Community
"Community"? Where do you find it? What is it? We all were created to connect. No one wants to live in isolation (although life is less complicated that way), we want to be in meaningful relationships. I love (not really) road signs off the interstate exits that advertise websites for singles to connect... its really the thought that I might make some sort of meaningful connection with someone. And that is going to lead to... well... lets be honest, most that get on those places might get more than they bargained for. No one is that innocent. I was just talking to a single who met someone on a website designed here in the Cini area to meet other "Christian" singles and ended up hooking up by the end of the night! Are we that lonely? No, just looking for meaningful connection. At the end of the hook up, was it really what you really wanted? Did it fill the void that you was longing for? Ultimately, humans were never intended to fill the void that God was intended to uniquely fill. (Read Romans 8:19-21)- Christ is that HOPE in our futility of attempting to fill our lives with meaningless relationships.
Enter community. I still struggle with the mystery of how to model and teach this, but at the end of the day, its one of the most beautiful things on the planet when I see the people of God completely care for one another in thier pain, struggles, and/ or joy and especially when it seems completely natural to do so. Not manufactured, not as a result of a program or done by paid staff. So if you find it in a small group or at IHOP at free pancake night, or even alone on a Friday night curled up on the couch with your bible, the thing I need to remember is what I really need is God. I need Him, and "my community" to point me to Him, not itself.
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after our conversation tonight, I thought I'd comment :)
ReplyDeleteTrue community is something we will only find when we are focused on Christ. We are to look to Him as an example of how to live and how to love by looking to the interests of others, rather than ourselves. Such a hard thing to do, let alone hard to do in this day and age (with the invention of things like texting and social networking).
Hi Andre,
ReplyDeleteJust to give a shout out to my bro from Koontz Lake and now livin' posh life in the Commonwealth!
As you titled "Community", in this time of economic difficulty, I don't think anyone goes to $4 (er, Starbucks) just for coffee, but to connect with others...similarly and moreso, should Christians encourage each other to accurately represent Christ, not merely for blessing and reward, but to honor and glorify God for who He is!
Simply His,
"Francis" =D
I think it's kind of two-fold. "Community" leads us into a closer relationship with Christ by sharing our faith/how we're growing etc. It also leads us into a closer relationship with Christ because it IS hard...maintaining and developing friendships. And this has a way of showing me my sin and selfishness and the ways I do need to grow.
ReplyDeleteI do think that for myself, I need to be careful that I am not totally surrounding myself with like-minded friends. As tempting as that is, occasionally. Christ has called me to be salt and light to those who don't know Him; by rubbing shoulders, hanging out, and praying for them. A balance of the two is needed; Christian community and purposeful reaching out to those who don't know Him.
-Diana D.
•The 10 Commandments are 6 parts loving others and 4 parts loving God
ReplyDelete•There are over 50 verses specifically on how to treat “one another”
•There are countless verses on loving God
All this makes me think community is people focusing on people and circumstances outside of themselves. It is established or achieved when the parties involved are willing to look beyond their own heart/thoughts/feelings/perspective and see someone else’s, be it another human or God. Community gives people a chance to show and receive love the way God created it to be in Christ; sincere, overwhelming, involving…
I haven’t thought this all the way through or taken the time to research it, but how often was Christ alone in scripture? Not very often, and when He was, it seems to me that He was praying, crying out to God. So in essence, communing with God. Christ was (I hesitate to use the word, but) always in community with others; be it God, the 3, the 12 or the thousands…