Community

People

Humans are different from anything else in all of God’s creation. Our secular friends would have us believe that we are just more highly evolved primates, and as such a subset of the animal species that are so prolific on our planet. However, the eyewitness testimony to the beginning of all things is clear that our creation was special and unique. The Almighty God chose to interact with His process and material in a much more personal, tangible, and intimate way than how He made all the other creatures. 

One way that we express this difference is through our relationship qualities and capacities. While many animals do have close bonds with other animals we have the ability to connect at a deeper level because we have a soul. The soul is more than mere consciousness it is the reality that we are beings made for everlasting existence. This is true of every person. All people will exist forever whether in a state of eternal torment and destruction or in a state of eternal joy and life.  But for the believer the capacity for community is even greater because we are also spiritually alive. This means that we can connect with one another on a spiritual level. Oftentimes unbelievers want to have spiritual experiences without God, but in these cases the ‘spirit’ must interact with the body and soul of the individual. This is often accomplished through meditation rituals focused on emptying the mind and being open to the ‘spiritual’ forces or through the use of substances (drugs) to bring about the connection. But for believers who are now alive through the new birth, we can connect with one another on the spiritual level where we are all alive.

My point is that as God’s creatures that are uniquely made in His image we are created for community. It is not good for man to be alone.(Genesis 2:18)  This also means that it matters with whom and how we find and establish community.

Local

The first thing that we need to understand is that we were created to establish relationships with people who are local to us. It is an amazing time in which we live when we can share and communicate with people all over the world instantly. As matter of fact even this post is on the internet where any one from anywhere could read it. This means that we have the ability to create virtual communities. We even use that language often when referring to groups that we may be a part of online. I do not want to discount the helpfulness or meaning that can at times accompany those interactions. However, we need real relationships with people who we know in the flesh. We need relationships with people who are local to us. We need physical contact handshakes, hugs, etc.) and we need people who are not interacting with our persona mediated through a device. 

This is especially true in the life of the church. We need to be connected in covenantly responsible and accountable relationships with other believers. These relationships cannot be all virtual because we were made to assemble and congregate, not only for worship, but for the practice of our spiritual gifts in edifying and encouraging one another in the faith. While it is true that Christ’s church consists of all believers throughout all time. It is through participation in the life and community of a local church that the larger universal body of Christ functions.  

Familial

We need commitment. Our modern sense of relationship is so transient and temporary. In the current culture in the post-Christian west we are seeing an erosion of truth and with it comes a loss of being rooted with a people and in particular places. We need ties that bind. I do not mean that our blood relationships must be our closest relationships but it is a great place to start.  Particularly with the people in our own households. In the qualifications that Paul gives for overseers in the church he references the discipline and discipleship that takes place in the home. It is essential that we are cultivating a culture of gospel saturation in our homes. This in turn produces the kind of connection and commitment needed between the family members.

Family does not have to mean blood. It can be those related through marriage , or committed life long friendship. The point is that we need relationships that we can count on in the hard times and celebrate in the good times. Not only do we need these people in our lives but we need to be these people in other people’s lives.

The most important familial relationships are with those in the family of God. These are blood relatives in that we have all been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and we share the common testimony of His amazing grace.

Spiritual

I shared earlier about how we ought to be connected in Christ on an even deeper level.  We do this through our participation in the study and proclamation of God’s word, participating in witnessing the baptism of other believers, eating and drinking together the Lord’s supper and praying together for needs and in celebratory gratitude at God’s grace, mercy, and love. This is the kind of familial life that God intends for His people in His household. Next week we will dive deeper into this shared community.

​

---