Beyond Sunday: Walking in Community
Catch up: this week’s Sunday morning message.
Jesus modeled community. Sending his followers 2 by 2 to prepare the way and proclaim the Kingdom of God is near. Walking with Jesus is meant to be done in community. When we are frail, weak, broken, tired, and weary, the Jesus-shaped community walks with us to remind us of His presence and His power.
Catch up: this week’s Sunday morning message.
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[Music] Hey everyone, welcome back uh to Beyond Sunday. This is the podcast where we take the conversation beyond Sunday and today is especially exciting. So, first of all, Devon is here, of course. How are you doing tonight, Devin? Fantastic. Oh, nice. Always so enthusiastic. Uh in addition to Devon, we've got Ezra joining us. as here. How are you doing? Good. Doing good. Awesome. And then we've got Brian. I've got Brian here with me. Brian, how are you? Good. Good. Uh, so this week was cool
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because um Devin and I both got to team preach um which is always exciting to have other voices on the platform. Team preaching is its own unique kind of thing, but this was really cool because we got to team preach both of us with family. So, uh, Brien is my kiddo. Brien, you're How old are you? 12. Tell the people 12. And then um Ezra is your cousin. Cousin. Cousin. Ezra is your cousin. And so uh yeah, we got to preach with with family. We got to preach with young voices. Um so all around this was a really cool
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opportunity. Um and I'm looking forward to diving into this conversation. But before we do that, take a look at this video. [Music] Heat. Heat. N. [Music] [Music] [Music] Okay guys, as we dive back in into this conversation, um let's let's first share uh sort of big idea for this Sunday and scriptures. So Shrea Brighton, do you want to share big ideas some of the scriptures that you were going into from Sunday? Yeah. Um well, we looked uh in 2 Kings uh 5 1-14. Um my mom told the story of
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Non and um bathing in the Jordan River. Um we looked in Luke 10 1-12. Um, I read that one and talked a little bit about it about uh how did he just send out the 72 men and seven uh sent them in pairs of two. Um, and we also went into Galatians 6 1-4. Nice. Yeah. What was the big idea overall that we talked about? Community. Community. You need community. Yeah. And so, Ezra, you and I got to team preach. And so we pretty much stayed in in a couple uh two verses uh two passages. So what were those two
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passages we we hung out in? We tackled Luke 10 1-20 and Galatians 6 1-10. And we're really diving into what it looks like walking together as a group and as a community, as a church and leading in the word in the way. Yeah, it's awesome. Um for us this came out this opportunity um even just a team preach came out of an experience uh going to Mexico. So Brian came with us. We um in fact did a did a podcast about that that trip. But coming home from that I was on the airplane getting ready
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um like looking at okay what's what's the sermon going to be um in a couple weeks. And as I was looking at it it just felt like it lent it lent itself so much to what God had been saying and what we had experienced together in Mexico. And so Brian was next to me on the plane and I kind of like showed him like look at look what I'm going to be preaching on in a couple weeks and he was like wow that that's like a lot of what we've been talking about. And so then um out of that it was like hey do
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you want to do this together? And so we we um he our our message was heavily influenced by our time and our experience in Mexico. Um like God was just speaking loudly through that and through the scriptures in that way. Yeah. Well that's good. And then Ezra, you and I met um about four times or so prior to this last Sunday and um got to to read through the scriptures, pray through it. Um but but even I think we even said it in on Sunday that what what we were uncovering was, you know, God was just more and more was was was
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coming um coming to the surface. And even actually maybe you can speak to this even the you came up here uh to Centroia on Saturday. we we met together, our families, um and you're like, I've got some other things to add, some notes that God's been giving me, stirring in my heart. And so, even even in the last, you know, day, it was it was um I've got these other things God's speaking to me about. So, in that way, what what were some of those uh you know, highlights or pieces that were
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sticking with you from those those passages? Yeah, as we originally dived we we met, I think, like two months ago. Yeah. at first and this like whole all of last week I was just like digging deeper into these passages in preparation and so much just came jumping out. I mean, I had to dial back a bit because it's like, oh, I want to do that and I want to speak on that, but wanted to keep it a bit centered on the main point, but even things like uh the dust being wiped off the feet when the town rejected them and what
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that meant for ancient Israeli customs and all that kind of stuff. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, even just the pieces there that uh were things that were God were were bringing up and and one of the things, Ezra, that I don't know if we'll get into it here, but one of the things that struck me was that um and even came out in the Saturday that our families were together was what we were preaching about. You you and your family have been living like the realities of um community and and walking with Jesus
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together in community. And that just struck me in such a way on Saturday when we're together with our families and then preaching on Sunday together um that it was like you guys have been walking this out for the last uh within the last year. You have been you guys have been um living living out what it is to walk with Jesus and have community around you. Yeah, it's been it was a hard season for a while, but it's been incredible to see what the Lord has done and what he can do. Yeah.
