Striving for Holiness: A Corporate People in Worship, The Word & The Work

1 Peter 2:9–10

This Sunday, Pastor Joe continued the Striving for Holiness series with a message on what it means to live as a corporate people—together in worship, in the Word, and in the work of the church.

He began with a phrase he had used often in a former church:

“We have a Savior to follow, a life to live, and a mission to fulfill.”

That statement captures something important about the Christian life: God never intended our faith to be merely individualistic. While each believer must personally trust Christ, the Christian life is meant to be lived as part of a people.

Pastor Joe’s central text was 1 Peter 2:9–10:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Peter does not describe isolated believers. He describes a people.

As Pastor Joe emphasized:

“You are not here for you. You are here as a people for God.”

God has always called His people to live corporately. From the people gathered around Abraham, to the tabernacle, the temple, the synagogue, and finally the church, God’s design has been for His people to worship, grow, and serve together.

Corporate in Worship

One of the first areas Pastor Joe addressed was corporate worship.

He warned that worship can easily become overly personal—focused on our preferences, our favorite songs, or whether we personally feel blessed by the service. But biblical worship is not centered on us.

“Come, let’s worship and bow down; let’s kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep under his care.”
— Psalm 95:6–7

The focus of worship is God.

Pastor Joe put the question plainly:

“Our only question about worship should be this: God, are You pleased?”

Corporate worship means that we come together as one people to lift our voices to God. The worship team is not there merely to perform while the congregation listens. They are there to lead the people of God in worship.

As Pastor Joe said:

“They’re just here to lead us in what’s supposed to already be in our heart.”

Worship is also to be spiritual.

Paul writes:

“But be filled by the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
— Ephesians 5:18–20

True worship flows from the Holy Spirit at work within believers and is directed toward God.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman:

“But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him.”
— John 4:23

Pastor Joe challenged the church to ask whether we come expecting someone else to draw us into worship—or whether we enter already prepared to worship because the Spirit of God lives within us.

Worship is meant to be corporate—God’s people together, praising God together.

Corporate in the Word

The church is also called to be a corporate people in the Word.

Pastor Joe turned to Acts 2 and noted how often the language is plural:

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.”
— Acts 2:42

The early church received the Word together, fellowshipped together, prayed together, ate together, and served together.

Pastor Joe emphasized that Scripture is often addressed not merely to individuals, but to the people of God as a whole.

Sometimes we hear a sermon and say, “That was just for me.” And God may indeed use a particular truth in a very personal way. But the Word is also given to shape us together.

As Pastor Joe expressed it:

“There is the corporate receiving of the Word, so that the Word in us becomes the Word that comes from us.”

The Word of God forms a people.

Corporate in the Work

The church is also a corporate people in its work.

Pastor Joe made an important distinction:

The church is not a corporation to be run. It is a corporate body to be lived in.

A church is not merely an organization, a building, a budget, or a weekly program. The church is a people.

He summarized the contrast with two statements:

“Gathering corporately in the Spirit is life-giving.”

“Building a church like a corporation is exhausting.”

That distinction became one of the central ideas of the sermon.

The work of the church includes mission beyond its walls, but it also includes the work believers do for one another inside the body.

Scripture teaches that Christ gives gifts to His people for the building up of the church. We are called to strengthen, encourage, support, and edify one another.

One of the primary works of the church is to build one another up in love.

And that can only happen in relationship.

We need one another.

Pastor Joe stressed that gathering together is not simply about attendance. We gather because isolation is dangerous.

“Not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other.”
— Hebrews 10:25

The Christian life was never meant to be lived alone.

Isolation leaves us vulnerable. Fellowship strengthens us, protects us, and helps us remain faithful.

Pastor Joe said:

“We don’t gather corporately to build an institution. We gather corporately to defeat isolation.”

The church is meant to function like a family—not merely meeting once a week, but knowing one another, praying for one another, carrying one another’s burdens, and showing up when people are hurting.

That means church life extends beyond Sunday morning.

It means eating together. Praying together. Serving together. Calling one another. Sitting with one another in difficult moments. Rejoicing together and grieving together.

As Pastor Joe said:

“We are a corporate body of believers in Jesus Christ meant to live together as a family in Christ.”

A Corporate People With a Mission

Corporate life also gives the church the ability to accomplish things no one believer could accomplish alone.

One person could not easily provide food for hundreds of families, conduct a Vacation Bible School, sustain a ministry team, or meet every need within a congregation.

But together, the body of Christ can do what individuals cannot.

