Alone Is Not An Option
2nd John 1:5-6 NLT
5 I am writing to remind you, dear friends,[a] that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. 6 Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.
2nd John 1:9 NLT
9 Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son.
2nd John 1:12 NLT
12 I have much more to say to you, but I don’t want to do it with paper and ink. For I hope to visit you soon and talk with you face to face. Then our joy will be complete.
Could it be, part of the devils master plan to isolate us and make us so dependent on our devices that we forget how much we need each other?
1 Peter 5:8 NLT
8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
If you isolate, you are a much easier target for the enemy.
Proverbs 18:1 NLT
18 Unfriendly people care only about themselves; they lash out at common sense.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 NIV
12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
3 Solutions to the disconnect in the body of Christ:
1. YOU CAN'T DOWNLOAD DISCIPLESHIP
Supplement - an addition to something that completes it or makes up for a shortcoming.
2. DISCIPLESHIP WAS DESIGNED FOR CIRCLES, NOT SILOS
Acts 2:42-47 NIV
42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper[a]), and to prayer.
43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity[b]— 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
John 13:34-35 NLT
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
You can't fully obey the command of "love one another" if there's no one another in your life!
Proverbs 27:17 NLT
17 As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
Who do you have in your life that you’ve given permission to hold you accountable, to have honest, candid conversations with, who will call you out when you lose your way or maybe slip off the rails?
Matthew 18:20 NLT
20 For where two or three gather together as my followers,[a] I am there among them.”
3. JOY IS COMPLETE THROUGH CONNECTION
Declaration:
God never designed me to follow Him alone. I grow, endure, and thrive best in community. My faith journey remains focused through face to face accountability, prayer, and love for one another. Isolation weakens discipleship, but connection strengthens it. When I stay rooted in Christ and committed to others, my joy is made complete.
Talk It Over Questions
1. What are some digital tools (apps, sermons, podcasts, livestreams) that have helped your faith?
2. Why do you think it’s tempting to substitute content consumption for actual community?
3. What stands out to you about how the early church lived and grew together?
4. Which of these practices (teaching, fellowship, meals, prayer, generosity) feels hardest to live out today—and why?
5. Have you ever experienced deeper joy through a relationship, group, or season of community? What made it meaningful?
6. How might isolation rob us of the “complete joy” John talks about in 2 John 1:12?
Ask Your Kids
1. Why does God want us to share His love with others?
2. What is one small way you can show Jesus to someone this week?
3. What happens when we shine our light?
