The Power of Community in Life's Difficult SeasonsSample

 A Call for a Healthy and Godly Community

Community: A group of people that hold particular characteristics in common. A community is only as godly and healthy as the individuals that form it. Community is God's design for growth. The Christian community is made of people who share a common life in Christ. It moves us beyond the self-interested isolation of private lives and the superficial social contacts that pass for "Christian fellowship." Instead, the biblical ideal of community challenges us to commit ourselves to live together as the people of God.

In Act 2:42, we see a model the early believers used in building a strong fellowship and togetherness.

1. They were all devoted to one another. To be devoted means to be      loyal and steadfast. 
2. They meet consistently and share everything. 
3. They were generous to one another.
4. They were sincere to one another. 
5. They all ate together.

As a result, what happened? Verse 47b, "And the Lord added to their number daily." The litmus test for a healthy and growing community should be the qualities mentioned above. A community is as strong as its leader, and a leader is as strong as the people he leads. A healthy community is one where members are not afraid to be vulnerable with one another, sharing their stories and life experiences to edify one another. 

Each individual contributes to the health of his or her community, directly or indirectly, and each person's role is significant. However, it takes time, effort, sacrifice, and commitment to build a strong, healthy, and godly community. But as sons and daughters of the Most High God, we have a responsibility and calling to build, unite, and foster a community that draws the heart of men to God. 

A community or group may be dynamic, but to grow, it must be unique in purpose. Unity in a community cannot be overemphasized.  Matthew 12:25b "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand."

Christian community is the place of our continuing conversion. Its goal is that, individually and together, we should become mature, no longer knocked around by clever religious hucksters, but able to stand tall and straight, embodying the very "fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:11-16).

Professor Emeritus, Howard Macy once wrote, "When we imagine that we, as Christians and humans, can live in total independence and self-sufficiency, we are deluding ourselves. God, from the beginning, never intended that we should go through the world "alone." We cannot experience the power and delight of life with God, without also being drawn into life together with our sisters and brothers in Christ. Without experiencing such life together, we will not discover how wonderful the news about Jesus is." 

You have a role to play in building a healthy and godly community. God is counting on you.