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I'm like, it's crazy what the Lord does when we pray. And this was like not even something we were praying for and he just completely removed us from one church, put us into another within a couple weeks. It was crazy. But it's it's been great where we are now and been a place to grow and serve and learn a lot more about the word and even how to teach the word better. Yeah. Because um for those who don't know like uh you I first got a video from your dad sent me that you were you
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were preaching teaching at uh youth group and this was back in I think April that you were you were doing that teaching. March. Oh March. Okay. Even further. Yeah. So, and I got this video and it was from that moment that set the wheels turning of I wonder what it'd be like to team preach with Ezra. And uh then here we are from this last Sunday getting to team preach. Was that your first time team team preaching ever? Yeah, first time I've ever done it with somebody. Um for Good Friday, me and my
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youth pastor did a trade-off. So, like I did a 10-minute DVO, you did a 10-minute DVO, but that's the first time I've ever done it with somebody else. It was really fun. I liked it a lot. Yeah. Didn't scare you away or anything, right? That's what I was going to say. This is a safe place. You can be honest, Ezra. It's okay. Um, it was your first time preaching. Yeah. First time ever doing something that long and big on stage, too. Yeah. But would you do it again? Yeah. Yeah. Okay, cool. Um, what are some of
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the things that were were landing for you as you as we prepared? Because one of my favorite parts, I'll just say in team preaching, um the actual preaching is cool, but it's the leadup where you get to spend time with somebody, um in this case with my kid, uh wrestling through scripture and praying and listening to like what God's saying. So, what were some of the things going into this that God was was putting on your heart? Um well just thinking through like uh leading up and uh reading the scripture
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and uh wrestling through all that was just like community is so valuable and um I feel like that can just be overlooked sometimes like valuable things are right in front of you um like uh uh just like a gift and then sometimes you can just breeze right past them. Yeah. So the value of community. Yeah. Even though can't really do much without it. Yeah. Cuz one of the things that you had called out when you first read Luke, the Luke passage was that Jesus had community, right? And so that was
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something I know that struck you like why do we think we don't need people around us if Jesus modeled that for us? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And Ezra, you brought out some really cool things even from our first meeting. uh we we highlighted it on Sunday but I I think it's even important even here the the idea of wrestling through the text and reading it together and praying through it that our first meeting uh in calling out the oh Jesus sent 72 here in this in Luke chapter 10 but in Luke chapter 9 he sends 12 his his disciples
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the 12 and quickly uh as someone who knows numbers and they just seem to they they seem to fit in in the way that you think Um, but you made the statement to me of uh, oh, how many sets of 12 is that? Seven. Seven sets of 12 with 72 plus the plus the disciples the 12 before in the in the first chapter or the chapter before. But even that for me, Ezra, that that cemented in me like this is how it ought to be when we are reading through the text together and we're we're uh wrestling through it. We're we're
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throwing out things. Hey, I noticed this. Did you see that? And like first of all, Ezra, in no way am I going to see that connection, but you do. And I think it's beautiful. Thank you. What were some other things that you pulled out even from whether it's from the Galatians 6 or the the Luke 10 Ezra? Yeah, one of the things and I I mean I got carried away speak on something else on Sunday, but um and I think it's the GL where was it? uh I think it was in the first part like 1 through six where
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you're talking about or maybe it was the other part but just talking about the growth spiritual growth versus fleshly growth like what you sow you reap and one of the things that I got was speaking about was just how once you've planted something of the flesh once you've planted it once that starts to grow the longer you leave it the hard it becomes to remove and one of the things that kind of just hit me. I had the thought brewing before, but it's hit me more even since and it's the that it's the same thing
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the other way around. So, if we plant something, if we sew spiritual seeds in our life, the more that grows, the longer we leave it to grow, the longer we let it grow, the more we feed it, the harder it becomes to remove because the more it becomes us. Like it becomes harder to send, harder to walk the wrong path the more you dive into the word the more you push into God. Yeah. Tend to that and tend to that that seed. That's good. Water it. I love it. Harder it is to remove it. It's like
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it's us. Yeah. Yeah. You wouldn't know the difference. Is it Jesus? Is it the fruit of the spirit or the fruit of the fruit of the flesh? No, it's good. I think I even stepped on over your notes on that on that part, Ezra. You'll have to confirm or deny that one. But like as we're preaching through that, I I might have just like kept going and and and stepped over our notes because we were kind of doing a back and forth of popcorn kind of thing. Um and there's maybe been been some
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times that in in in the uh team preaching that I I just I just kind of took it all. No, no, you're good. You're good. I really enjoyed it. Good. He's so much greasier than I am. I'm like, "Yeah, I've been there." Yeah. For me, my mom just took it and just he was like, "Brian, I'm going off the notes." I did that a couple times. Sorry. Yeah. He was like I was like, "That's not that's not what we wrote down. That's the spirit, man. Like, welcome to preaching with me."
