#1355. Built together to become a dwelling for the Spirit (29/9/25)
- Matt Beaney
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional (posted every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) as we begin our new vision series, Rivers.
Today, we reflect on how God calls us to share His vision for our lives: in Christ, we are united with our brothers and sisters to become a holy temple where His Spirit dwells.
You can listen to this devotional below
In John 7:37–39, we hear Jesus’ great invitation and promise:
‘“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”’ (John 7:37–38)
Our vision, based on Jesus’ invitation, is simple yet holds a powerful promise:
Bringing people to Jesus — Myself, One Another, Our Community.
This week, we are focusing on the One Another aspect. Coming to Jesus is not just an individual pursuit; we are called to come together as His church - a people who love, encourage, and build one another up in devotion to Him.
1. Our identity is corporate
'In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.' (Ephesians 2:21-22)
Who are you? There are countless ways to answer that question: I’m human, I’m a parent, I like ice cream. But Scripture tells us something far deeper: our identity is not only personal, but communal. In Christ, we are joined to others and joined together into something greater than ourselves - God’s holy temple.
For many, church is seen as a weekly habit or a helpful routine. But the Bible gives us a richer, more glorious picture. We are not simply people who attend a service; we are living stones, joined together into a dwelling place for God’s Spirit. Peter puts it this way:
‘As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.’ (1 Peter 2:4–5)
2. Built together for God’s vision
As I’ve said already, our church vision is summed up in this phrase:
Bringing People to Jesus: Myself, One Another, Our Community.
Part of this vision is that we come to Jesus together — with One Another. We believe it’s right to be devoted to gathering in different settings so that we can meet with Jesus and encourage each other. This isn’t just a nice idea or a useful strategy; it is God’s design. In Christ, God is building us together to be His temple, His dwelling place on earth.
3. We are a dwelling place of the Spirit
Of course, each Christian must know Jesus personally and seek Him daily as the source of living water. But Scripture makes it clear: we are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.
Our relationship with Jesus is never meant to stay private or individualistic. To belong to Christ is to belong to His people. Our personal devotion fuels our shared life, and our shared life strengthens our personal devotion. Just as Jesus’ own private prayer life overflowed into powerful ministry, so our personal worship and prayer should enrich our fellowship and our mission together.
The faith, gifts, joy, encouragement, and power we experience when we gather flow from our personal time with Jesus; the Spirit of God dwells not just in us individually but in us corporately. Both dimensions are essential.
Response
Do you see yourself as a living stone being built together with others in your local church? How are you working this out in practice?
May God lift our vision and strengthen our faith to see and live out His beautiful design for His church - a united people, built together to be His dwelling place.
Community Group Notes
1. Notices
It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.
2. Icebreaker
As we’ve shared throughout our vision series, one very practical way to encourage one another in coming to Jesus personally is to ask, when we gather:
“How has God been speaking to you through His Word this week, and how has it helped you?”
3. Worship together
Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.
4. Study and pray together
Rivers Vision Series, #4
On Sunday we continued our vision series, Rivers. Our vision at CCP is simple:
Bringing people to Jesus – Myself, One Another, Our Community.
This vision flows out of Jesus’ invitation in John 7:
“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’” (John 7:37–38)
Discuss
As we finish our vision series, how does coming to Jesus lead to the Holy Spirit’s life and power overflowing through us into our communities?
On Sunday, Nev spoke on “Bringing One Another to Jesus.” Our vision for this is captured in the following statement:
'We have an Acts 2 vision of church: devoted to meeting together, encouraging one another, and keeping Jesus at the centre of our lives.'
Why is fellowship so vital for our spiritual health and for the mission Jesus has given us?
Our church’s goal is this:
'We are devoted to making our Community Groups places where we encounter Jesus together, encourage one another, and grow in love. In the busyness of life, committing to meet weekly sets the essential rhythm for this devotion.'
How can you and your group take practical steps to deepen love, fellowship, and encouragement within your group?
Prayer
Pray for yourselves, your group, and our whole church family—that we would live out Jesus’ great command:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34–35)
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