Resources on the Practice of Community
Overview
By Matt Garcia
Have you seen sequoia tress? Here’s a picture of one. Sequoia trees are the tallest trees on each, reaching heights of almost 380 feet, and live to be over 3,000 years old. I’ve actually never seen one in person yet. My bucket list item is to visit The Sequoia National Park where the General Sherman Tree, which has a circumference of over 100 feet and weighs 2.7 million pounds. My friends say that seeing these trees in person is a wonderful feeling. When one stands in the midst of these trees, they may imagine how big the roots underneath their feet might be. In order to support their large stature, shouldn’t they have roots that go significantly deep? For many trees, it’s true. However, that’s not the case for sequoia trees. These species of trees have roots that only go down five or six feet beneath the surface. Isn’t that interesting? So how do the roots carry the millions of pounds weighing it down? These magnificent tree roots actually grow to be 100 feet in length horizontally. You see, these trees grow in groves next to each other. This means that each of these trees’ roots grow with the other roots of the trees next to them, intertwining each other’s strengths to keep the grove upright. If a fierce storm comes and tries its best to wipe away a certain sequoia tree above ground, the other trees help to keep it strong underneath the dirt.
A biblical Christian community works in this same way. As we grow in our relationship with Christ, our spiritual roots should naturally be extending to others in our church community. In this way, when the storms of life come and the suffering that Jesus tells us is coming finally arrives, we will stand strong. But not because of our own will power or knowledge. It will be because of the prayers and actions of a loving church community and the power of the Holy Spirit (who is in a Trinitarian community in itself).
Hebrews 10: 24-25 says, “And 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.” In this passage, the author of Hebrews is not saying to bear with the pastor’s sermon, or the songs of the worship band, or the announcements, or any other part of a western industrialized church service. This is calling us to be in community with Christian brothers and sisters for the sake of growing in love and service. Our gatherings should be characterized by mutual encouragement. It’s not just one person from the pulpit encouraging the masses, but each member of the body using their spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ.
So how can we do this? What does this look like? Many churches have different perspectives on what gatherings should be about. Is it communion (the Eucharist)? Is it the pastor’s sermon? Is it the music? Is it the fellowship? That is for you to look through scripture and see where the Holy Spirit leads each church. After all, the church isn’t a place you go to, but a people to be a part of. It’s not a building to be safe in, but a community to submit to. It’s not an organization, but an organism who’s DNA is created for growth and multiplication. In this way, we see the body of Christ coming together as a community unified by the One who sacrificed His life for. When the storms of life come, will your roots extend to wrap around a loving church community? Or will you crumble and fall under the weight of the culture around you. The choice is yours.
“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community… Let him who is not in community beware of being alone… Each by itself has profound perils and pitfalls. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and the one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation and despair.”
exercises
One Another
Choose one of the “one anothers“. Practice living one particular “one another” every day for a week.
Stories
Ask someone to tell you their story. Listen to the story as deeply as you can. Tell the person how much it means to you to hear the story.
Church Families
Include others in family gatherings. Practice what it is to belong to God’s family – not just your nuclear family.
Thank You List
Being a thank-you list. Thank God for the people in your life who have helped you grow.
Make Peace
If you have something against a brother or sister in Christ, go to that person and make peace with them. Meditate on Romans 12:18. Journal your response.
Be The Church
Join a church, a small group, a mission group. Become part of a community of faith and see how this imparts Christ to you in new and deep ways.
Next Steps
Figure out what your next step is to go deeper with your church community. It may be baptism, church membership, serving on a ministry team, discipling another, or something else. Start that next step.
“The community exists to shape and guide my soul. The community has a right to expect certain behavior from me, and can provide the encouragement and accountability I need.”
books
“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.”
podcasts
Message Series on Community
Bridgetown Church Podcast
Why Church Matters
Exporing My Strange Bible Podcast
“When love is shallow, all it takes is something as trivial as a disagreement to divide us.”
videos
“Long-term interpersonal relationships are the crucible of genuine progress in the Christian life. People who stay also grow. People who leave do not grow. We all know people who are consumed with spiritual wanderlust. But we never get to know them very well because they cannot seem to stay put. They move along from church to church, ever searching for a congregation that will better satisfy their felt needs. Like trees repeatedly transplanted from soil to soil, these spiritual nomads fail to put down roots and seldom experience lasting and fruitful growth in their Christian lives.”
blogs
The Importance of Living In Biblical Community
Navigators.org / Lorae Kinseth
Living in Biblical Community
Bible Gateway / Andy Rau
“A friend is someone who knows you fully and loves you anyway.”
reflection questions
1
What is appealing or unappealing to you about being an independent operator?
2
How do you respond to the following words? How does your response affect your experience of Christian community?
- dependent
- independent
- interdependent
3
What kind of connection does Christ want you to have with Christian brothers and sisters?
4
What kind of connection does Christ want you to have with Christian brothers and sisters?
5
When has the body of Christ nurtured and sustained you? What was it like for you?
6
What gifts do you bring to the body of Christ?
“What we usually don’t realize is that all that fear and anxiety is not the product of facing difficult circumstances, it is the product of facing those circumstances alone.”
Matt Garcia
Matt is the creator of this website and curates resources on spiritual formation. He is a husband of Jesika and a father of 4 children. He also helps lead a house church. Follow him on Instagram to see what he's up to.