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I did. Yeah, it happens. Okay. It was good. Yeah. Good. Well, they even gave Ezra uh they they applauded Ezra and I was like I told him while we're up there like they don't they don't applaud for me. They they're applauding. So, well well said. For sure. For sure. That was for you, Ezra. Enjoy that. Uh all right. So, good stuff. Um good stuff already that we've pulled out, but what's the thing that God's still saying? So, we always like to ask at the end, um, what's the chyros, the the way
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that God's trying to get your attention? Um, Bren, what's the thing for you that God's saying? Oh gosh, me first. I'll start with you. Do you want Devon? Do you want Devon to go first? Yeah. Okay, Deon, go. I can start. Um, mine is the the tail end of of our ch Galatians chapter 6. uh the uh you know the harvest and um that's the re re uh you reap what you sow and the is it is it the sewing of of um things of the flesh or sewing things of of the spirit but it the like a verse
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or two later it it talks about do not become weary in doing good and like almost that encouragement of you you you're going to you're going to come up against um hardships, trials, struggles. Uh but but um in the way that God has called us, in the way that God's called me, do not do not become weary in doing good. that if if if my hands are are as we've talked about weeks before the plow in in where God's calling me, if I'm uh doing and and being in the place of God's will, uh following his leader
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leading um sensing his his voice calling me um further into his presence that don't become weary and doing good because there are times where and seasons where I I I do find myself weary and um and then I have to stop and reflect like am I weary from doing good or am I weary from doing my own thing? So there is a a sense in this in that passage at Galatians 6 that's like all right I don't I don't think I'd become weary in doing good. I I think where I become weary is in when my focus maybe
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is off Jesus and I'm doing my own thing and it and it and there's hardships. it doesn't always go the way I'd hoped and um then there becomes weariness but in the the sense that like if it's in uh you know God's mission calling me in closer into his presence and seeing about his his kingdom come in the world that that wouldn't always well yeah typically inspires me encourages me keep going keep going u and so that that's the chyros for me of is if there is weariness for me where
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is it coming from is it from doing good or is it in um in doing my own thing and I would as a reflection to then want to do my I want to do what God's calling me not my own thing so I have to I have to submit and sacrifice if it does exist there so I don't know that's probably not well articulated but there's something there in that Galatians 6 that the end end of that portion Yeah. Well, and I don't So, first of all, I don't know if you noticed, but that was on the wall in at Welcome Home in Mexico
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in the um dining room. Yeah. Um that passage. So, then when I came back and saw that we were in Galatians 6, I was like, "Oh, man. There's something there." But I I do think like that what you just said resonates because I do like, okay, am I weary? Because I'm trying to do my own thing. Um, but I also know like in seasons of life there have been times where it's like, God, I know I'm hearing you and I know I'm doing the right thing, but this is this is still hard. And so I um that
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idea even I just was rereading it, but it says the second half of that at just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessings. So there's an element of trust of like, okay, God, I'm actually like I know I'm doing what you're telling me to do. Um I'm not seeing the blessing right now and this feels hard, but I'm trusting that that you're going to you're going to offer that at the right time. So that that resonates that way. Are you ready? Yeah. Okay, go. Um well, it was cool to me that um in
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Luke 10. Um it was verse 4. It was It says, "Don't take any money with you, nor a traveler's peg, nor an extra pair of sandals, and don't stop to greet anyone on the road." And that was um cool for me cuz what it felt to me like Jesus was saying was just to totally rely on community around you. And um like just another way to get into community. Like if you don't have community, you don't have anything. And then when you step into community, you have people um letting you stay at their homes,
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people uh to have dinner with and um talk through hard things um and even something I told my mom when we were uh um writing our notes out was it's great to have community during the hard times. and the bad things, but it's also great to have community when going through the joyful and happy things to have somebody to have joy with and laugh with. Yeah, it was good. Yeah, that's good. And that's a good point because when my family was going through this whole thing with our church, um it was great to have my
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family, not just my immediate family, but like more extended family there as a net and a spiritual community outside of the church to pull us up. For me though, uh the one thing that I've I was kind of thinking about and resonating on today in particular was like as a community that's walking together. How do we achieve that? Like how do we get a community that's walking together? And like you picture the church, the early church in Jerusalem and how they were in a almost like a a place of a perfect church as close
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as you could get, you could say. Um, how do we achieve that? And I guess that falls back to I think it's verse four in Galatians 6. Each one should test his own actions. It falls to each of us individually. We shouldn't be comparing to others. We shouldn't be like, "Hey, you you need to fix that. Oh, you you need to fix that." Should be responsibility falls to ourselves, testing our actions, and diving deeper into a relationship with the Lord. I feel like that just really It kind of is how we get that community.
