Community

Our church is continuing its series on Intentional Faith Development. Today the topic in service and Sunday School was Learning in a Supportive Community. To live in community means I must be able to give up something I may see as important so it doesn't handicap the entire Body. God gives us all the different personalities in our church so we can become the people He wants us to be. The church must be a place where people are free to be who they are and we respond to them where they are. They may not come with any knowledge of the faith, our practices, or our social status. A supportive community will say welcome, we have just the place for you to begin your journey. We must help all people feel a connection to the church community, we must feed them both spiritually and physically, and this keeps all of us connected to God. No matter what you may think, have read or practice, you cannot be a Christian in isolation, separated from the body. The second century church was known because it helped widows, orphans, and fed the poor. They even took strangers home to give them a place to sleep. The world was no safer in the second century and if you know nothing of Rome in the second century even the U.S. hasn't reached that level of depravity.
But the comment that struck me today was this, "the church has become an advocate of Christian values rather than a place that lives Christian values" (Bias). Our testimony is not one the world can see, we are negative, harsh, unloving, unforgiving but want a bunch of laws passed so everyone will have to live "biblically." If we would live Biblically the world might be drawn to Christ but usually you can't tell our lives from the surrounding culture. We must live differently, act differently, love differently and begin to accept people where they are and help them grow.