Called to Belong. Called to Community.

By Annie Harley 

BELONGING TO GOD

In the New Testament, the apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church in Rome. At the time of his writing, there was racial tension between the Jews and non-Jewish, known as the Gentiles, surrounding the concept of who could know God. 

In Romans 1:6–7, Paul writes, “And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people.”

According to the Strong’s Concordance, in Scripture “belonging is found through the invitation to obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom through Christ.” Essentially, it is the love of Christ (John 3:16) that allows us to experience the deeply rooted sense of belonging. 

A relationship with Jesus changes everything, and in it we experience the fullness of life because we find belonging in Him.

BELONGING TO COMMUNITY 

One of the best parts of a relationship with Jesus is the community that you’re invited to be part of. You’re not just invited to experience life with God, but also, to experience life together with His people! 

Jesus was always doing life together with His friends. Throughout His three years of ministry, He was consistently in community with the disciples, 12 guys Jesus invited along to do life and ministry with.

Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, author of Life Together, writes about the dichotomy of experiencing community, saying, “Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. He will only do harm to himself and to the community. Alone you stood before God when he called you; alone you had to answer that call; alone you had to struggle and pray; and alone you will die and give an account to God. You cannot escape from yourself; for God has singled you out.” 

The other, is also true: “But the reverse is also true: Let him who is not in community beware of being alone. Into the community you were called, the call was not meant for you alone; in the community of the called you bear your cross, you struggle, you pray.”

A life that is committed to following the way of Jesus is not meant to be done alone!

PAUSE: Take a moment to thank God for the community in which He’s placed you. If you feel you don’t have a community, pray and ask Him to bring you a few faithful friends. He will surely do it.  

PRACTICE: Reach out to someone today. Invite them over for coffee or dinner, or just chat on the phone with them for a while. You’ll be amazed at how God will use you to sharpen them and use them to sharpen you.

PRAY: Father, thank You for creating us to live in community. Thank You for blessing us with the gift of friendship. It’s not always easy to do life well with others, but it’s so worth it because it brings value to our lives and makes us more like You. Help us to live authentically in the communities where You’ve placed us and to grow and be sharpened into the image of Your Son. Amen.