 2Day 8 | Contagious CommunityDay 9 | Designed With Desire And Need For CommunityDay 10 | Unity Is Not An Optional StrategyDay 11 | Desiring For Our Neighbor's GoodDay 12 | Community As ProtectionDay 13 | Many AdvisorsHungry To Make A Difference | Hungry | Week 3Family Resources | Week of January 29thDay 14 | Where Do You Take Your Watering Can?Day 15 | Created To Make A DifferenceDay 16 | To Cultivate And Keep It
February
Day 17 | Good WorksDay 18 | A Community Of Civic BenefactionDay 19 | Vision and DirectionDay 20 | Divine PotentialLaws of Attraction | Song of Solomon | Week 1Family Resources | Week of February 5thDay 21 | Koinonia ContributionDating | Song of Solomon | Week of Sunday, February 12thFamily Resources | Week of February 12thSexual Intimacy | Song of Solomon | Week 3Family Resources | Week of February 19thFighting Fair | Song of Solomon | Week 4Family Resources | Week of February 26th
March
Making Love Last | Song of Solomon | Week 5Family Resources | Week of March 5thThe Kingdom: This Is What You Want | Week of March 12thFamily Resources | Week of March 12thJesus Shows Us What Real Love Is | Why Did Jesus Die? | Week 1Family Resources | Week of March 19thJesus Died To Set Us Free | Why Did Jesus Die? | Week 2Family Resources | Week of March 26th
April
Family Resources | Week of April 2ndJesus Died To Take Our Place | Why Did Jesus Die? | Week 3Family Resources | Week of April 9thWhy Did Jesus Die and Rise Again? | Why Did Jesus Die? | Week 4Family Resources | Week of April 16thMercy For Those Who Doubt | Reasonable Doubt | Week OneFamily Resources | Week of April 23rdCan Science and Christianity Coexist? | Reasonable Doubt | Week 2Family Resources | Week of April 30thSometimes I Doubt Because of Christian Hypocrites | Reasonable Doubt | Week 3
May
Emotions, Impossible Questions, and Doubts | Reasonable Doubt | Week 4Family Resources | Week of May 7thGod Loves It | Week of May 14thFamily Resources | Week of May 14thCan Worry Increase Your Life? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 1Family Resources | Week of May 21stHow Can We Be Made Salty Again? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 2Family Resources | Week of May 28th
June
Why Are You Asleep? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 3Family Resources | Week of June 4Do You Want To Be Made Well? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 4Family Resources | Week of June 11Do You Believe I Am Able To Do This? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 5Family Resources | Week of June 18Why Are You So Afraid? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 6Family Resources | Week of June 25
July
Sabbath Keepers | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 7Family Resources | Week of July 2Who Touched Me? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 8Family Resources | Week of July 9How Many Loaves Do You Have? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 9Family Resources | Week of July 16What If I Want John To Live Forever? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 10Family Resources | Week of July 23What Can Anyone Give In Exchange For Their Soul? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 11Family Resources | Week of July 30
August
Family Resources | Week of August 6Expectation Deficit Disorder | Immeasurably More | Week 1Day 1 | Monday, August 7th | Immeasurably More: God-Sized VisionDay 2 | Wednesday, August 9th | Immeasurably More: The ExamenDay 3 | Friday, August 11th | Immeasurably More: KnockImmeasurably More For Your Family | Immeasurably More | Week 2Family Resources | Week of August 13Day 4 | Monday, August 14th | Immeasurably More: Eternal PrioritiesDay 5 | Wednesday, August 16th | The Deep Stillness of MorningDay 6 | Friday, August 18th | Family TraditionsImmeasurably More In Our Church | Immeasurably More | Week 3Family Resources | Week of August 20Day 7 | Monday, August 21st | Pray, Bless, and Do GoodDay 8 | Wednesday, August 23rd | How to Know if You've Really Been to ChurchDay 9 | Friday, August 25th | Praying Big, Bold, Specific PrayersImmeasurably More In Our Friendships | Immeasurably More | Week 4
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