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Relationships. We all have them and we all want them. Why are they so important?  Why is it so very true that “no man is an island,” and at the same time true that so many people are so alone? How do we keep relationships alive and well?  Can we really nurture them via email, IM and cell phone? Over the next few weeks we will explore some of these questions and others, as we consider how vitally important it is to live in community and to experience intimate relationships.

 (Romans 12:3-5 NIV)  "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."
 
(Hebrews 10:25 NIV)  "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

 (Romans 15:1-6 NIV)  "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

 (John 17:20-21 NIV)  ""My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."

(2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV)  "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

(Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
 
Digging Deeper

1.  Why do you think it is hard for people to have close relationships?  Is it hard for you?  Why or why not?

2.  What does it mean to live in community?  Do you believe that God asks us to live in community?  Consider the following scriptures as you answer:  Hebrews 13:1 (this is a command in the original language – why do you think it is a command?); 1 Thessalonians 4:9 (can we love each other without being in relationship?); Proverbs 27:17; 1 Corinthians 12:18-22; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Galatians 6:2 (how do you know about their burdens?);  John 13:35.

3.  What are we commanded to do in the following passages?  How does each of these commands reflect intimacy or closeness in relationship?  Romans 12:10; Galatians 5:13; James 5:16; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 3:13 (note how often!); 1 Corinthians 12:25.

4.  What do you think is the biggest reason people resist being in community?  What can you do at CrossPointe and in your life to change that or help people overcome that obstacle?