Our theme word for 2021 is “PURSUE” and our theme verse is a very familiar one to many of us.

Matthew 6:33 – NLT - “SEEK {PURSUE} the Kingdom of God ABOVE ALL else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”

What our theme verse is saying is what we have made the bottom line for our 2021 theme:

PURSUE JESUS ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE!

PURSUE Jesus every day BECAUSE you BECOME like the one you spend time with.

Our new MISSION STATEMENT is, “At BC, we want EVERYONE to KNOW GOD, FIND FREEDOM, CONNECT WITH OTHERS and MAKE A DIFFERENCE.” Each of those things require INTENTION. You will not accidentally KNOW GOD. You have to SEEK HIM. You won’t stumble upon finding freedom. You have to WANT IT and PURSUE it. You don’t typically make a difference unless you are looking for and seizing opportunities. And the same is true when it comes to CONNECTING WITH OTHERS. You have to be INTENTIONAL. You have to PURSUE them! Last week we talked about PURSUE…KNOWING GOD. This week, I want to talk to you about PURSUE…CONNECTING WITH OTHERS.

How was 2020 for you in terms of CONNECTING WITH OTHERS? There were LOTS of OBSTACLES, way more than in a normal year. Seriously, think about what are the ways that you usually CONNECT with other people?
· Sporting events? Couldn’t do it.
· Game nights? Nope. Although we did some on Zoom, which was great.
· Bowling? Certainly not.
· Eating out at a restaurant. Not for a long time.
· Get out of the house or invite someone to your house. For many weeks, that is exactly what we were told NOT to do.

Now, you could still CONNECT with OTHERS in 2020, but it was different and it was harder. And we desperately NEED to CONNECT with others. I don’t think God was simply or only referring to marriage when he said:

While the full context is about marriage, the reality is that some are called to singleness, which we see in the NT. But the reality and truth of the first part of that verse is still SO TRUE. “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

There is a reality TV show called “ALONE” where contestants are dropped off on different parts in a secluded, isolated, often FREEZING COLD, region of our world that is very rugged. Their job is to build shelter, get food, SURVIVE…BY THEMSELVES and be the last one to not give up. One of the real lessons they learn is this:

No matter how strong you are or how equipped you are, one of the biggest enemies you have is ISOLATION.

Have you felt isolated at all in the last 9 months? Many have!!! Suicidal thoughts during COVID are triple the normal reported rates. Divorce rates have risen. Drug overdoses rose by 18%

“It is not good for man to be alone.”

Isn’t that true? There are so many ways it can be bad for us to be alone. Joseph Newton said,
“People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.”

Bridge Church, I think it’s time we get better at building bridges! You cannot connect with others unless you are vulnerable and let people in. You can be in the same room and spend hours together with people, but if you have walls erected and you’re not being honest about what’s happening inside or seeking what’s really going on inside others, then you aren’t REALLY connected that deeply. Building bridges is more than physical proximity. It’s honesty and vulnerability and deep interest in others. You have to give them a BRIDGE in.

Loneliness isn’t a new problem, is it? Loneliness has been with us for a long, long time. In fact, from the beginning…“It is NOT GOOD for man to be alone…”

Why is loneliness NOT GOOD? Because we were designed by GOD for fellowship with others. There is TREMENDOUS VALUE in knowing and being known by others. The theme song of the old tv show “Cheers” hinted at that:

Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came
You want to be where you can see
Our troubles are all the same
You want to be where everybody knows your name

THAT is a GREAT description of a church and the purpose of our BRIDGE GROUPS, but the song was used at a bar. A healthy church with healthy small groups can meet that need WAY better than a bar. In fact, I would say it this way.

For REAL CONNECTION, you need a BODY not a BAR!

What do I mean by that? The type of connection, that is good for your soul, isn’t found in a bar, but it can be found in the body of Christ.

There is a type of CONNECTION that we can have in the Body of Christ that cannot be experienced elsewhere. It’s called KOINONIA. It could be described this way: “fellowship, community, intimacy, exhibiting an embodiment and proof of fellowship. Togetherness.

Or maybe we could say it with a word from last week. YADA! It’s a deeper knowing, a deeper CONNECTION with others, centered around CHRIST!

To get to KNOW and BE KNOWN by OTHERS…to be CONNECTED

It is a word that is used some 19 times in the NT and is usually translated “FELLOWSHIP”, but it’s so much fuller than that. It’s a type of deeper friendship, connection. The first place where the word shows up in the Bible is in Acts.

Do you see the depth of their CONNECTION? Devoted to studying God’s Word TOGETHER, fellowshipping TOGETHER, sharing in meals TOGETHER and praying TOGETHER.

Koinonia is being in agreement with one ANOTHER, being united in purpose and mission, and serving alongside EACH OTHER. This type of connection is a deeper type of KNOWING another person. And we ALL NEED THAT! We need…

To get to KNOW and BE KNOWN by OTHERS

A powerful example of what KOINONIA should look like can be found by studying the phrases “one another” and “each other” in the NT. There are 59 such occurrences. Among them are to…
· The most repeated one …“LOVE ONE ANOTHER”
· “Be devoted to ONE ANOTHER in love.”
· “HONOR ONE ANOTHER.” Romans 12:10 – NLT
· LIVE in HARMONY with ONE ANOTHER – Romans 12:16
· ACCEPT ONE ANOTHER…JUST AS Christ accepted you – Romans 15:7
· SERVE ONE ANOTHER in love – Galatians 5:13
· TEACH ONE ANOTHER – Colossians 3:16
· BEAR with EACH OTHER – Colossians 3:13
· BUILD EACH OTHER up – 1 Thessalonians 5:11
· SHARE EACH OTHER’S burdens – Galatians 6:2
· ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER – 1 Thessalonians 4:18
· CONFESS your sins to EACH OTHER – James 5:16
· PRAY for EACH OTHER – James 5:16
· FORGIVE EACH OTHER – Ephesians 4:32
· “Be at peace with EACH OTHER” – Mark 9:50

And something I’ve said previously about the one another’s is this:

You can’t practice the “ONE ANOTHER'S” without ANOTHER!
You can't practice the "EACH OTHERS" without EACH OTHER!

