The Importance of Community

People. 

Can't live without 'em. Sometimes, though, it's pretty hard to live with them, especially if you (like me) are an introvert as well as not being the most skilled socialite. 

Even if you're the most social person in the world, though, people can be tough sometimes. They sin, they gossip, they're selfish—in short, they're just plain old hard to deal with.

This includes the church. The reality is that Christians aren't perfect, and can be just as vindictive and petty as the next person. Satan tempts us, and sadly, we often fall for it.

Faced with the humanity of the church, it's tempting to withdraw. To stop attending church services, or at least stop hanging out after them, and avoid as much contact with your fellow church members as possible. 

To do this cuts you off from a vital aspect of the Christian walk. 

Our church community is given to us as a blessing. God has placed us in this place at this time with these people for a reason—and though it'll never be perfect, our church community encourages us, complements our talents, and keeps us accountable to the Christian faith. 

 

Building one another up

I used to think of church as something to get over with. That the primary purpose of the service was to test the hearers and see if someone fell asleep during the sermons. (That someone was often me, I'm ashamed to admit—though, this was when I was a small child, in my defense.) 

But this perspective started to shift when I was in my teens. Suddenly, church became something I looked forward to. Something that I wanted to go to, at least most of the time, and something that I knew I came away from blessed and happy. 

This change in perspective is something I'm very grateful for. Now, I can enjoy the service properly. You don't really reap any benefit from hearing God's word taught if your mind is three hundred miles away, do you?

The same thing happened with prayer meeting. We'd go every other Wednesday to pray with our small group, and though it was pretty fun—they often had cookies, after all—it meant that I had to pray in public. That was terrifying. I didn't do that often, and I always stumbled over my words. 

But now? The opposite is true. 

Our small group meeting is the highlight of my week. The people there are awesome, and they know me. And the Holy Spirit is there when we gather. (Matthew 8:20)

Church, as God intended it, encourages us. 

I don't know what I could do if I didn't have the church to support me. They're lovely people (albeit imperfect), and they'll pray for me. They care. 

Because Christ showed his love to them just like he did to me. 

Growing to understand the encouragement that the church community can bring will bless you, and it'll give you a fuller understanding of what we'll have in heaven. 

 

A diversity of skill 

Romans 12:4-6 says, "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us."

Imagine a body, but one that was only made up of one kind of organism. Eyes, let's say. 

My apologies for that image! 

Because it would look horrific. Something like Argus from Greek mythology, who had eyes all over his body. It would be creepy, disgusting, impractical—not right. 

The church isn't like that. No, the church is a balanced body, where all the members have different functions and skills and talents, and we all work together to make something beautiful. 

Everyone has a different talent. And every talent relies on the others in order to work. 

Playing bass in the worship band does very little good if you don't have people to run the sound system. 

Organizing a lunch for the college kids does very little good if you don't have anyone to cook the food. 

The effort of preaching a sermon is undercut if the sanctuary hasn't been cleaned in weeks, and trash is starting to pile up in the corners. 

We need each other's talents. We need the eyes and the ears and the hands and the minds and the grubby fingernails—because if even one piece is missing, the whole body suffers. 

 

Staying on the narrow path

Encouragement is great. And we need all sorts of talents to make the service run. 

But we're also going to mess up. 

A lot. 

And you don't want to fix it by yourself, because you're blind to your own sin. You need someone to keep you accountable. 

This is what the church is for. Loving friends who will walk with you through trials, and who will gently speak to you the truth when you need it. Pastors and elders who will lead you, and mentor you in the walk of a Christian. 

Discipline is unpleasant. Painful, even. 

But necessary. 

God has placed us in community with the knowledge that we're going to fail, and he's given us that community to catch us when we do. We can't go without the church. 

And the church can't go without you. 

The body only functions if the members are all working in harmony. Don't just attend services and go home right away—build one another up! Work together, and walk with others through their pain! 

The church is a blessing. Be encouraged, and be thankful for it. 

And contribute, if you can. Serve, as you've been served. 

Because your unique talents might bless your brothers and sisters, and God has placed you in their lives just as much as they are in yours.