Community

I believe that God has called us all to live in community. And I believe three things about Godly community that we all need to grasp.

Godly community is meant to make us holy, not happy. (The Purpose of the community)
Godly community is always about others. (The Plan for the community)
Godly community always has Jesus Christ at its centre. (The Power of the community)

When we understand these three truths, the way we live, interact and see one another completely changes. Life becomes less and less about what we want and more and more about what we can give.

The Bible puts it this way:

Rom 12:5 “So in Christ we, though many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

Note, the passage doesn’t say that each member should try and get the most out of everyone around him or her! It speaks of a selflessness. It speaks of service. Paul, the writer of Romans in this passage is talking about serving. We ought to use every gift we have primarily for the good of others. Not to make a name for ourselves, not to get rich, not to be comfortable or admired, but to serve others.

1 Corinthians 12 gives us a great description of the picture of The Body of Christ. A picture the Bible uses to demonstrate to us the community that God intends for us. A community that is selfless, that puts others needs ahead of self, that sacrifices for, cares for and is patient with each other.

And the truth is that WE NEED EACH OTHER. You need the people around you, not just for their gifts and skills but for the way that they can develop your character.

Question – What things are you expecting from people that you know you should get from God (e.g. self-esteem)? How are you going to change your perspective? If you don’t agree, what’s your perspective?

– Dave