True North: Brotherhood Is A Necessity Намуна

BROTHERHOOD

Have you ever been in a group of people and felt completely alone? I have, more times than I’d like to admit. It seems like so many men follow the same pattern of community and I, for one, fell right into it. We spend years building the perfect community of close friends throughout high school and college. We find the perfect balance of people we can trust, people we can do activities with, and people who make us feel good about us. We structure our activities and possibly our education around where our friends are going to be, and what our friends are going to do. Then, life happens. We graduate, we get married, and we begin to scatter, mostly without regard to where our friends are; yet more based on the location of our jobs, our spouses, or the needs of our extended family.

Then we wake up one day, and realize we don’t have any really close friends. We don’t have anybody that we would call my “brother”. For me, it wasn’t long after awakening to my need for Christ that I realized my need for Christian brotherhood.

Brotherhood: noun 1) the relationship between brothers. 2) an association, society, or community of people linked by a common interest, religion, or trade.

God did not design us to be alone. He designed us to be in community with other believers. So much can be learned and gained from a strong brotherhood or community of believers. It’s not only a great option for a believer; it’s almost mandatory to survive in today’s society. My closest Christian brothers come from a group that meets every other Wednesday morning for two hours. We are painfully raw and real, exposing what really happens in our lives and what we really struggle with.

A community of believers is encouraged and referenced throughout the Bible. Jesus modeled the concept of an intimate community of men, or brotherhood, by His relationship with His disciples. He was often surrounded by hundreds or thousands of people but poured into the lives of twelve other men. With them, He shared His teachings, His most joyous occasions, and His most difficult times. Jesus’ disciples followed and lived with Him daily for the three years of His ministry. They were the men He relied on and counted on the most. They were His brothers.

As you read today’s passages, think about whom you would consider as your “brothers in Christ.” Who are those men that you are in an intimate community with? If you’re not in a small group or small community, where can you get plugged into one?