Growing Deeper in Community: Why You Were Never Meant to Follow Jesus Alone (Livermore, CA)
Table of Contents:
Church Isn’t an Event—It’s a Community
Step 1: Make a Commitment to Community
Step 2: Give and Receive Caring Community
Step 3: Christ-Centered Community Calls Out Sin
Step 4: Confession Is Required for Real Community
Communion and the Community Jesus Died For
A Simple Next Step in Livermore
You were not meant to live life alone. That’s not just a nice thought—it’s a deeply biblical reality. Think about how quickly isolation unravels a person. In Cast Away, Tom Hanks’ character survives a plane crash and spends years alone on an island. He does what any human eventually does when cut off from meaningful relationship: he breaks down. (Wilson the volleyball becomes his closest friend for a reason.)
It’s funny until it’s not—because isolation does something similar to us spiritually and emotionally. When we’re disconnected from community, it becomes easier to drift into depression, easier to fall into temptation, and easier to step outside of God’s plan for our lives. God created you for relationship with Him, yes—but also for relationship with other people. Christianity isn’t a “Jesus and me” solo project. It’s a shared life.
As we continue the Growing Deeper series, this message is about Growing Deeper in Community—and how a church in Livermore can become more than a place you attend. It can become a spiritual family you belong to. In the Bay Area—what many describe as a kind of spiritual desert—God is forming His people into a life-giving river. And rivers don’t run in isolation. They flow, connect, and bring life wherever they go.
Church Isn’t an Event—It’s a Community
A common misconception in the American church is that “church” equals a Sunday production—like a weekly show you watch, then leave. But church isn’t meant to be a spiritual movie theater. It’s meant to be a community that follows Jesus together.
That’s why one of the biggest shifts a person can make isn’t just attending more consistently—it’s moving from attending to belonging. There’s a big difference between watching a game and being on the team. Watching from the stands is low-cost, low-commitment, and low-connection. Being on the team means you know people, you’re invested, and you share a mission.
Step 1: Make a Commitment to Community
The first step to growing deeper in community is simple—and challenging: make a commitment. Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
Devotion isn’t the same as an option. Lunch plans are optional. Your schedule preferences are optional. But biblical community is meant to be devotion—a priority that shapes how you live.
A good question to ask yourself is: Do I treat belonging to a church community as a devotion or an option? If you want to grow deeper, start here. Decide that community matters enough to schedule around, show up for, and invest in.
Practical next steps can be as straightforward as joining a group, meeting people after service, or taking a “connect” step that helps you move from familiar faces to real relationships. If you’re newer, consider learning more through About Arroyo Church and taking the simplest next step through Plan Your Visit.
Step 2: Give and Receive Caring Community
Healthy community isn’t just friendly—it’s caring. 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 describes God as “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,” who comforts us so that we can comfort others with the comfort we’ve received.
Life includes crises you cannot fix: loss, diagnosis, disappointment, betrayal, grief. In those moments, what you need isn’t a quick solution—you need comfort. God gives comfort through His compassion and nearness, and then He often extends that comfort through His people.
Here’s the key: community is not just about receiving care; it’s also about giving it. Many people drift into one of two unhealthy extremes:
Only giving care (and never receiving), which often leads to burnout.
Only receiving care (and never giving), which often slides into selfishness.
Biblical community does both. We carry each other’s burdens. We show up. We pray. We sit in grief. We celebrate wins. We remind each other: you’re not alone. In a fast-paced Bay Area culture, that kind of steady, compassionate presence can feel like water in a spiritual desert—like a river of grace running through everyday life.
Step 3: Christ-Centered Community Calls Out Sin
This one is “spicier,” but it’s loving when done correctly: Christ-centered community calls out sin. Psalm 141:5 frames it surprisingly positively: “Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness… let him rebuke me—it is oil on my head.”
Why is a rebuke called kindness? Because love doesn’t let someone run into traffic. Real love protects. Real love warns. Real love pulls someone back from danger.
That said, many people carry church wounds because they’ve seen “calling out” done with pride, harshness, or self-righteousness. That’s not biblical correction—that’s spiritual ego. Jesus-shaped correction is truth with love, not truth as a weapon.
Proverbs 27:6 adds another layer: “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” A friend who truly loves you will tell you the truth—not to tear you down, but to build you up.
If your closest “community” never challenges you, never helps you grow, and never lovingly points you back toward Jesus, you may have companionship—but not biblical community. The goal isn’t judgment; the goal is transformation.
Step 4: Confession Is Required for Real Community
James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” That’s direct: confession is connected to healing.
Why do we avoid confession? Because it feels safer to be fake. Sin leads to shame, and shame leads to hiding. We put on the mask, smile, and keep people at arm’s length. But masks don’t produce healing—light does.
Revealing is healing. Confession brings healing in at least two ways:It opens the door to God’s forgiveness. (When we confess, we stop pretending and start receiving grace.)
