CommunitySampel

Day 2: Community Encouragement

I was with my wife at a New Member class of sorts at a new church we are attending. We were meeting at someone’s home, and we were getting to know each other. The young pastor’s wife was very transparent, and something she said really struck me. She said, “Whenever I get lonely or depressed or confused, I know that I’m needing Community.” I resonated so much with what she was saying. Since we have been in transition to a new city, after living in Tulsa for the last 25 years, we have been in a fairly long season without much community. For 9 months, we did not have a church home, were not in a community group and did not have too many Christian friends with whom we were meeting. I felt a major void in my life and so did my wife and family.

Let’s face it, this world can be a pretty dark place. The norms of society are so all-inclusive and so morally neutral that if you are a Bible-believing, Spirit-led Christian, you can easily feel like an outcast or at least, out of touch. If you are not in community with other like-minded believers, you may start to doubt your faith and your beliefs. You may start drifting away and become like the Church at Ephesus, whom Christ reprimanded: “I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” Revelation 2:4-5a

Or at a minimum, you may just get discouraged and weary. In Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV we read: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching. ”The writer talks about “The Day” approaching and how we will need encouragement. I believe this reference is “The Last Day” when Christ returns. We know from Christ’s words to the apostles that the days will get dark as the “birth pains” begin before He returns. (See Matthew Chapter 24). You can make a case that the birth pains have started!

Hebrews also teaches about all the great men and women of faith and how they were “aliens and strangers on earth.”(Hebrews 11:13) It says they were looking and longing for a country of their own- a better country- a heavenly one. In America, in every city, there are communities of people who are from other countries…German communities, Polish communities, Mexican communities, Russian communities, etc. They all share a common heritage, language, customs, and values. They all have a love for their home country.

Likewise, for us Christians, our home is in Heaven, and our hearts and spirits long for that place. As we gather with our brothers and sisters from our home country, we share a Christian heritage handed down 2000 years. We speak a heavenly language as we speak to each other with psalms, hymns, scriptures, and prophecies. We join in age-old customs like worship, communion, marriage. We are like-minded in our beliefs, and we realize we are not alone on this dark planet. We share a love for Christ and a longing for Heaven. All of this gives us the Encouragement we need to stand strong in these last days.