It’s NOT GOOD for man or woman to BE ALONE. You need to find “YOUR PEOPLE”. The people that you CONNECT with. That can be found in a neighborhood Bible study, in a Bridge Group, which is what we call our small groups. It can be found in a group of friends that love Jesus and enjoy spending time together. It’s possible to connect in that way to a certain extent via Zoom or FaceTime with friends that are a distance away or because health conditions or safety precautions.

But staying at home AND disconnected from others is unhealthy spiritually. There is no way around that. You must find some way to CONNECT WITH OTHERS.

To get to KNOW and BE KNOWN by OTHERS…to be CONNECTED

This is what Jesus invited the disciples into. To grow in some dynamic fellowship together. And the interesting thing is, He invited some people that would have been natural enemies, like MMA battles.

· Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas, were all violent Jewish Nationalists and then you have Matthew, someone who was considered a sell-out and a traitor, to the Roman government. Discussing politics around the table would have been really interesting with these guys.
· The bombastic Peter most likely butted heads with Sons of Thunder James and John and probably with everyone else at some point.
· But Jesus brought them ALL TOGETHER

It’s not important that we VOTE alike, think alike, talk alike, like the same type of music or worship the same way, or like the same style of preaching. Not to be a disjointed BODY, but a healthy BODY. We are better TOGETHER! What is important is that we put our differences aside for the sake of JESUS! By the way, if you are following along with our SOAP Bible reading plan, tomorrow we read this:

Then Paul tells us how to agree together. Focus on JESUS!

Set aside selfishness and pursue JESUS TOGETHER. It would be good for you.

Something important for us to recognize is this:

Not ALL CONNECTION is created equal but all CONNECTION is powerful

There are actually some bad connections that you can make in life. Isn’t that true? The Bible actually warns us about THAT kind of CONNECTION.


1 Corinthians 15:33 – NLV – “ Do not let anyone fool you. Bad people can make those who want to live good become bad.”

I’ve known many people through the years that were doing pretty good…until they met that one friend or group of friends. That friend got them to…steal, do drugs, lie to their parents, cheat on their spouse, develop a negative attitude. God wants Christians to avoid bad connections and develop good and healthy connections. For us:

To get to KNOW and BE KNOWN by OTHERS…to be CONNECTED

It can feel risky. We’ve been hurt before. We don’t really like to put ourselves out there. We’re friendly, we’re kind, but we don’t always invest in a deeper friendship. The BEST places to develop a true friendship, true koinonia, in my opinion is within a Bridge Group or a serve team. This is not meant to be a commercial but just a reality. Those are the best places at Bridge to make friends. Serving together on a ministry team is fun and has purpose. You are making a difference, but you also have opportunity to connect with your other team members.

“It’s NOT GOOD for man to be alone…”

And think of some of the things that can be accomplished TOGETHER, which would not have been possible ALONE.

· Michael Jordan and Lebron James are GREAT basketball players, but neither would have won any championships without several OTHERS.
· Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rogers might be the 2 best QBs in the league right now, but they cannot catch their own passes. They cannot stop the other team from scoring. They can’t pass if their blockers don’t give them time. They NEED teammates.
· If I had a heart problem and the best heart surgeon in the world was available but he could ONLY do it by himself without any help, I do not want him touching my heart. I would rather have an average doctor with a team than the best alone.

"It’s NOT GOOD for man to be ALONE." It’s time…

To get to KNOW and BE KNOWN by OTHERS…to be CONNECTED

· It’s time to break out of your cocoon
· It’s time to get out of isolation
· It’s time to build a bridge instead of a wall
· Safely, responsibly, physically distanced, perhaps, but IMPORTANTLY…
· And really make a true friend or a group of friends, Because it can change your life.

I like what Andy Stanley says,

“Life-Change happens a little bit in ROWS (church) and a lotta bit in CIRCLES (groups).”

One of the main excuses we hear about why someone doesn’t join a group is that they don’t have time. I heard it said:

“If it's important you'll find a way. If it's not, you'll find an excuse”

You will grow in what you make a priority!

So make the first move. Here are some other things to try…
· Introduce yourself to someone you don’t know today.
· Invite someone to coffee this week or to sit by you at lunch or to a workout.
· Look for people in the same stage of life: dads look for other dads, singles look for other singles, seniors look for seniors, you already have a lot in common so it’s a good starting place for a friendship.
· Perhaps take some time this week and ask yourself why you haven’t made connections lately.
· What can I do today to start?

Take a step towards CONNECTING WITH OTHERS!
At BC, we want you to KNOW GOD, FIND FREEDOM, CONNECT WITH OTHERS and MAKE a DIFFERENCE. Which one of those needs the most work in your life. Do something about it! PURSUE it!

· PURSUE KNOWING GOD
· PURSUE FINDING FREEDOM
· PURSUE CONNECTING WITH OTHERS
· PURSUE MAKING A DIFFERENCE

If you do, it will make a difference IN YOU!