We're Better Together

This week I watched the Martin Scorsese movie “Silence” about two 17th-century Jesuit priests who travel from Portugal to Japan to locate their missing mentor who was suspected of abandoning his faith. It was difficult to watch the persecution and torture that these fictional Christians endured. They represented the millions of real life martyrs who stood for Christ throughout the ages.  Their courage and steadfastness in the face of horrific circumstances is a lesson for us all.

I remember reading about studies that were conducted among former American prisoners of war to determine what methods used by the enemy were most effective in breaking their spirit. The findings revealed that these men did not break down from physical deprivation and torture as quickly as they did from solitary confinement or from disrupted friendships. Attempts to get them divided in their attitudes toward one another proved to be the most successful method of discouraging them. It was further learned that these P.O.W.’s were not sustained primarily by faith in their country or by the rightness of the cause for which they fought. They drew their greatest strength from the close attachments they had formed with their fellow prisoners. I got to thinking the same thing can be said is for church. You and I were made to live and grow in our faith as a part of a community of faith. God created us to live our lives not only connected to Him but also connected to each other.  

I have been saying for years, as Christians, we’re better together!

This weekend at the Celebration we will be continuing on in our series called GROW and I will be focusing on how the earliest church grew in faith and love with God and with each other even in and especially during difficult times.

I hope you will take full advantage of the liberty we have in this country to make a point of freely worshipping with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
We ARE better together,

Your pastor and partner in ministry,
Kyle

P.S.
Baby dedications at all services this weekend. Please RSVP on C3Hays app. Want to be baptized? RSVP to kyle@celebratejesus.org

C3’s Congregational Meeting and my (brief) State of the Church Address will take place at 12:30pm on Sunday.