Coleton continued the series on the cultures needed in the church to see “the fame and deeds of God repeated in our time.” After exploring the **culture of the Gospel**, the **culture of pursuit**, and the **culture of blessing**, this message focused on creating a **culture of belonging**. Drawing from **Acts 2:42–47**, Coleton showed how the early church lived in deep community—devoted to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, prayer, and meeting one another’s needs. This kind of belonging allowed people to experience healing, not just through miracles, but through love, acceptance, and connection. Coleton contrasted the transformative encounters people had with Jesus—like Zacchaeus, Matthew, and the Samaritan woman. None of them were healed by dramatic miracles, but by an encounter with Jesus’ love that removed shame, restored dignity, and changed their lives completely. That’s what he longs for the church to embody: a place so full of love and welcome that people are healed inwardly. He explained that belonging is not passive; it requires **time, intentionality, and words of life**. Real connection happens when people are deeply known, when hospitality is practiced, and when members invest in each other with encouragement and truth. Belonging heals wounds of isolation, anxiety, addiction, shame, and self-doubt. Practically, Coleton shared how the church is aiming at this: building men’s, women’s, and youth connection teams and events, pursuing membership, hiring a Women’s Pastor, and intentionally committing to practices like prayer, communion, and caring for needs. He challenged the church to participate by: 1. **Getting to know people** (not just surface friendliness). 2. **Doing for others what you want them to do for you** (practicing hospitality). 3. **Investing time** (because deep relationships require showing up and consistency). 4. **Using words of life** (speaking encouragement and truth that bring healing). Coleton closed with stories and research showing how **connection heals**—from addiction recovery research, to relational studies, to stories of transformation through affirming words. He called the church to embody belonging so that entering the community feels like encountering Jesus Himself. --- ## **Discussion Questions** ### **Understanding the Message** 1. Why do you think Acts 2:42–47 highlights fellowship, breaking bread, and meeting needs alongside prayer and teaching? 2. What do the stories of Zacchaeus, Matthew, and the Samaritan woman reveal about the power of simply being welcomed by Jesus? ### **Personal Reflection** 3. When have you personally experienced deep belonging in a church, family, or friendship? How did it impact you? 4. Where do you feel the greatest temptation to hide—shame, weakness, or struggles? How might belonging in community bring healing there? ### **Living it Out** 5. What’s one step you can take this week to get to know someone beyond surface-level friendliness? 6. Who in your life needs to hear words of life and encouragement from you this week? What might you say to them? 7. How could you invest more intentional time into building relationships within the church? --- ## **Quotes from Authors in the Sermon** * **David Bradford, Ph.D. & Carole Robin, Ph.D.** – *Connect* > “In exceptional relationships, you feel seen, known, and appreciated for who you really are, not an edited version of yourself… Someone you’re in an exceptional relationship with knows what’s really going on with you because that someone really knows you.” * **Max Lucado** > “Something holy happens around a table that will never happen in a sanctuary… Hospitality opens the door to uncommon community. It's no accident that hospitality and hospital come from the same Latin word, for they both lead to the same result: healing.” * **Jeffrey Hall (University of Kansas study, 2018)** > “It takes about 40–60 hours of time spent together to form a casual friendship, it takes 80–100 hours to transition to calling each other a friend, and more than 200 hours to become ‘close’ friends.” * **Brennan Manning** (Story of Larry Mulaney) > “It would be hard to describe in words the transformation that took place in Larry Malaney after that interaction… In the face of cursing and taunts his father affirmed him with a furious love, and changed the whole direction of his son’s life.” * **Peter Scazzero** > “When we look for goodness and beauty in one another and speak honest words of life over one another, we become God with skin on for the other. Affirmations heal wounds, cover shame, and communicate how God sees us — as infinitely valuable and lovable.”