“What is community?” is a question that has come up recently in my circles. In fact, the issue of community is something my small group is grappling with right now. And, there have been some interesting discoveries. We have dealt with the typical discussion of community in its purest sense, discussing the practical aspects of community. But, what happens to that discussion when we look at community in the Godhead? What changes might we encounter by examining how God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit experience community? Are there any real, hard passages to unpack regarding this issue in the Bible? Does the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit experience community the way we do? How does the One experience community in his three beautifully expressed Persons?
Community quite possibly may be the very heartbeat of evangelism. I can say with confidence it is not the foundation. The foundation is God himself. But, the more I live in community in an active way, living and breathing it to send a message of hope, I realize its importance goes beyond my highest assumptions. Community can be expressed in many ways. Community can be discussion about God, relationships, family. Community can be a worship experience amongst followers of Christ. Community may be a group of people sharing a time of prayer. Community may be a group of men discussing hard issues over a pint at a local pub, or a family hosting friends at their house for a movie. It may be watching your neighbor’s children while they run errands, or calling an old friend to join you for lunch. It looks, feels and happens differently in different circles. But one thing I have found is that we often miss it happening. We miss the simple beauty of community while striving to achieve goals, evaluate strategies for ministry, memorizing a sermon, and having church meetings. These things in and of themselves are of no harm. It’s when they take priority over community that the real danger occurs. When I read the scriptures, I don’t walk away from it moved by the apostles’ incredible passion for board meetings. I don’t see Paul calling people to pursue excellence in managing church programs. I don’t read about Jesus requiring his followers to be on time for accountability meetings. I am moved by the undying commitment by the apostles to reach the lost by teaching the truth in love. I am moved by Jesus calling all people to walk by faith and follow him radically. I am moved by the promise of the Spirit after Jesus left the earth to equip us do great things.
We have been called to live and breathe this thing called faith. We are called to be about the business of living transformative lives before the world in front of us, seeking to make disciples. It requires something. It requires us to get our hands dirty and get into the mix of our world around us. It requires us to dive into the places many people don’t want to dive into. And I don’t even need to list examples because each and every one of us knows what those places are for us. Here’s the thing…there are people around us who live in fear.There are people around us who are hurting, real hurts. There are people around us being abused, neglected, ignored. There are people around us who think they have it all together, but the reality is, they don’t. There are people who have never once had someone authentically look them in the eye and tell them “I love you”. And those of us who have the hope of Jesus are stewards of the promise that the joy of living eternally is but a step of faith away in anyone’s life. I am constantly challenged with the thought of “what am I doing this week to initiate community”. I want to challenge you with the same thought today. More to come...