The Power of Community

On Thursday night, I sat down for about 45 minutes and made my way through our Pastoral Care/Hospital List. Linda, on our team, publishes a daily list of who is in the hospital, who is recovering from surgery, who has an upcoming surgery, etc.

We are a growing church, and it’s a growing list.

This week, I got a hold of a number of people. I will ask them how they are doing, what is the latest, get an assessment of how they are holding up, and then have prayer with them.

And there were a couple of calls that stood out to me this week that I just have to tell you about:

•One was a woman who had just had a tumor removed from her brain. She was at MD Anderson and she had surgery the day before.
oShe was in good spirits
oShe has been up and around and moving
oShe was feeling pretty good
oAnd she made this comment that blessed me to no end. She said, “My community group has been amazing to me and our family. They are caring for us and we are so thankful to be in this church.”

•The other was a man who, the next morning, was going to have angioplasty and face a few possible stents in his arteries that lead to his heart.
oHe was in good spirits
oHe might have been a little anxious
oBut he was actually with two other couples from his community group.
He said, “Yeah, we thought we would get together tonight and have a meal together before me procedure tomorrow. Pastor, I am so thankful for this church.”

I had prayer with both of these folks as well as with many others on Thursday evening. And as I got into my office and began to shape my message on Friday, I realized, that these who were in Community with others, had an advantage that some of the others I called didn’t. They had a deeper support system that they could call upon when life got difficult. While they were struggling, their church family was lifting!

Do you have a support system in this church that will lift you when challenges arise?

You know, one of the reasons people don’t take a step into deeper community is they don’t believe that they need it. From where they sit, life is good, things are going well, and, it’s just more time that I have to give up.

But what they don’t recognize is that the difficulty of life don’t every go be our schedules.
•Difficulties aren’t scheduled like the Little League, the trip to the hair dresser, or my after school activities.

•Difficulties don’t ask for permission to interrupt our lives.
•And one thing that each of us can count on is this: Difficulties WILL come.

In the last two weeks, I have had two funerals. One was for a young adult who took her own life. Her parents have been in our church for many years and have invested so much time and energy in relationships and the ministry. And do you know what their testimony has been?

•Pastor, the church has been incredible. So many people have come by. So many people are praying. So many people in the church are checking on us. So many people are lifting us.

The other funeral was of a 73-year-old church member who died in her sleep. I did her memorial service on Thursday of this week. And do you know what the family’s testimony was to us?

•So many people have checked on us. So many friends…even friends from our old church who we raised our kids with…they have loved on us and cared for us and cried with us.

Difficulty isn’t something that gets scheduled. And You don’t need help…until you do. So, I ask again, do you have a built-in support system for Christian Community where you know that your life is going to be lifted no matter what comes?

We actually see this in the Bible. The early church built in a support system from the very beginning. You see, they faced intense pressure from every angel — governmental persecution, rejection from the community, economic distress, etc.  

Q: And a simple question that we might ask ourselves is this:

How did the early church get through it?  What did they do to push through, persevere and overcome?

The simple answer is this: The early church got through challenging seasons by LIFTING ONE ANOTHER!  They chose Jesus and one another! And they developed communal rhythms from the very beginning that allowed them to navigate hardship.

As we are walking through the Lifted Life Journey, we are discovering 4 lifts for our lives, available to us through the church.

Last week – The Lift of Worship
Next Week – The Lift of Serving
Our Fourth Week – The Lift of Deeper Discipleship
Today – we will look at the Lift of Community.

Look at how the Early Church Lifted on Another. It’s the classic passage for the Lift of Community.  Let’s read Acts 2:42-27 together this morning.  

Acts 2:42-47
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

HOW DID THEY LIFT ONE ANOTHER?  
Here are three simple answers to that question.

1.Be Steadfast in Spiritual Disciplines
2.Share Freely as Needs Arise
3.Gather Regularly for Worship and Fellowship

Let’s spend a minute with each of these.

How did the early church navigate challenging times and lift each other’s lives?
I.They were Steadfast in their Spiritual Discipline

Read verse 42 again with me.

Acts 2:42
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
‭‭‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
The NAS says, “They continually devoted themselves…”
Is your mindset one of continual devotion to Christ?  
•Are you sort of devoted?  
•Kind of devoted?  
•Or are you continually devoted to Jesus.

Continual devotion – This is to be the mindset of every Christian!
 
1.Continual Devotion – The best Definition I found is, “To persist obstinately in a steadfast commitment to.”

What does it look like to persist obstinately? I think it is three words – Keep Showing Up!

Keep Showing Up: The Story of Desmond Doss
During World War II, Desmond Doss was an unlikely soldier. A devout Christian and conscientious objector, he refused to carry a weapon. But he still enlisted—as a combat medic—determined to serve his country by saving lives, not taking them.

