CREATED FOR COMMUNITY

Acts 2:44 “All the believers were together and had everything in common.”

The huge redwood trees in California are amazing. They are the largest living things on earth and the tallest trees in the world. Some of them are 300 feet high and more than 2,500 years old. You would think that trees that large would have a tremendous root system, reaching down hundreds of feet into the earth. But that is not the case. Redwoods have a very shallow root system. The roots of these trees are, however, intertwined. They are tied in with each other; interlocked. Thus, when the storms come and the winds blow the redwoods still stand.

With an interlocking root system they support and sustain each other. They need one another to survive. So do we. So God has given us his church which is the body of Christ on earth. When one comes to Christ, they become a part of the body of Christ. Through Christ we are bound together in a community of faith. Belonging to Christ means we belong to each other. Fellowship with Christ means fellowship with each other. Through Christ, God has made us a family, a community of faith. This is our God-given support system. As such, it is intended to meet some crucial needs in our lives.

It could not have easy to serve Christ in the first century. Times were tough and persecution rampant. The early believers were bound together into a fellowship, a community. They needed each other; there is strength in numbers. - It also isn’t easy for us to follow Christ and truly live for him. Discouragement. Temptation. Sin. Apathy. Failure. Materialism. Unbelieving family and friends. Doubts. Rejection. Unanswered questions. We face so many obstacles in our desire to live for the Lord. God however has not left us on our own to run the race and fight the battle. He has given us each other.

In his book The Connecting Church, Author Randy Frazee writes, “The experience of authentic community is one of the purposes God intends to be fulfilled by the church. The writings of Scripture lead one to conclude that God intends the church, not to be one more bolt on the wheel of activity in our lives, but the very hub at the center of one’s life…..”

We were created for community. The journey of life and faith is often trying, difficult and painful. In Christ we are a community of faith, a special place where we can minister and be ministered to. We need each other. Therefore, the community of faith needs to be a priority in our lives.

The closer we stand in community, the more we will be able to hold up. Throughout our lives and especially during tough times, God desires to strengthen and empower us through the community of believers. He expects us to support each other during the storms of life. That is why we need to be an active part of a community of faith. We need others and they need us.

Be encouraged today to connect with those that God has placed in your life. We should never try to go it alone. Relationships are vital to our growth and development. Never discount them. Cherish each and every one. Grow together and live blessed.