Commitment to CommunitySample

Day 5: Ministry Flows Out Of Community With Others

Jesus modeled perfect community for us during his time on earth. He made it a priority to have communion with God. He lived life with a close group of friends. And finally, that group of friends ministered together to the world around them. Communion leads to community, and community leads to ministry.

If anyone were strong enough to do ministry alone, it was Jesus. He was strong enough to minister to everyone without needing the disciples, but he chose to do ministry in community. Jesus and his disciples went out together to proclaim the Good News. There are very few examples of Jesus working alone. There is power in a shared proclamation of the Gospel. This is done both by words and actions. It is done both organically and in formal, planned-out methods.

As Jesus strengthened his relationship with his disciples, their ministry to others grew stronger as well. The same can be true in our lives. When we live in a community of faith, it is much easier to minister to the world around us. There are times when we participate in formal, planned-out ministry. This could be working with churches or local ministries to minister to serve the hurting and broken in our communities through special initiatives and events.

It can also be done organically. As we live in a community of faith, we begin to take notice of the regular interactions we have with others in the normal, everyday parts of life. The Holy Spirit guides us into conversations with neighbors, co-workers, or any other person who regularly comes across our paths. Living in community allows us to be more in tune with God’s presence in those situations, and through our words and actions, others can see Jesus in us.

Special note: Finding and living in community is an imperfect practice. What’s being described here is the goal, but human relationships are messy. That shouldn’t stop us from trying. When it goes well, we celebrate it. When it doesn’t, we grieve it and keep moving forward. There will be seasons of life when community is a source of great joy and encouragement and seasons of life when it is our greatest pain. Being aware of this allows us to pursue what is good while knowing that we live in a broken world. Someday, perfect community will be restored. Until then, we seek what is good, even if it doesn’t always work out.

Reflection/Prayer

We often feel like we aren’t doing enough for God. We think we should be giving more of our time and energy to ministry. What if God wanted more of our hearts than our time? When we focus on developing an awareness of God’s presence, ministry in the ordinary parts of our lives becomes more clear. It becomes less about doing good things for God and more about seeing him in our present reality. When we see the world through a Kingdom perspective, ministry to the world around us becomes clearer. Spend some time today reflecting on your normal, weekly routines. What people come to mind? How can you slow down and engage with them? How might God be ministering to them through you?

Was this plan helpful? Check out the full series "Commitment to Community" from Hope Fellowship Church https://hopefellowship.net/messages