It’s crazy how we tend to avoid the things that are good for us.
Healthy eating
Exercise (“eggs-are-sides for bacon,” anyone?)
And even community
When I say community, I’m not talking about the guys you play sports with once a week, or the yoga class you go to (though those things aren't bad). The community I’m speaking of is regularly being with a group of people that you will commit to share struggles with, to hold each other accountable to what is best, and to serve each other in speech and in action.
That type of community is hard. But it is vitally important to your walk with Jesus.
The Bible talks a lot about how we are to live with “one another”. Over and over again it tell us to be in unity, to love one another, to show humility towards each other, to encourage each other, and to hold each other accountable. In fact, it’s used 100 times in the New Testament (here’s a great article breaking down all the times it’s used).
However, it’s hard to live with “one another” when we push away opportunities to engage in community. And by choosing to not live in community, we are specifically going against many of the things the Bible tells us are necessary for our Christian walk.
You can be a Christian without community,
but you cannot live your Christian life the way God intended you to without community.
No doubt about it, this type of community is difficult. It requires us to be open, and honest, to desire others' good above our own, and to allow other people to call us out when they see problems in our lives. This means that our biggest problems will have to be dealt with, and that we will have to be gracious towards others as we lovingly help them with theirs as well. But it’s worth it.
This type of community has three main purposes:
- It builds us up
- It creates a godly network for when our life seems to come crashing down
- It's God’s ordained way for us, the church, to prove that we are truly following Jesus
"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35
In addition to all of the personal benefits we gain from community, we also need to remember the bigger picture: Jesus has asked us to be in community to better reach the lost.
So, whatever you preference may be, I encourage you to find Christian community at Redemption Church and to not only join a community group, but invest in it. Invest your time, your money, your gifts, your emotion, your love - into the people in your group. I guarantee you that you will draw nearer to Jesus than ever before and will know His love more completely when you do this.
Lets commit to truly live in community together. To...
- Share struggles
- Keep each other accountable to what is best for each other
- Serve each other
- Love in speech and in action
