When Jesus came to Earth, He came to a story that was already being written. A story filled with characters and teams who had agendas, beliefs, and for the most part, despised each other. Teams, or parties, that would fight in the streets, commit murder, and slander one another to further their own belief system.

Jesus invited them all to His table and taught them the most important thing of all: It’s not about your agenda; it’s about the person sitting across from you. It’s about love. Jesus invited them to the table and taught them table manners.

Jesus’ love and grace was scandalous and controversial. Jesus embraced people before people embraced Him. He understood a person’s value wasn’t connected to their culture, actions, past, or circumstances. People have value because we are created in the image and likeness of God.

It is becoming less and less likely for us to meet, talk to, and spend time with people who disagree with us. In the new normal the odds are high that we won’t associate with people who are different from us. Not only do we not associate with them, but we dislike them because they are different. We have lost the ability to have conversations and to love all because we disagree.

People have never been more connected to one another than they are now. Technology has made the world smaller than it has ever been. Human interaction is only a button away. Yet people have never felt more lonely then they do now. A recent study showed that 70% of people report feeling/being lonely. This is a terrifying fact when you consider that real relationships dictate so many things about our lives: how long we live, how happy we are, even our self-esteem and self-worth.

In an increasingly connected world, we are increasingly less connected. How can we begin to experience real relationships and community?

The Tension: The push and pull of staying where you are and the desire to get where you want to be.

If you stay where you are, you forfeit your future.

Jesus calls us to serve one another. The quality of our relationships with the people around us directly reflects the quality of our relationship with God. If we love God, we will love others. If we serve God, we will serve others. If we are at odds with someone else, we are at odds with God.

He taught us that if we want to be great, we have to get off of our “thrones,” and put others first.

No one comes to faith alone. There is someone in your story of faith who reached you, impacted you, and invited you to follow Jesus. Now, our purpose as Jesus followers is to be that someone in someone else’s story of faith.

“It is better to give than receive.” Seven words inviting you into a faith journey with unimaginable benefits. Our best version of life is found in giving. Generosity is a willingness and eagerness to give liberally of who we are and what we have.

Jesus’ greatest passion and purpose was removing the barriers that kept people far from God and building bridges so that people could get to God. Everything He did flew in the face of the religious establishment of His time, a system built around keeping people out and letting only a select few in. He set an example for us to follow as a church and as individuals. He risked it all to make a way for the people to find The Way. He taught us that bridges are better.

“All the believers were one in heart and mind.” (Acts 4:32)

The early church included a diverse group of individuals: Jews, Greeks, Barbarians, Scythians, slaves, and freemen. It was very similar to the polarized groups we encounter today. Jesus prayed that they would be unified, combating one of the greatest challenges to the Church: unity without commonality, unity in the face of stark differences, unity, not on the basis of truth, but of love. His prayer was not just for the early Christians, but for us as well.