I Love My Church Week 2
Fences: Why God Wants You to Stop Building Walls and Start Building Community
There is something deeply human about fences. We build them around our yards to keep things in and keep things out. We build them around our lives for the very same reason. And if most of us were honest, we would admit that we are very good at it.
Think about it this way. Picture your life as a yard. The front yard is what you show the world. It is manicured, presentable, and carefully maintained. The welcome mat is on the front porch, decorative and perfectly placed. Neighbors walk by and see exactly what you want them to see. But around back, behind the fence, is a different story entirely. That is where the real life happens. The laundry on the line. The trash cans. The worn-down grass. The mess that accumulates when no one is watching. The backyard is the real you, and getting there is by invitation only.
Most people never see the backyard.
Here is the problem with that arrangement: we were never designed to live entirely behind a fence. God has never been a fan of our fences. And if we want to experience genuine community, the kind that transforms lives and reflects the love of Christ to a watching world, then we need to take a serious look at the walls we have built.
Jesus Crashed the Fence
Before we can talk about the fences we build between ourselves and other people, we have to understand the original fence, the one that stood between humanity and God.
The tenth chapter of Hebrews opens with a powerful declaration. Because of Jesus, we now have confident access to God. The writer describes a new and living way, opened for us through Christ, who serves as both our sacrifice and our great high priest. Under the old covenant, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies once a year, sprinkling the blood of sacrificial animals to atone for sin. A thick veil separated that sacred space from the rest of the temple, a physical reminder of the barrier that sin had erected between God and His people.
But when Jesus died on the cross and declared, "It is finished," something extraordinary happened. That veil was torn in two, from top to bottom. The fence came down. The barrier was destroyed. And because of that moment, we are invited, with full confidence and a sincere heart, to draw near to God.
The book of Romans maps this out with striking clarity. Romans 3:23 reminds us that every single person carries the weight of sin. Romans 6:23 tells us that sin leads to death, but God offers the free gift of eternal life through Christ. Romans 5:8 reveals that God knew about our fence before we ever built it, and He loved us anyway, sending Christ to die for us while we were still in our sin. And Romans 10:9-13 offers the invitation: confess with your mouth, believe in your heart, and you will be saved. No one who calls on the name of the Lord will be turned away.
The fence has already been crashed. The only question is whether you will accept what has been done on your behalf.
Allowing Others Into Your Yard
Here is where things get uncomfortable. If Jesus has torn down the fence between humanity and God, why do we keep rebuilding fences between each other?
When the fence of sin falls and we become followers of Christ, something remarkable is true. You no longer have a fence, and neither do I. Which means there should not be a fence between us. Yet what do we do? We reach for the duct tape and start putting the fence back together. We let people see just enough of our lives to satisfy the social contract, but we guard the backyard carefully. We know people's names and where they sit on Sunday morning, but we never really see their whole face.
Hebrews 10:24-25 addresses this directly. The writer calls believers not to forsake assembling together, but to consider, that word means to contemplate and strategize, how to encourage one another toward love and good works. This is not simply a command to show up on Sunday. It is a call to genuine, intentional, fence-free community. It is a call to stand in someone else's yard, weeds and all, and to allow them to stand in yours.
True community means going below the surface. It means being authentic. It means sharing the parts of yourself that are not pristine. The worn-down grass. The shed that needs painting. The laundry hanging on the line. That is where real connection happens.
Enjoying the Company
Letting people into your yard is one thing. Actually enjoying the time together is another.
Think about the worst birthday party you ever attended. No games, no cake, no real effort made. You left feeling like nobody tried. Community that is not intentional feels exactly the same way. You cannot simply show up and hope things develop on their own. You have to consider how to make it happen.
This does not mean you need to become a social extrovert overnight. It does not mean pouring your heart out to every person you meet. Jesus himself had a multitude of followers, twelve disciples in his inner circle, and three, Peter, James, and John, who were closest to him. A healthy expectation is not that you will be deeply connected to everyone around you, but that you will work toward being genuinely connected to someone.
Baby steps are acceptable. It takes time to trust people with your backyard. But the direction matters. Are you moving toward others, or are you reinforcing the fence?
And here is the critical piece: it is everyone's responsibility. Not everyone else's responsibility. Yours. Waiting for someone to come to you while you sit still is not community. It is isolation with a church address.
The Fence Is Already Down
The great work has already been done. Christ tore down the fence that mattered most. Now the invitation stands, to stop rebuilding the walls between each other, to step into someone's yard, to let someone into yours, and to discover what it means to truly love one another.
