The Need for Community - Nehehiah 12-13 and Acts 4:23-37
I am not sure that I will be able to clearly explain what God has laid on my heart this morning, but I will try. Please, bear with me, if I ramble a bit. I believe the concept of community is something we need to recover in our society and in the church.
I have never lived in a real community. I have lived in suburbs and in other places that had ceased to be communities. I have longed to live in a community where people recognized the need they had for each other and they worked together to make their community a better place to live. Because of this lack of community, our churches have lost a sense of community. We do not have the sense that we are working together to make a better church for our children and for others in the future. We tend to look at things selfishly, because we don't see the community aspect. This is different from unity, even though it is related. It is much more related to loyalty. Community is the desire to do the right thing for the whole group of people. It is not giving up when things get hard, but working harder because of the community.
The city of Jerusalem seemed to be a real community in Nehemiah's day. From the priests and the Levites, to the singers and the business people, they all came together to build up their community. They came together to praise God for His blessings. They came together for worship. They came together to work for the common good. Then, when people began to drift from the Lord, the community was there to hold them accountable and to bring them back. They shut the gates on the Sabbath. They made sure the covenant was kept. We need that type of caring community in our churches today. We need to be a community within a community. We need more than unity, even though unity is essential, too.
The early Christians had community. When Peter and John were released from prison, they did not go home. They went to the other believers. They knew they were all a part of what had happened. They wanted to live it out in community with the other believers. They prayed together as they were assembled, and God shook that place to show His approval. He loved their unity and their sense of community. They were going to face the persecution together. They were going to take care of each other. They were willing to put their assets together for the sake of the community. They were willing to sell their land and other assets for the good of the whole. They had a genuine community. That is rare today. How many people willingly give their money to help others? How many people relate to the whole group, because they have a sense of loyalty to the group? That is what God desires for our churches today. We need to promote community in our churches in every way possible. We are all in this together, and we need each other. We need to work together and to praise the Lord together. We need to depend on the Lord together.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Esther 1-2 and Acts 5:1-21.
I have never lived in a real community. I have lived in suburbs and in other places that had ceased to be communities. I have longed to live in a community where people recognized the need they had for each other and they worked together to make their community a better place to live. Because of this lack of community, our churches have lost a sense of community. We do not have the sense that we are working together to make a better church for our children and for others in the future. We tend to look at things selfishly, because we don't see the community aspect. This is different from unity, even though it is related. It is much more related to loyalty. Community is the desire to do the right thing for the whole group of people. It is not giving up when things get hard, but working harder because of the community.
The city of Jerusalem seemed to be a real community in Nehemiah's day. From the priests and the Levites, to the singers and the business people, they all came together to build up their community. They came together to praise God for His blessings. They came together for worship. They came together to work for the common good. Then, when people began to drift from the Lord, the community was there to hold them accountable and to bring them back. They shut the gates on the Sabbath. They made sure the covenant was kept. We need that type of caring community in our churches today. We need to be a community within a community. We need more than unity, even though unity is essential, too.
The early Christians had community. When Peter and John were released from prison, they did not go home. They went to the other believers. They knew they were all a part of what had happened. They wanted to live it out in community with the other believers. They prayed together as they were assembled, and God shook that place to show His approval. He loved their unity and their sense of community. They were going to face the persecution together. They were going to take care of each other. They were willing to put their assets together for the sake of the community. They were willing to sell their land and other assets for the good of the whole. They had a genuine community. That is rare today. How many people willingly give their money to help others? How many people relate to the whole group, because they have a sense of loyalty to the group? That is what God desires for our churches today. We need to promote community in our churches in every way possible. We are all in this together, and we need each other. We need to work together and to praise the Lord together. We need to depend on the Lord together.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Esther 1-2 and Acts 5:1-21.