Community Matters

The 2nd item on my proposed list of elements that are efficacious in making more and better followers of Chris is COMMUNITY.

Community is more than being in close proximity to others or having a common namebadge. Biblical community is to have a "common unity" with one or more people. This unity is based upon common identity (who we are in Christ) and common purpose (being transformed into the person and purpose of Christ).

I believe Community is effective in making people better Christ followers because it is totally consistent (integral?) with the purposes of God for humanity. I believe this based upon 4 observations:

1. God has placed within each human being a need for others. (Gen 2:18). On each day of creation God created something then said "it is good" but on day 6 He created man then said "it is NOT good...." What was not good about this climax of creation? Man was isolated. Was the triune God fully available to Adam? Yes, but in that state of Adam and God alone it was NOT good. God himself said that man needs a helper. Those who claim today that they can worship God alone better than they can with others are contradicting what God himself said about Adam.

2. Community matters because we ALL have blindspots. Moses's father-in-law had to correct poor leadership practices (Exodus 18); Nathan confronted sin in David's life (2 Sam 12); Saul and Barnabas had conflicting perspectives on John Mark (Acts 15); And Jesus often commented that the disciples just weren't getting it (Mark 8:17).

3. God's design for New Testament believers models partnership. Jesus didn't call one disciple, He called 12 and they traveled and lived as a group. Jesus sent out the 70 by twos. The biblical analogy of a body (1 Cor 12) speaks of needing others. NObody has all the spiritual gifts. When the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost the disciples were gathered. The early church sent missionaries by twos. When Paul gave Timothy instruction to deacons and elders the words are plural.

4. Biblical authors often used a specific word that speak directly of this reality. New Testament Greek has a word that appears 94 times in the New Testament that is translated "one another", "each other" or "mutual." This is in addition to the words that are translated church, fellowhip, and unity. In Latin the phrase is Quid pro quo and in the Social Sciences it is referred to as an ethic of reciprocity. In Physics Newton's third law of motion is that each force has an equal and opposite reaction. The bottom line is that God has not placed you in the center of your own universe! He has placed you as part of the Human Race and intends for you to interact redemptively within that sphere. This is what is meant by 2 Cor 5:18 where we are told God has given us the ministry of reconcilation.

In my last post I mentioned that TRUTH matters because many don't even realize the lies they believe. This week I propose that COMMUNITY matters because it is essential to God's purposes.