The ridicule was brutal.
•Fellow soldiers mocked him,
•called him a coward,
•even threatened his life.
But Desmond kept showing up.
•Through training.
•Through abuse.
•Through isolation.
Quietly, persistently, he held to his conviction: “While others are taking life, I’ll be saving it.”

Then came the Battle of Okinawa.

As bullets rained down and bodies fell by the dozens, Desmond didn’t run. While others retreated, he climbed up “Hacksaw Ridge” alone—again and again—to rescue the wounded.

By nightfall, he had carried 75 men to safety, one at a time.

Each time he lowered a wounded soldier, he prayed, “Lord, let me get one more.”
One more trip into danger. One more body. One more life saved.

Doss’s relentless devotion wasn’t flashy. It was steady. Unseen. Costly. But he kept showing up—when it mattered most.

He later received the Medal of Honor, the first ever awarded to a conscientious objector.

For the early church, to be devoted was to have an obstinate persistence to keep showing up for FOUR SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES that literally changed their lives and those they influenced.

Let’s look at Acts 2:42 again:

Acts 2:42
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

1. They were continually devoted to the Apostle’s Teaching.
The New King James Version says, “42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine…”

Q: What was this doctrine that they were devoted to?  What was this teaching that they constantly attended to?

A: The Gospel of Grace!  

•This was a message of the grace of God through a new covenant established by Jesus Christ.  
•The message was that the law was given to show us that we could not satisfy God’s righteous requirements and standards.
•The teaching was to show that how through the Old Testament Witness, one was coming who would fulfill all of the Prophecies that the law and prophets spoke of.
•The teaching of the Apostles was the ministry of Jesus and the content of the gospels.
•The teaching of the Apostles was the Cross of Jesus Christ and his resurrection and salvation that is available to all men because of his sacrifice for our sins.
•The teaching of the Apostles was the Gospel of Grace and how Grace interrupts our lives and changes everything!
•In essence, the Apostles would preach and say to those listening, “Here is the good news of grace.  You should try it, it will change your life!”

Now, what is the design of Doctrine?  What is the aim of teaching?

Application!  The design of doctrine, the aim of teaching is the application of that teaching into our lives.

So, when they grasped this amazing grace:
•it impacted the grace they had for one another in their fellowship.
•It impacted their sweetness of breaking bread together.
•It impacted their prayer lives and how they would pray for God to move.  

More than that, it grew their faith.  And in this, they saw the Holy Spirit of God move in their midst.

Notice this in Acts 2:43.

Acts 2:43
“And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.”

Awe came upon every soul.  What an amazing moment in their lives this must have been!  
•They were filled with the fullness of Christ.
•They were basking in His grace.  
•They were consumed by his love.
•They were in awe of the fact that He loved them so much.  And God was using the Apostles in profound ways.  

My friends, when the gospel is preached…when the gospel of grace is received by faith, it changes your life.  It impacts every bit of one’s being. Have you tasted of this gospel of grace?  

How else did they lift one another and navigate challenging times? ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The Lift of Community
1.Be Steadfast in Spiritual Disciplines
2.Share Freely as Needs Arise
3.Gather Regularly for Worship and Fellowship

II.They Shared Freely with One Another

Notice verses 44-45.

Acts 2:44-45
“And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

‭‭‬‬‬‬We see a fuller treatment of this in Acts 4:34-37.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Acts 4:34-37
“There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”

Here, we have the natural expression of the gospel of grace.  Do you know what the natural expression of the gospel of grace looks like?  

It’s called GENEROSITY.  

THERE WAS NOT A NEEDY PERSON AMONG THEM!  WHY?  BECAUSE THE GOSPEL OF GRACE SO IMPACTED THEIR LIVES, THEY COULDN’T HELP BUT OPEN THEIR HANDS AND GIVE TO MEET NEEDS.  

Do you guys remember Winter Storm Uri? It was a severe freeze over most of the state of Texas in February of 2021. Many people had pipes that burst, and we were one of them.

I went to my social media and posted a photo while standing in line at the Home Depot. I received 6 or 7 calls from our members offering to come over and help.

I turned down the help, as I had isolated the small leak and believed I could fix it.  Well, it wasn’t too long thereafter my attempted fix that I realized I needed help.

Steve Yarborough and Joe Hafemeister reached out to me and came by the next morning. They got my line capped, and we got water pressure restored.  Then, they said, “where else can we go?”  

We had two other staff members who had line problems.  They got those resolved, and one of the guys who was a recipient of their generosity looked at me and said, “Man, this is so amazing!”  I looked right back at him and said, “That’s the church!”  

GENEROSITY IS THE CURRENCY OF GRACE.  Generosity is what moves grace into people’s hearts.  And what’s so beautiful about the gospel is that as a believer in Jesus, you are constantly receiving the generosity of God into your life.  

