I was talking with a friend the other day. He and his family have considered moving to another state. As we talked together about the possible transition, he said something that meant so much to me. He said, “The main thing that keeps us from moving is the thought of leaving our church community. The ministry and the relationships in the church are so valuable to us, we are finding it hard to leave it behind.
I know God moves people from place to place, and we bless anyone who is following God’s will for their lives. But my friend’s love for the church and the people of God meant so much to me.
As we read the New Testament we see that God created the church so we would all be together. We would share live together. We would share the mission of Jesus together.
At the end of Acts chapter two we see this beautiful snapshot of the early church. Verse 44 says, “All the believers were together.”
What made the early church powerful was that they had two things. They had the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and they had one another. If believers had isolated themselves, the church would have never expanded. It would have never grown to impact the world. We are powerful because we are together.
I read this week that a recent study found that 2/3 of Christians believe they can walk with God without other believers. This statistic breaks my heart because I know this is not God’s will for us.
This past year Covid restrictions forced most of our churches online. We are grateful for the tools of technology that enable us to spread the gospel further than ever before, but we must recognize that church is not a video, it’s not a broadcast, and it’s not a podcast. The church of Jesus Christ is a community.
Christian community is not something we participate in, if we can find the time. Serving Jesus together is the center of our activity. Everything else flows out of our life together in Jesus.
Romans 12 – “…so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Listen to those words… “each member belongs to all the others.” This means that church is not about me. It’s about others. As I share in the community of Christ, as I bless others, I am obeying God.
The scripture teaches us that community is not optional. You many not feel like it. You may feel like “I’m very self-sufficient. I don’t need other people in my life.” But the truth is you absolutely have to have other people in your life if you are going to be all God wants you to be.
If you read the New Testament you begin to see a phrase that is repeated over and over. It is the phrase “one another.” Here’s what God’s Word instructs us to do…
Love one another. Be devoted to one another. Encourage one another. Pray for one another. Honor one another. Serve one another. Bear with one another. Forgive one another. Submit to one another. Carry one another’s burdens….and that’s just the beginning. It goes on and on.
There is no concept of Christianity lived in isolation in the New Testament. The idea that you could be a Christian and not be connected with other believers would be foreign to the New Testament writers and it is not God’s will.
Here’s the bottom line. We need one another. I need you and you need me.
Today’s Challenge: Be a part of a community of believers. Make a commitment. No church is perfect. We are all struggling to be what God wants us to be. Plug in. Be faithful. Serve. Give. Use your gifts and talents. Be on mission for Jesus with other Christians. As you do, you honor Christ and fulfill his purpose for your life.
