In 2009, British TV host James May built a full-sized, livable house with LEGO® bricks. The house was complete with a toilet, a shower, and a LEGO® cat. May didn’t use wood, concrete, or steel. He used millions of small plastic bricks that most people consider children’s toys. As a follower of Jesus, you’re just like that LEGO® brick. One LEGO® brick is worthless, but when you put them together, you can build something people actually live in. Every LEGO® brick is designed to connect with other bricks. Without connection, the brick will never be what it could be. If you’re a follower of Jesus, you’re a building block. Think about the early church. It survived without any political power, military might, or buildings because God used the building block of small groups. When you connect with other believers in a small group, three essential things are built for you, by you, and with you. And what gets built is the difference between surviving and thriving in your faith.

A pastor once called in sick on Sunday morning so he could play golf. Standing on a long par 4, he hit the ball like never before. It soared through the air and dropped right into the cup for a hole-in-one. Peter looked down from heaven and said, “Lord, are you going to let him get away with this?” The Lord smiled and said, “Who’s he going to tell?” That’s funny until you look at what’s actually happening in our churches today. The reality is that if you were born after 1984, there’s less than a 10% chance you’re in church each week. Now think about this. If you have no desire to be with believers one day a week, why would you think you’d enjoy being with believers in eternity? The author of Hebrews writes to believers who had started “… giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing …” (Hebrews 10:25, NIV). Part of growing up in the Lord is showing up for the Lord. Here are the three reasons why that matters more than you might think.

I like stories. Just about the time I feel like I’ve read or seen every story, I come across another one. And this is one of the most fascinating stories I’ve ever come across—a true story about a man named C.D. “Bigboy” Blaylock, a giant of a man, 6 feet 6 inches tall, and a boxer at Louisiana State University in the early 1930s. Facing a stocky opponent from Mississippi State, he let loose with a devastating roundhouse right. But his opponent stepped in, and Bigboy’s arm whipped around in a full circle, connecting with his own chin at full force. He staggered around the ring and fell flat. The only boxer in history to knock himself out with his own punch. That’s exactly what many Christians do in their battle against sin. We keep knocking ourselves out. But the truth is Jesus didn’t die just to deliver you from the penalty of sin; He died so you might defeat the power of sin. Three times in Romans 6, Paul declares these liberating words: “set free from sin.” On the cross, Jesus died for your sin, but at the cross, you can die to your sin. Everything about your freedom hinges on understanding four truths, and missing even one keeps you in the ring, getting knocked out over and over.