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Community of Believers

We need each other.

There is one body, but it has many parts. 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 says, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit" (ESV).

We have been learning a lot about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and our personal walk with Him. Today we are touching on the essential role of community in our life as a follower of Christ.

Maybe you’re already involved in a Christian community and you’re deeply grateful for the gift of friendship with other believers. Or maybe it feels hard right now to invest in your normal friendships and relationships. Or maybe you’re wanting to find community. Taking the step to attend a church, go to the college ministry night, or to show up for the Bible study can feel intimidating or scary at times. Wherever you are, the Lord sees you. He is there to help you and to guide you as you step out and invite people into your life. We really are better together.

It takes courage, but we were created for each other and to live in community with other believers, so finding people to do life with is vital to a flourishing life. He delights in bringing His church together and so your desire to seek this out and to find people is a prayer that the Lord longs to answer.

Some questions for reflection:

Are you connected to a local church body?

Do you have people in your life who are pointing you to Jesus and encouraging you to seek after God?

If your answer is yes, how have you seen growth in your discipleship through this community? Do they encourage you in your love for God and others? What is one way you would encourage someone else who isn't in community to seek it out?

If you are in need of Christian community, what is one step you could take this week to get connected to fellow believers in the body of Christ?

Maybe it's a church you want to try this weekend. Maybe it's a friend you know loves God that you want to invite to walk through a book of the Bible with you.

What do you think it would look like to do life with people who are always pursuing the way of Jesus?

How sweet it is.

Prayer:

Thank you for the gift of the body of Christ. Lord, help me to prioritize Christian community and to find ways to continue to bring others into the gift of fellowship with one another. Show me Father how I can better depend on you and your body as I grow in my walk with you.