You were created for community.
Both science and Scripture agree on this point. God, our Creator, established this foundational truth in the opening pages of the Creation account. Shortly after He formed Adam from the very dust of the ground, God spoke the following words: “It is not good for man to be alone…” (Gen 2:18a). Of all the plants and creatures on the earth, nothing was found to be a suitable partner for the one made in God’s image. Man needed a counterpart, a helper, a co-laborer. To remedy this deficiency, God created Eve, and brought the two together in the first marriage union. This action displayed more than just a Biblical framework for marriage; it became the prototype for one of God’s most fundamental tools for our physical and spiritual development: Community.
Through the centuries since, God has continued His redemptive work in and through community. What started as a single covenant between God and Abram eventually expanded into the entire nation of Israel. Whether they were slaves in Egypt, sojourners in the Wilderness, worshipers in the Tabernacle, or conquerors in the Promised Land, God manifested His saving power and glorious presence among His people as they lived in community. When we examine the Law that He gave His people, we see that six of the Ten Commandments are directly related to how this newly formed people are to treat each other, implying the importance of building and maintaining a strong, healthy sense of community.
This pattern continued through the periods of the Kings and Prophets, as God’s people gathered to experience and worship in His presence in the Temple. In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon would write:
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccl. 4:9-12).
Writing as the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon understood the power of community. We see this power exhibited most vividly, perhaps, after the temple was destroyed and the people of God were carried into Exile. In this time of darkness and diminished hope, the Prophets served as God’s messengers, speaking light and life to those who gathered in community to encourage one another:
“Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms…They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Eze 37:21-22, 25-27).
Those who heard Ezekiel’s message were disheartened, but he called them to set their hopes on a better future that was promised. This hope will be realized, ultimately, with the second coming of Jesus as He ushers in a renewal of real, Biblical community, both for believing Israelites and those from all nations who are saved by believing in His name.
As Jesus began His earthly ministry, some of His earliest actions included calling men and women to follow Him in community. It was Jesus’ own teachings that echoed back to the Levitical Law, admonishing His followers to “Love your neighbor as yourself”. His entire ministry was centered around loving, serving, teaching, and doing life with others in community.
Arguably the greatest example of Christ-centered community we can follow is that of the Early Church, as described in the book of Acts. In these pages, we see the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit within Believers, and for the first time, we’re told about Jesus-communities that begin popping up all over the ancient world. Read Luke’s description of what he witnessed:
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42-47).
These earliest Christians were unified by their passion and purpose for the Good News of the Gospel, and their calling to live it out and share it with everyone they could. As Peter, Paul, and other writers began to edify and encourage these believers, they understood the best and most effective way to make disciples and grow the Church would be through community. In the New Testament alone, there are almost 60 occurrences of the phrase “one another”, showcasing the essential nature of community within their missional call of following in the footsteps of Jesus.
Considering all the Bible has to say on this issue, we must ask ourselves this question: “Is Community still important for us today?”. For Connect Church, our answer is a resounding, “YES”! We truly believe, along with the Early Church, that authentic Christ-centered community is the best and most effective way to make disciples and grow the Church. We are grateful for our gatherings on Sundays, where we join together to worship our risen Savior through singing, preaching, serving and giving; but a once-a-week gathering is not sufficient to attain the fullness of the Christian life we have been called to live.
It is only in community that we’re able to experience fellowship. It is only in community that we receive the blessing of accountability, as the book of Proverbs reminds us, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). It is also only in community where we can heed the command presented in James 5:16, to “confess [our] sins to one another and pray for one another”. Lastly, we believe there is great value in community because it is the only environment wherein we can use our God-given gifts to serve others. In his letters to early churches, Paul would often use the analogy of a body when talking about the church (Rom. 12, 1 Cor. 12, Eph. 4). He taught that, like the human body, the church is made up of many members, but they all work together to function as intended. Peter would continue this line of thought in his writings on the importance of serving in community, identifying it as one of the ways they were able to glorify God:
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever” (1 Pet. 4:8-11).
Community, then, is not simply a suggestion or good idea. It is the very mechanism designed by God for our fellowship, our growth, our service, and His glory.