StrengthenSample

DAY 7: STRENGTHEN YOUR COMMUNITY

A community is not just about what I can GET from it, but what I can GIVE to it.

In the scripture we see that God exists within community. The Father, The Son, and the Spirit. One God. Three Persons. Co-existing in perfect love, perfect unity. In common unity – community. For God to dwell in community, shows us that community is also good for us.

And this is why the church is so important. The church is the community of God that has been made manifest on the earth. The church is God’s plan to reach the world, and it is only made effective when we all play our part in it.

The unfortunate truth is that some of us treat the church as a place that must serve our wants and needs. We come to church with a list of expectations and demands and we leave if it does not fulfill our every wish and desire. But by seeking what we can gain from the church instead of what we can give, we end up abusing the very community that God is building on the earth.

The truth is God gave each of us gifts, not to be used for our own gain, or for our own sake, but to be a blessing to the people around us. Every time, we choose to not contribute, we rob the church of what God intended to give it. Whether you are a pastor of a church or just joined the team as a volunteer – EVERYONE is of equal value and must contribute for the benefit of the whole.

This was modeled in the example of Jesus. He contributed His life (literally) for the benefit of the whole. To bless the wider body, to bless His bride, He gave us his life. The selfless surrender to strengthen the community, should stir something in us to strengthen our community as well.

It is dangerous to develop a mindset that we do not need the church. If the church is a body, how can we not be a part of it. If the church is the bride, how can we love The groom but hate the bride. I completely understand that people have experienced church hurt, but it is important to remember that it was a person who hurt you, not the church. We must be careful that the pain we have felt from an individual, does not disqualify the entire body.

In the same way that we strengthen the community, we also must make sure we have a strong community around us. We often find communities that support our thinking, our ideology, and our behaviors. But a community that affirms everything you do, is a community that does more harm than good. Yes, we want a community that encourages us when we are down. But we also need a community that will sharpen us when we are dull.

The church is not a building. The church is a people. And when we build strong people, we build strong churches. The way we strengthen our community is by adding value to it. By sowing into it. By serving it. By being generous to it (in both our time, our talents and our resource). As a result, the church becomes a place that encourages us, transforms us, blesses us, receives from us but most importantly changes us to be everything that God has called us to be.

QUESTIONS:

1. Does the community around me sharpen me? If so, how?
2. Am I a part of a community and do I add significant value to it?