Christians for Community
God made us for community and as Christians and followers of Christ we need to make sure that we are in a community of like-minded believers that supports us to grow in our relationship with God.
I heard a great teacher of mine once say, ‘being in relationship with Jesus is like riding a bike, once you stop peddling the bike stops and so too is our walk with God the same’. If we are not in God’s word and we do not have a community of believers sharing accountability and learning, then we can tend to fall off the faith wagon and into the world.
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another
Romans 12:4-5
If we truly desire our life calling to be something of great significance, then we need to have a community of supporters who support our personal growth as well as our calling.
In today’s world, we have access to multiple different ways in which believers can get connected, through church, programs, ministry activities, serving, bible study groups and even in in the online world of forums, chats and groups to name a few.
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them
Matthew 18:20
This scripture, like many others, highlights that God wants us to be in community with each other.
James 5:6 states:
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
So why is it important for us to be in community?
Proverbs 27:17 highlights that:
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another
Meaning, that by connecting with others, we can perhaps see things from a different view point or maybe we need support in our faith journey. So, through community, we can learn and we can teach.
Likewise, Galatians 6:2 expresses that we should ‘Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ’.
This scripture conveys to us that this is an intention or instruction from God, and it is not an option.
With Christmas looming, we often hear people say that Jesus is the reason for the season. However, though this may be true, Jesus is also the reason for us to be able to share what we have been given. He has given us the ultimate form of love through His sacrifice. For us, as Christians, this means that we would be demonstrating a false concept of love if we believed that we do not need community to grow in our relationship with God. It is the expression of love that Jesus showed to us that we now can take and share with others.
We all have a purpose, whether it is big or small. Ultimately, our purpose is to glorify God in all that we do, meaning we are to shine His love on others. This being said, there are times that we need to leverage our community in order to carry out or achieve our purpose.
So how do we have the people around us help us carry out our purpose? A few ways may include:
Asking people to pray with you for discernment and a clear path from the Lord
Find people who have undertaken a similar task, for example if your purpose is to lead others then you may want to find a leader in your Christian community that you can learn from and hopefully avoid pitfalls along the way
In whatever way we decide to engage with other like minded Christians, it is Gods desire for us to be in community with one another.
How can you step into pursuing community this season?