My friend, Brandon Baca, used to be the CEO of Attack Poverty. He and his family had a pipe burst in winter storm Uri, in his garage. He was told it would be three weeks before he could have a plumber come to his house.  Kathleen Yarborough sent her husband Steve, and Joe Hafemeister to his home to fix his plumbing issue. I was on a group text with Brandon about something entirely different when one of the guys asked how we were here in Houston.  

Brandon said, “I’m at a warming center serving folks here in Fort Bend and I get word that two guys showed up to fix my plumbing issues…it brought me to tears.”

That’s the Body of Christ…the beautiful body of Christ…we give and received from one another, especially when times are tough.

And that’s what our church has been doing for 97 years in the heart of this city.  And now we do it on three campuses throughout our city.

GENEROSITY IS THE CURRENCY OF GRACE.

How can you be generous this week?  Today?

May we always have an obstinate, persistent continual devotion to sharing freely with others as needs arise.

What else did the church do in difficult times? How do Christians lift one another’s lives?

The Lift of Community
1.Be Steadfast in Spiritual Disciplines
2.Share Freely as Needs Arise
3.Gather Regularly for Worship and Fellowship

III.They Gathered Regularly for Worship and Fellowship

Look at Acts 2:46-47

Acts 2:46-47
“And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
‭‭‬‬
Now, as we began this message, we saw that these new disciples were continuously devoted to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and to prayer.

Verse 46-47 shows us a focus of these last three disciplines in how they practiced their faith.

•These disciples would go to the temple for daily prayer (see chapter 3:1, as Peter and John went to the temple at the hour of prayer),
•and it was there that they would PRAISE GOD
•and PRAY.
•They would Encourage one another.  
•And then they would open their homes and fellowship with each other.

So, what does a continual devotion to Worship & Fellowship look like?
It is a persistent, obstinate, steadfast commitment to our Lord and one another, while making room for someone new.

The Moravian Church
In 1727, a small Christian community in Herrnhut, Germany, led by Count Nikolaus von Zinzendorf, felt called to deeper fellowship and prayer. They were a group of Moravian believers, living in close community, practicing unity, worship, and discipleship much like the early church in Acts 2.

One night, after a particularly powerful move of the Holy Spirit, they started a prayer meeting.

It didn’t stop.

That prayer meeting went on—uninterrupted—24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 100 years.

That’s over 870,000 hours of continual devotion—brothers and sisters showing up in shifts, day and night, to pray, worship, and encourage one another.

And from that humble community came one of the greatest missionary movements in history—sending out more missionaries in 20 years than the entire Protestant church had in the previous 200 years.

They didn’t have flashy services, big budgets, or strategy decks. What they had was devotion. A rhythm of life built around worship, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer—the very things Acts 2 describes.

When we continually devote ourselves to gathering, to worship, to prayer, and to each other—God does more than we imagine. Sometimes He starts something that outlives us.

You see, the Moravian Church was one of the most influential missionary-sending movements in Christian history, especially given its size.

From them living the Lifted Life, we see this fruit:

1.First Protestant Missionary Movement
oThe Moravians were the first Protestant group to establish a sustained, organized missionary effort, starting in 1732—decades before William Carey (often called the father of modern missions).

2.Missionary-to-Member Ratio
oBy 1791 (just under 60 years after the first missionaries were sent), the Moravian Church had 226 missionaries for only 13,000 members.
oThat’s 1 missionary for every 58 members—a ratio unmatched in mission history.

3.Global Reach by the 1700s
oMoravian missionaries were active in:
The Caribbean (St. Thomas, St. Croix, Jamaica)
Greenland
North and South America (especially among Native American tribes)
Africa (South Africa)
India
Tibet
Sri Lanka
The Arctic

4.Endurance and Legacy
oBy the early 1900s, Moravians had sent over 3,000 missionaries worldwide.
oToday, the Moravian Church continues in more than 30 countries with over 1.2 million members—a lasting fruit of their centuries-long commitment to missions.


So, what happens when a church is committed to one another this way?

It prospers!  
It grows!
Peoples lives are changed.

Notice this in Acts 2:47.

Acts 2:47
And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Now, notice something with me. I started off this message asking you if you had believers to help lift you when difficulties arise in your life. Yet, as we wrap up this message, I have just shared with you about a missionary movement that God is still using because of the steadfast commitment that these believers had to one another.

This is the kingdom. When we commit to his word, and one another, we will go deeper and we will go farther than we could on our own.

Don't just go to church.
Be the church.

Don’t just listen.
Join. Share. Grow. Lift—and be lifted.

Let God lift your life through the power of community.
•Visit the Community Group booth in the lobby today. – One sheet about CG’s and QR Code to fill out interest form.

•Don’t just attend—connect.

•Don’t just listen—share.

•Don’t just sit—grow.


 
This blog is based on the message shared by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Sunday, August 10, 2025 from our CityRise Church Bellaire campus. Check out the full message below!