Pastor Joe also pointed back to the history of the church itself. A small group of believers gathered with a shared vision, gave sacrificially, and worked together because they believed God was calling them to something larger than themselves.

Vision grows when God’s people gather together with a shared identity and purpose.

That same principle continues today.

The church is strongest when believers stop thinking only in terms of “me” and begin to think in terms of “us.”

So the challenge from this week’s message is simple:

Worship together. Receive the Word together. Work together. Live as the people God has called us to be.

May we become a church that does not merely attend together, but truly lives together as the body of Christ—worshiping God, receiving His Word, building one another up, bearing one another’s burdens, and carrying out His mission together.

“Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people.” — 1 Peter 2:10

Watch here:

🎶 Get to Know Matt & Joanna Black — “In Spirit and Truth” 🎶

As we look forward to welcoming Matt & Joanna Black to Pleasant View Community Church on Sunday, September 13 at 6:00 PM, we want to continue introducing you to some of their music.

Today, take a few minutes to listen to “In Spirit and Truth.” 🙏

Matt and Joanna write and share songs to help people find hope, healing, and purpose through Jesus in the midst of a broken world. Some of their songs are like a friend sharing life over coffee, while others—like this one—draw our hearts toward worship.

🎵 Watch “In Spirit and Truth”

❤️ If the song encourages you, please share this post and invite someone to join you for our Evening of Worship!

📅 Sunday, September 13 • 6:00 PM
📍 Pleasant View Community Church
2471 Pleasant View Rd.
Pleasant View, TN 37146

✅ Free Admission • Everyone Welcome • A Love Offering Will Be Received for Matt & Joanna Black

🌐 Learn more about Matt & Joanna at www.mjblack.com

🙏 We’re looking forward to worshiping together!

Watch here: 

Striving for Holiness: Generosity

Luke 12:21–34

This Sunday, Pastor Joe continued the Striving for Holiness series with a message on generosity.

Over the past several weeks, we have considered humility and compassion. Pastor Joe reminded us that these qualities are connected—“like links in a chain”—as God works in our lives to make us look more like Jesus.

This week’s focus was generosity.

We live in a world that continually encourages us to want more. Newer is better. More possessions are better. More security is better. But from the beginning, God has called His people to live by a different standard.

God calls His people to be generous because He is generous toward us.

And generosity is about far more than money. It includes our possessions, our skills and abilities, and perhaps one of the things we guard most closely—our time.

Pastor Joe’s central text was Luke 12:21–34. After telling the parable of the rich fool, Jesus warned against storing up treasure for ourselves while failing to be “rich toward God.” He then reminded His disciples that their heavenly Father knows what they need and can be trusted to provide for them.

Jesus said:

“Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make money-bags for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
— Luke 12:32–34

Generosity requires trust.

When we believe that everything depends upon what we can accumulate, save, protect, or control, we naturally hold tightly to what we have. But when we recognize God as our provider, we become freer to give.

As Pastor Joe said:

“Generosity comes from the idea that there is enough.”

That does not mean every believer will have abundance or never experience financial difficulty. Jesus spoke these words to people who often lived day to day. Yet God still taught His people to live generously and to trust Him.

Why is generosity so important?

First, generosity reflects the nature of God.

God Himself is generous. The greatest demonstration of that generosity is found in the gift of His Son:

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
— John 3:16

Pastor Joe summarized the principle this way:

“God expects His people to show generosity due to the generosity He has shown us.”

This pattern appears throughout Scripture.

God reminded Israel that they had once been slaves in Egypt and that He had redeemed them. Because they had received mercy and provision from Him, they were to remember the poor and show generosity toward others.

“Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.”
— Deuteronomy 15:15

The New Testament gives us the same principle. First John 3:16 teaches that we know what love is because Christ laid down His life for us, and therefore we should be willing to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Generosity, then, is not merely an act involving money.

Generosity is a definitive act of love.

Pastor Joe pointed out that giving grudgingly or merely giving what costs us nothing misses something important about true generosity. As we learn to give, our attention moves away from ourselves and toward others.

He expressed it this way:

“In acting generously toward others, we lose our love of self and begin to show true love toward others.”

Generosity also reveals something happening within us.

Generosity shows outwardly that we have had an inward change in our life.

One of the earliest characteristics of the church after Pentecost was an extraordinary willingness to share:

“Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need.”
— Acts 2:44–45

They were not giving to be noticed. Their generosity flowed from their new life in Christ and their love for one another.