It breaks the fraud feeling. When you’re honest, you begin walking in integrity—and you experience love more deeply because people are loving the real you, not the version you perform.
Confession also needs urgency. Jesus teaches reconciliation should be quick (Matthew 5:23–24). Don’t delay what God wants to heal. Confess your part. Own your actions. Take initiative toward peace.
Communion and the Community Jesus Died For
One of the most powerful closing moments of the message is communion—because communion reminds us that Jesus didn’t only die to reconnect you to God; He also died to form you into a family. Ephesians 2 emphasizes that those who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ—and now we are “members of His household.”
That means church isn’t a crowd. It’s a household. It’s a family formed by grace. And if Jesus was willing to die so you could belong to His family, then community isn’t optional. It’s part of the gift.
A Simple Next Step in Livermore
If you’re in Livermore—or anywhere in the Tri-Valley—and you’ve been attending church without truly belonging, this is your invitation: take one step toward community this week. Don’t wait until you “feel ready.” Start small. Meet someone. Join a group. Ask for prayer. Take the mask off with someone trustworthy.
In a region many call a spiritual desert, God is building a river—people who carry comfort, truth, confession, and grace into everyday life. And you don’t have to be alone to become who Jesus made you to be.
Growing deeper in community isn’t about being more social—it’s about being more formed by Jesus. Community strengthens you personally because it holds you up spiritually. Make the commitment. Give and receive care. Allow loving truth. Practice confession. And remember: Christ died so you could belong—not just to Him, but to His people.
If you’re ready to take a next step, start here: Plan Your Visit and learn who we are at About Arroyo Church. You were made for this.
Growing Deeper: How God’s Word Builds a Strong Faith That Lasts
It All Begins Here
Table of Contents:
Shallow Faith vs. Deep Faith
What God’s Word Is—and What It Does
When God’s Word Becomes Just Noise
The Power of Meditating on Scripture
Standing Strong Through Life’s Storms
At the start of a new year, many of us feel the desire for growth—spiritual growth included. But not all growth is the same. A shallow faith may look alive on the surface, yet it can be easily uprooted when pressure, suffering, or temptation comes. At Arroyo Church in Livermore, we’re beginning a new message series called Growing Deeper, focused on exchanging shallow faith for strong faith—faith that is deeply rooted and able to withstand the storms of life.
In the Bay Area, often described as a spiritual desert, God is calling His church to be a life-giving river. That kind of spiritual impact starts with believers whose lives are firmly planted in God’s Word.
Shallow Faith vs. Deep Faith
Scripture paints a clear picture of spiritual depth. A newly planted flower can be pulled up with little effort, but a mature tree—rooted for years—cannot be moved without great force. The same is true of our faith. When our faith is shallow, we are easily shaken by life’s pressures. But when we grow deeper, we become strong, resilient, and unmovable.
What God’s Word Is—and What It Does
The apostle Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16–17 that all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. The Bible is unlike any other book. It is not fantasy, opinion, or self-help—it is unchanging truth inspired by God Himself.
While the Bible was not written directly to us, it was written for us. Understanding the original context allows God’s Word to speak accurately and powerfully into our lives today. When we submit to Scripture, it teaches us who God is, reveals who we are, and equips us to live out our faith in meaningful ways.
When God’s Word Becomes Just Noise
James 1:22 warns us not to merely listen to the Word, but to do what it says. It’s possible to attend church regularly, hear sermons, and even read Scripture—yet remain unchanged. When God’s Word becomes background noise rather than a blueprint for life, transformation never happens.
Distractions, busyness, shame, or even familiarity can block God’s Word from reaching our hearts. But when we choose obedience, Scripture moves from information to transformation.
The Power of Meditating on Scripture
True change happens when we meditate on God’s Word. Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 119:11 both highlight meditation as the pathway to obedience and spiritual strength. Meditation means slowing down, thinking deeply, and allowing Scripture to sink into every area of life.
Just as marinating food transforms flavor over time, meditating on Scripture reshapes our character. Even a single verse, thoughtfully considered, can speak into marriage, work, habits, fears, and future decisions. This intentional practice allows God’s Word to take root far below the surface.
Standing Strong Through Life’s Storms
Jesus teaches that those who hear His words and put them into practice build their lives on a rock. Storms will come—suffering, loss, temptation—but storms don’t change who we are; they reveal our foundation.
God’s Word anchors us with promises: He is with us in suffering, He works all things for good, and He offers hope beyond this life. In moments of temptation, Scripture reminds us that sin’s pleasures are fleeting and that God always provides a way out. A life built on God’s Word does not collapse when storms hit—it stands firm.
God’s Word is not just text on a page—it is Jesus Himself, full of grace and truth. When we build our lives on His Word, we find forgiveness, direction, strength, and hope. As we grow deeper in Scripture, our faith becomes stronger, our lives more aligned with God’s purposes, and our impact greater in a world that desperately needs living water. If you’re ready to move beyond shallow faith, start by opening God’s Word—and letting it shape everything.