Over the past two months, we’ve been on a journey—attempting to recover a bigger, better, and more holistic vision of holiness than many of us were ever taught. You can find Part One and Part Two at the respective highlighted links.

• Not holiness as pressure to perform.
• Not holiness as perfectionism.
• Not holiness as religious performance.

But holiness as wholeness—a life, and now a community, shaped by the love of God. Here’s the truth: Holiness was never meant to be a solo project. In fact, you will never achieve the degree of holiness your heart longs for by yourself.

You need others in your life. You need a community or a tribe of people around you assisting you along the way. A life of genuine holiness was always meant to be shared.

When God’s love transforms a heart, that heart naturally draws others in. And when God’s love transforms a church, the world and the community surrounding it should take notice (re-read that).

A Different Kind of Church

Several years ago, a small church (south of Atlanta) in an aging neighborhood quietly started a new rhythm. Once a month, instead of hosting another Bible study or committee meeting, they turned their fellowship hall into a community dinner—open to anyone, no strings attached.

No sign-up sheets. No “Are you a member?” questions. Just a hot meal, a welcoming table, and a listening ear.

At first, only a few neighbors showed up—mostly those who were lonely or struggling financially. But word spread. Over time, local, small business owners, single moms, recovering addicts, elderly shut-ins, retirees, even some teenagers with nowhere else to be—they all began showing up. What kept them coming wasn’t just the free meal.

It was the atmosphere. People lingered. People listened. People prayed together. Over casseroles and conversations, strangers soon became neighbors, and neighbors became friends.

One regular attender said it best: “I’m not sure what it is, but when I’m here, I feel like I can breathe again.”

Holy Love Made Visible

Scriptural holiness isn’t just a personal experience. It’s a communal reality. When love becomes the shaping force in a church’s life—when forgiveness replaces resentment, generosity replaces greed, compassion replaces judgment—the church becomes a visible, tangible, and undeniable sign of the Kingdom of God that’s breaking into the world!! This, I believe, is what Jesus wants for His Bride!

The world expects churches to be divided by politics, distracted by programs, or focused on self-preservation. The world expects Christians to talk a good game and live just like everyone else.

When a church, however, lives differently—when its members genuinely love across lines of difference, color, creed, and class by serving without expecting applause or reward, when they forgive freely, when they practice patience in a culture of outrage—THAT CHURCH – becomes a holy wonder the world simply cannot ignore!!

I once heard a pastor say, “Do you know what churches and swimming pools have in common? All the noise comes from the shallow end.”

Holiness in the community of faith isn’t about being louder. It’s about being deeper.

The Spirit Forms a New Kind of People

Pentecost reminds us of this truth. When the Holy Spirit descended in Acts 2, the first thing that changed wasn’t the government, the economy, or even the religious establishment. The first thing that changed was the people (re-read that).

They became a new kind of community—devoted to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer (Acts 2:42). They shared their possessions. They cared for the poor. They crossed ethnic, social, and cultural boundaries. They proclaimed the Good News in words and in a radically different way of living.

The church was an oddity in any otherwise selfish and self-absorbed world.

The Holy Spirit didn’t just create new believers. The Spirit created a new belonging. That’s the essence of scriptural holiness lived out in community. Thus, we are called to be . . .

• People who mirror the patience of Christ.
• People who embody the mercy of Christ.
• People who proclaim the hope of Christ—not just in word, but in how we live together.

John Wesley’s vision of the church was exactly this: a community so full of love that the world couldn’t help but wonder and marvel at it. This is also the testimony of the book of Acts.

It’s Already Happening

And here’s the good news, friends: this isn’t some unattainable dream. It’s happening. It’s happening when small groups become safe spaces for confession and healing. It’s happening when churches prioritize reconciliation over resentment. It’s happening when a teenager chooses kindness over cruelty, when an elderly saint chooses prayer over bitterness, when a community chooses hospitality over fear.

Every act of love, every refusal to retaliate, every risky act of forgiveness, every time we lay down our personal preferences and choose others over ourselves—these are glimpses of a Holy Spirit formed church shining in a broken world.

In these moments scriptural holiness isn’t theoretical. It’s visible. And when it’s visible, it’s POWERFUL and UNDENIABLE to a watching world!!

Try This:

This week, ask God to show you one way you can practice holy love in your community: 

• An act of generosity.
• A word of encouragement.
• A step toward forgiveness.
• A choice to listen rather than judge and correct.
• A way to serve silently without fanfare.

Then trust the Holy Spirit to use that act to build something larger than you can see. Because holy love never stops with you. It overflows.

Friends, over these last three months, we’ve been invited to recover a vision of holiness that is not about burden—but about beauty. Not about impossibility—but about invitation.

• You were made to be whole and holy by the love of God.
• You were made to live a resurrection-shaped life.
• You were made to be part of a church the world can’t ignore.

And the best news of all? By God’s grace, you already are.

Thanks for reading,
JC

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