Paul likewise remembered the instruction he received from the leaders of the Jerusalem church:

“They asked only that we would remember the poor, which I had made every effort to do.”
— Galatians 2:10

Pastor Joe connected this week’s sermon directly with last week’s message on compassion: see people and respond to their needs.

Sometimes that may mean giving money. Sometimes it may mean providing food, clothing, or another practical need. At other times, generosity may simply mean giving our time, our abilities, or our willingness to serve.

That leads to another important truth:

Generosity is an act of learned obedience gained through the practice of letting go and trusting God.

Most of us do not naturally want to let go of the things we possess. Generosity teaches us to loosen our grip and recognize that ultimately God—not our possessions—is our supply.

Scripture warns us:

“Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy.”
— 1 Timothy 6:17

Generosity also gives the world an opportunity to see the love of Christ through His people.

Pastor Joe pointed to ministries that feed and shelter people in need, care for children, assist women in crisis pregnancies, help those struggling with addiction, and provide food to families. Sometimes generosity comes through those who donate resources. Sometimes it comes through people who simply show up and say:

“We’ll be the hands and feet.”

That was illustrated by members of the church who recently volunteered to distribute food in the community. Some provided food, others transported it, a school provided a location, and volunteers gave their time and labor to serve those who came.

Generosity is not simply in what we can give—it is also in how we serve.

And finally, Pastor Joe reminded us that the generosity we give can outlive us.

Scripture says:

“Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and he will give a reward to the lender.”
— Proverbs 19:17

That reward should never become the reason we give. Jesus did not teach us to give in order to get something back from God. We give because God has already given so abundantly to us.

Jesus said:

“Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
— Luke 6:38

Pastor Joe cautioned against turning that promise into a system of giving in order to receive material wealth. Biblical generosity gives without seeking applause, recognition, repayment, or personal gain.

We give because God first gave to us.

So the challenge from this week’s message is both simple and searching:

Hold what God has given you with open hands.

Give when you see a need. Give your resources. Give your abilities. Give your time. Serve without needing recognition, and trust God as your provider.

May God make us a truly generous people—a church willing to see those in need and respond without hesitation, giving to others as God has so graciously given to us.

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” — Acts 20:35

Watch here:

🎵 Get to Know Matt & Joanna Black

We’re looking forward to welcoming Matt & Joanna Black to Pleasant View Community Church on Sunday, September 13 at 6:00 PM for An Evening of Worship.

Between now and then, we’d love to introduce you to some of their music.

Here’s “Seen God” — one of the songs Matt and Joanna have shared as they seek to help people find hope, healing, and purpose through Jesus in the midst of a broken world.

🎶 Take a few minutes to listen, and if it encourages you, share it with someone you’d like to invite to join us on September 13!

📍 Pleasant View Community Church
2471 Pleasant View Rd.
Pleasant View, TN 37146

✅ Free Admission • Everyone Welcome • A Love Offering Will Be Received for Matt & Joanna Black

🌐 Learn more about Matt & Joanna at www.mjblack.com

Striving for Holiness: Acting With Compassion

Matthew 9:35–38 

This Sunday, Pastor Joe continued the Striving for Holiness series with a message on acting with compassion.

Last week’s message focused on humility—looking honestly at ourselves in light of God’s holiness. This week, Pastor Joe turned our attention outward:

Compassion calls us to see others through the eyes of God’s compassion toward us and then reflect that compassion through action.

His central text was Matthew 9:35–38. In this passage, Jesus traveled through the towns and villages, teaching, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness. But Matthew then tells us something especially important:

“When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.” — Matthew 9:36

Jesus did more than notice the crowd. He saw the people.

He recognized their physical needs, but He also saw something deeper—their spiritual condition. They were surrounded by religion, yet they were like sheep without a shepherd.

Pastor Joe challenged us to ask whether we truly see the people God has placed around us—not merely noticing them, but seeing them as Jesus sees them.

It is possible to pass someone every day without really seeing them. We can become so preoccupied, isolated, cautious, or busy that we learn to look away. But compassion requires us to look again—to see people as Jesus sees them.

And seeing is only the beginning.

Jesus told His disciples:

“The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”  — Matthew 9:37–38

Pastor Joe emphasized that this prayer is not simply asking God to send someone else.

Sometimes, if God has placed a need on our heart, we may be the very person He intends to use.

True compassion compels us to act.

Compassion is more than pity. Pity may recognize that someone is hurting and feel sorry for them. Biblical compassion moves deeper.

