Unburdened by Vance PitmanSample

Connect

Jesus followers enjoy the amazing blessing of being included in God’s family—the church. The key word for this concept is connect. Genesis 1 first reveals that God is not only a Person but a Community of Persons: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image’” (v. 26). Let Us. Our image. In the very first chapter of God’s Word to us, He revealed Himself to be a relational Being.

Probably the best example of an interaction between the Persons of the Trinity is found at Jesus’s baptism before the start of His public ministry: “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased’” (Matthew 3:16–17).

God is a relational Being, and He created us in His image—in His likeness. That means we were created for relationships, hard-wired to live in community. Scripture makes that clear in the next chapter of Genesis: “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone’” (2:18).

Here’s an important point we also find in the Gospels: the New Testament knows nothing of Christianity without community. Nothing. It’s not an option. Being a Christian is entirely relational, beginning with our relationship with Jesus and then including our relationships within the church.

The New Testament is saturated with biblical community. It opens with four Gospels detailing the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus—all of which brings us into a right relationship with God. Then the book of Acts introduces us to the beginning of New Testament community in Jerusalem—the church. Finally, every other book in the New Testament was written either to address a community of believers or to bring about change within the context of a community of believers.

When we seek to participate in the community of God’s family, the community itself is the result of Jesus’s life and presence overflowing through our lives. Remember, the life of a Jesus follower begins by intentionally pursuing Christ and cultivating a relationship with Him (abide). And when that happens, Jesus brings us into His family. It’s through His presence and power in our lives that we participate in and maintain relationships with others as His church (connect).

Have you accepted Christ’s invitation to become part of something bigger than yourself?