Spiritual Community is Essential

 

“Community is much more than belonging to something. 
It’s about doing something together that makes belonging matter.”

 

Post-Covid, it’s been widely reported that the social isolation during the pandemic has led to increased mental health problems like insomnia, anger, fear, anxiety, stress, depression and even suicidal thoughts and attempts worldwide. All of this isn’t surprising. God designed us to be social creatures. The isolation of the pandemic disturbed the worldwide state of mind. Our world experienced firsthand the dark side of being devoid of human interaction and touch at a new and disastrous level. It affected sleep cycles and sleep is one of the body's natural healers. With good sleep, a person loses attention towards unpleasant events, thereby being renewed with energy and zeal. When it’s hampered, it leads to suicidal tendencies.   

  The bottom line is that God has designed us for community.  This morning we’re completing our study of the “one another” statements in the New Testament. We only worked through a few of them, yet there are 59 of these “one another” commands in the New Testament. It’s just under 60 exhortations to actually do something for another brother or sister in Christ. These are behaviors we do out of an overflow of our relationship with Jesus, but they’re not things that we do solely unto the Lord Jesus. Other believers must be involved in order to fulfill them. They’re lived out in our ongoing relationship with other Christians. The primary place that we interact with other believers is in the local church family. While you can intellectually learn these commands by watching a worship service remotely or by listening or reading the material, they can’t be obeyed and applied without physical contact and interaction. In other words, it’s just not the same if YOU aren’t with us at church.
  Going to church is not about getting your attendance gold star. It’s not about gaining God’s favor because you got together with His people. Church is not a place to go, it’s a family, a living body that God wants you to be a part of for your good and His glory. Faithfully attending worship services helps combat two of the greatest enemies that we have to Christlikeness in American culture: busyness & individualism.
  In American culture, we’re so busy and there are so many options. Anyone who chooses to attend church for worship has potentially said “no” to another half a dozen options. The problem is that the vast majority of them aren’t bad things. They’re just not usually the best things. For example, many work six days a week. Sunday is often the only day to catch up on rest and rest is a good thing. Yet, the better thing is that, if at all possible, we need spiritual rest for our souls that we find as we worship.
  Then, we’re bombarded with the message of “I’ve got to take care of ME.” If we break out of “me,” it often only devolves into the small circle of the “we” of my family. Is “me time” a good thing? Yes. Is “we time” of family a good thing? Yes. Yet, the better is the “we” of our church family. With the almost cultlike emphasis of “me” time, one would think that we are going to be in heaven alone – just me and Jesus – but we’re not.
  God designed us for community. While each person is born again individually, one can’t be a solo healthy Christian. God designed us for each other. The local church is the best place for spiritual growth. While you can be self-taught when it comes to education, or work alone and be successful. You can even exercise alone to increase your physical health. Yet, the Bible is clear, you can’t increase your spiritual health and maturity alone. Why should we make worshipping together a priority?
  You are needed. Although it is counter-intuitive, helping others is the most effective way to help yourself. We’ve been programmed today to be consumers. Buy more, earn more, spend more. It’s self-focused has us constantly thinking about ourselves, what we need and want. God built you to be in service to others. There are needs in the body of Christ (the church family) that only you can fill. There are people who need your voice, your face, and your life experience. The more you try to fill your life with your wants, the emptier it becomes. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you,” (Matthew 6:33).
  It’s a place to give and receive grace. Most of the time when someone says why they quit going to church, it’s because of something hurtful someone said or did. We have all been there. The Bible says that when this happens, we are to confront the offender, “speaking the truth in love,” (Ephesians 4:15). The local church must be a place of kindness and gentleness. Rude or unthoughtful brothers and sisters need grace and instruction as much as anyone. We can model and teach kindness in how we talk to them about their words and actions. Without your loving intervention, those same people might push others away from Christ.
  It’s noteworthy too that someone will quit attending a church if they feel they’re mistreated, yet most of us are mistreated periodically at our jobs but we rarely walk off in a huff without trying first to resolve matters. It says a lot about what we value more, money or spiritual family.
  It is vital for your spiritual health. The Body of Christ is not just Jesus dying on the cross. The New Testament often speaks of being “in the body” of Christ. The Body of Christ is the local assembly of those who gather to honor and worship Him. That’s simply not possible if you’re not physically gathering with other believers. Skipping physical worship hurts us. Much as a biological family needs physical interaction, we need personal interaction with our brothers and sisters in Christ. While God does not judge us based on our attendance, Hebrews 10:24 does urge us, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
  It’s no coincidence that the world has gone mad while church attendance has dropped to record lows. Ultimately, there’s nothing more important that you can do for yourself, your family, our community, and even our country than gathering with spiritual brothers and sisters to weekly worship King Jesus. He designed us to need Him and each other!

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.