As Pastor Joe described it:

“Compassion is a heartfelt empathy which drives us to action.”

Jesus demonstrated that kind of compassion again and again. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, comforted the grieving, and ministered to people because He was moved with compassion.

And because compassion reflects the very nature of God, it should increasingly become part of the life of every believer.

When God revealed Himself to Moses, He declared:

“The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth.” — Exodus 34:6

We show compassion because we have first received compassion from God.

Scripture therefore tells believers to intentionally “put on” compassion:

“Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”  — Colossians 3:12

Pastor Joe compared this to getting dressed. We intentionally choose what we put on each day. In the same way, as believers, we are called to intentionally clothe ourselves with compassion and make the decision to see the people around us.

Compassion is not something we display for recognition or applause. It should flow from the very nature of Christ at work within us.

One description Pastor Joe shared captures it simply:

“Compassion is your hurt in my heart.”

Ultimately, the greatest demonstration of compassion is found in Jesus Christ Himself. Christ bore our griefs, carried our sorrows, was pierced for our rebellion, and was crushed for our iniquities. We were the sheep who had gone astray, and yet God showed compassion toward us through His Son. (Isaiah 53:4–6)

Because we have received such great compassion, we are called to extend compassion to others.

So the challenge from this week’s message is simple, but searching:

See people. Pray for them. And act with compassion.

May God open our eyes to the people around us—not only those within our church or our immediate families, but those we encounter every day—and make us a people through whom others can see the love and compassion of Jesus.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” — Ephesians 4:32

Watch here:

An Evening of Worship with Matt & Joanna Black

🎶 You're Invited! 🎶

Join us for An Evening of Worship with Matt & Joanna Black on Sunday, September 13, at 6:00 PM at Pleasant View Community Church.

🎵 Matt and Joanna write and share songs to help people find hope, healing, and purpose through Jesus in the midst of a broken world. Their music is honest, approachable, and rooted in the timeless truths found in the Bible.

❤️ Whether you're part of our church family or looking for an encouraging evening of Christ-centered worship, we'd love to have you join us. Invite your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers to join you!

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📍 Pleasant View Community Church
2471 Pleasant View Rd.
Pleasant View, TN 37146

✅ Free Admission • Everyone Welcome
A Love Offering Will Be Received for Matt & Joanna Black

🌐 Learn more at
www.mjblack.com

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📣 Please help us spread the word by sharing this event with your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. We'd love for as many people as possible to join us for this special evening of worship.

🙏 We look forward to worshiping with you!

Striving for Holiness: Adopting an Attitude of Humility

Philippians 2:5–11

Pastor Joe began a new sermon series this Sunday on Striving for Holiness, opening with a message on adopting an attitude of humility.

His central text was Philippians 2:5–11, where Paul writes:

“Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus.”

Pastor Joe reminded us that humility is not simply an outward action—it begins with our attitude. The way we think shapes the way we act, and our actions reveal what is in our hearts.

As Proverbs tells us, we are to guard our hearts, because everything we do flows from them.

One of the recurring themes of the message was this simple but challenging truth:

Attitude is not accidental—it is intentional.

We often excuse our attitudes by saying, “That’s just the way I am,” but Scripture calls us to something much higher. Paul doesn’t simply admire Christ’s humility—he tells believers to adopt the same attitude.

Jesus, though fully God, did not cling to His rights or seek His own exaltation. Instead, He emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, humbled Himself, and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.

Pastor Joe challenged us not to be enslaved by our attitudes, but instead to enslave our attitudes to Christ through God’s Word, the work of the Holy Spirit, and honest self-examination.

He also warned that pride is a killer of righteousness. Pride continually turns our attention toward ourselves—what we deserve, how we’ve been treated, or whether we’ve been recognized. Humility, on the other hand, chooses a different way.

One memorable quote from the message was:

“Humility is not thinking less of ourselves. It is thinking of ourselves less.”

Jesus Himself demonstrated that kind of humility.

“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)

If we desire to be great in God’s kingdom, we must first become servants. As Pastor Joe said, one can never be a good leader until they have first learned to be a good follower.

He closed with the reminder that humility is a choice with a reward.

James 4:10 says:

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

James 4:6 also reminds us:

“God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

The call to holiness is not merely about changing our behavior. It is about allowing God to transform our hearts so that our attitudes increasingly reflect the attitude of Christ.

May we be people who willingly humble ourselves before the Lord, serve others with joy, and allow Christ’s humility to shape the way we think, speak, and live.

Watch here: