At my church (Coram Deo Christian Church) we have been talking a lot about Community lately. It’s a subject that I know little about. I suppose some of that is my own doing, some of it my culture, and some of it the state of the church in America. There are so many lies to believe when it comes to community:
1. I don’t have the time to live life with other people.
2. I put my time in at church so I don’t need to be around other Christians more than that.
3. God does not call me to spend time with others outside my family.
4. I don’t need to have people over to my house as that is inconvenient for me.
5. I don’t want people knowing the real me.
6. I can learn to be a disciple of Christ outside of community.
I have made many of these excuses myself and I am ashamed. The problem was not the clarity of the Bible but my heart that hates being moved, challenged, opened, changed, or stretched in uncomfortable ways. I had to face the facts that I don’t like being around people who aren’t like me. I could put up a front long enough at church but inviting them over to my home for long periods of time was another story.
And then came Jesus…
Matthew 4:19 “Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, Follow Me, and I will make you fisher’s of men.’”
Jesus didn’t choose to train his apostles in lectures, studies, take home notes, or seminars. He chose to train them in and through community. I’m sure there were plenty of times when one of the apostles wished that the others weren’t around. Luke 9:46 “An argument arose among them as to who was the greatest.” But the training to become a disciple of Jesus included other people who were with you, around you, sharing your food, abusing your rights, and making you feel uncomfortable. Jesus knew it would be uncomfortable for them but He still said, “Come, follow Me, and I will make you fisher’s of men.”
Next time, “the Word became flesh”…