Because that is how the world will know we belong to Him.
There is something deeply human about fences. We build them around our yards to keep things in and keep things out. We build them around our lives for the very same reason. And if most of us were honest, we would admit that we are very good at it.
Think about it this way. Picture your life as a yard. The front yard is what you show the world. It is manicured, presentable, and carefully maintained. The welcome mat is on the front porch, decorative and perfectly placed. Neighbors walk by and see exactly what you want them to see. But around back, behind the fence, is a different story entirely. That is where the real life happens. The laundry on the line. The trash cans. The worn-down grass. The mess that accumulates when no one is watching. The backyard is the real you, and getting there is by invitation only.
Most people never see the backyard.
Here is the problem with that arrangement: we were never designed to live entirely behind a fence. God has never been a fan of our fences. And if we want to experience genuine community, the kind that transforms lives and reflects the love of Christ to a watching world, then we need to take a serious look at the walls we have built.
Jesus Crashed the Fence
Before we can talk about the fences we build between ourselves and other people, we have to understand the original fence, the one that stood between humanity and God.
The tenth chapter of Hebrews opens with a powerful declaration. Because of Jesus, we now have confident access to God. The writer describes a new and living way, opened for us through Christ, who serves as both our sacrifice and our great high priest. Under the old covenant, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies once a year, sprinkling the blood of sacrificial animals to atone for sin. A thick veil separated that sacred space from the rest of the temple, a physical reminder of the barrier that sin had erected between God and His people.
But when Jesus died on the cross and declared, "It is finished," something extraordinary happened. That veil was torn in two, from top to bottom. The fence came down. The barrier was destroyed. And because of that moment, we are invited, with full confidence and a sincere heart, to draw near to God.
The book of Romans maps this out with striking clarity. Romans 3:23 reminds us that every single person carries the weight of sin. Romans 6:23 tells us that sin leads to death, but God offers the free gift of eternal life through Christ. Romans 5:8 reveals that God knew about our fence before we ever built it, and He loved us anyway, sending Christ to die for us while we were still in our sin. And Romans 10:9-13 offers the invitation: confess with your mouth, believe in your heart, and you will be saved. No one who calls on the name of the Lord will be turned away.
The fence has already been crashed. The only question is whether you will accept what has been done on your behalf.
Allowing Others Into Your Yard
Here is where things get uncomfortable. If Jesus has torn down the fence between humanity and God, why do we keep rebuilding fences between each other?
When the fence of sin falls and we become followers of Christ, something remarkable is true. You no longer have a fence, and neither do I. Which means there should not be a fence between us. Yet what do we do? We reach for the duct tape and start putting the fence back together. We let people see just enough of our lives to satisfy the social contract, but we guard the backyard carefully. We know people's names and where they sit on Sunday morning, but we never really see their whole face.
Hebrews 10:24-25 addresses this directly. The writer calls believers not to forsake assembling together, but to consider, that word means to contemplate and strategize, how to encourage one another toward love and good works. This is not simply a command to show up on Sunday. It is a call to genuine, intentional, fence-free community. It is a call to stand in someone else's yard, weeds and all, and to allow them to stand in yours.
True community means going below the surface. It means being authentic. It means sharing the parts of yourself that are not pristine. The worn-down grass. The shed that needs painting. The laundry hanging on the line. That is where real connection happens.
Enjoying the Company
Letting people into your yard is one thing. Actually enjoying the time together is another.
Think about the worst birthday party you ever attended. No games, no cake, no real effort made. You left feeling like nobody tried. Community that is not intentional feels exactly the same way. You cannot simply show up and hope things develop on their own. You have to consider how to make it happen.
This does not mean you need to become a social extrovert overnight. It does not mean pouring your heart out to every person you meet. Jesus himself had a multitude of followers, twelve disciples in his inner circle, and three, Peter, James, and John, who were closest to him. A healthy expectation is not that you will be deeply connected to everyone around you, but that you will work toward being genuinely connected to someone.
Baby steps are acceptable. It takes time to trust people with your backyard. But the direction matters. Are you moving toward others, or are you reinforcing the fence?
And here is the critical piece: it is everyone's responsibility. Not everyone else's responsibility. Yours. Waiting for someone to come to you while you sit still is not community. It is isolation with a church address.
The Fence Is Already Down
The great work has already been done. Christ tore down the fence that mattered most. Now the invitation stands, to stop rebuilding the walls between each other, to step into someone's yard, to let someone into yours, and to discover what it means to truly love one another.
Because that is how the world will know we belong to Him.
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