“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”John 15:12 (NIV). A tragedy happened in our church a few years ago–a young woman was killed in an automobile accident. The shock rippled through the church and the lives of all who knew and loved this woman. The woman, her husband, her family, were all part of our church.
What happened next is why living in Christian community is important. As soon as the news circulated, people moved into action. The woman and her husband were part of a small group from the church, and those people immediately stepped in and surrounded them with love, brought food, cleaned their house, sent cards and letters, helped with their business and prayed for them. The care continued with others in the church beyond the group they were part of.
In the days after that, Christian brothers and sisters stayed faithful to give support in practical ways.
DOING LIFE ALONE vs. IN COMMUNITY
Our society was once centered around family. Multiple generations often lived together under the same roof and when families did live separately, they never moved far away. Today, we are more of an individualistic culture. We rely on ourselves. We live far away from where we grew up. Our connections with other people often take place at work. But those connections are usually shallow, fickle and short-lived.
In the church, we also see this sense of individualism and disconnectedness. Many people serially go to church, never staying in one place very long. Someone might attend a church but stays distant and unconnected. And then there are some people who are committed to a church but they are not all in. They aren’t fully known in Christian community. They don’t rely on the church family when they are in need.
Individualism and doing life on our own is not God’s plan. God Himself lives in community: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are together. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make human beings in Our image, to be like Us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.’”Genesis 1:26 (NLT). We are created, hard-wired to need each other and to need Christian community. We need each other. “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NIV).
WE NEED EACH OTHER Paul Tripp in his book Whiter than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy says: “We weren’t created to be independent, autonomous, or self-sufficient. We were made to live in a humble, worshipful, and loving dependence upon God and in loving and humble interdependency with others. Our lives were designed to be community projects. Yet, the foolishness of sin tells us that we have all we need within ourselves. So we settle for relationships that never go beneath the casual. We defend ourselves when the people around us point out a weakness or a wrong. We hold our struggles within, not taking advantage of the resources God has given us.”
“From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4:16 (NIV). Here are some ways we need each other:
You need people who will protect you. Someone can’t protect you if they don’t know what is going on in your life. “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.”James 5:16 (NIV). When you can share and tell what your struggles are, you receive support, help and guidance that we all need.
You need people who will be honest with you. “And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NIV). These are Christians being talked about in these verses. This is a list of people with blind spots. You can’t do 1 Thessalonians 5:14 without being honest with others and others being honest and real with you.
You need people who will help you grow spiritually. You need people who know you, who know how to pray for you. They know your blind spots, they will protect you, they will be your church family.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 (NIV). Community is a space for us to not only show love but also to grow in love and to receive it as well.