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Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's good. And and even the bearing the burdens part. Yeah. I like it. Yeah. It's a good word. Yeah. Uh for me it I I think what I what's sitting for me is actually really specific, but it came out of um something Brighton called out when we first read through uh Galatians 6 that that first part because we had been talking mostly we'd been talking about community um largely around physical needs and part of that because we had just come from Mexico and so the the
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idea you know we were even asking the questions of like this family that we got to build a home for um they needed community they needed people around them to to step in and meet really like physical tangible needs. Um and then even for us like going down there as a team of you know 16 of us plus the those who were down there already like we couldn't have built the house by ourselves. So there was just a lot of conversation around the physical um and that's something I felt like God was
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reminding me of when we were in Mexico is that oftent times um the best way for me to let somebody know that God loves them is to meet a physical need. So, so that when I've when I've fed someone who's hungry and then I tell them God loves them, uh, that just lands differently. And so, uh, that's kind of what largely we had been talking about at first, but when we read Galatians 6, Brian made a comment of like, oh, we also need community not just for physical needs, but for emotional and
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spiritual and mental um, for those areas like we need people around us. And so I was kind of sitting with that um and and even a little bit to answer uh the question you're asking Ezra, I was asking that question of like what does it look like for us to practice that level that early church level of community or what we saw Jesus model? And one of the things um that that came out of that question was uh do do we regularly confess sin with somebody that we trust? And that one that question kind of hits like like nobody really
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wants to do that. Um but in reflecting on that um for myself realizing that the more I've done that um the the the more that I've created a rhythm or a regular practice of just being open having having a trusted person or people that I can just be open with to say kind of in real time like God's working in this or in me on this right now. um the less that confession feels shameful and the more it actually feels like, oh, God just shined a light in an area that that was dark and I get to give that to him.
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And so, um I think that's what's sitting uh for me is is that community in in addition to all the things we've already called out. Um, I need community, like a deep community, the people around me to help me uh have a place to process what God's showing me or trying to teach me in my life and to be able to say regularly like without pretense or judgment. Um, but also with with somebody who will speak truth to me to say like, "This is what I think God's saying in an area that I probably need
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to work on." Um, and so that's that's the thing that's sitting for me. Yeah. Powerful. That's powerful stuff. I'm pretty sure the early church did not get what where they are without that that place of confession. Yeah. And bearing bearing one another's burdens. Um while also Ezra even if you brought up like knowing like there there's a place for me a place for me to to step in and to um uh yeah live live this out in this kind of way that looks like this level of community. Um, and
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even as you brought up like family helping to to to lift you up, to cover you. I mean, I said you said like there was times that you guys weren't even praying for something, but do know that there were others who were praying for you in that regard. Yeah. Um, and uh and like a covering and um Yeah. and and Brian, thank you for sharing just this Luke 10 of of of these disciples and these followers of Jesus and um saying yes to like, okay, we will we'll go to where you're we're leading
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us and calling us and yeah, you we're not I guess we're not going to take the maybe the things we think we should like we're not taking the Swiss Army knife. We're we're just going to go and trust that what's uh where you're sending us you will provide what we need. As a chronic overpacker, that's terrifying. I just like the faith of those people. Good, good for them. But I also think the other thing, you know, Brighton called out just now um we need community not just for hard times, which
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is kind of more what we've been focusing on, but also for for the celebrations and the joy and then even as you were saying Ezra um as you guys walked through something like having that net of people around you. But I wonder if that ties in then to the Galatians 6:9, Devon, where like in the the times or the moments where doing good does feel weary um or or taxing or tiring um we even called it out today uh earlier today as you and I were working on some stuff and getting some work done and
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it's like it's so much better to work together um and to be about the doing the good things but to do it together and in laughter and joy and whatever. And so there's a piece in that too of like um community is there for hard things and for support and encouragement and confession, but also for joy and and to make the uh to to make things a little bit more fun, honestly. Yes. Bring joy into the midst of all of that, the joy of the Lord. Um no, this has been good. Um and so, uh Brien Ezra,
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thank you for joining us on this episode. appreciate your willingness to team preach with both Sheree and myself. Um, but also just the word that God is seated within you and that you're willing to to offer to our congregation. So, thank you. Thank you guys. And we hope that those who you are listening uh that you too are having conversations that go beyond Sunday that uh you're hearing a word from God and and inviting others into that and uh exploring what God may be inviting you into. um beyond Sunday. And so, uh thank
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you for listening and we look forward to um the next next time we're together and recording another episode. So, take care. [Music]
