Gospel Ready Ministries

Christian Community Community is defined as a unified body of individuals who share a common interest. Christians get together and function as a community, because we all share the same interest – belief – in God the Father, in Jesus the Son of God and our Lord and Savior, and in the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:42-45, we see the early church functioning as a community, sharing the teachings of the Apostles, eating together, and praying together. They also pooled all of their things together and gave them to others in the group as people needed. Generations ago, communicating and maintaining community took work – no Facebook, no cellphones. People lived apart from each other and traveled for days to see each other. They took the time to develop strong Christian communities. Today, there are many ways to communicate and to do so almost immediately. However, we still need to be intentional about building our communities. There are other examples of community from Scripture: In the beginning, God provided a mate for Adam – really the first community. Jesus had 12 Apostles who went everywhere with Him. The Apostle Paul had Barnabas, Timothy, and Silas. Scripture tells us we are to be part of a community (1 Corinthians 12:14). Scripture also tells us to bear each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). We are also to pray for one another and to build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 3:13). There are also practical reasons to be part of a Christian community. Community helps you grow as a Christian. We need other Christians to teach us, encourage us, and to pray for us. Being with other Christians also holds us accountable to God’s Word, and mature Christians provide us with Godly counsel. When we fall on hard times, being in a community with other Christians gives us someplace to go for help when we’re struggling. We can count on the church and the Christian community we belong to for financial help and general care. Being in a Christian community is also good for our safety. The old saying goes “There’s safety in numbers”. After living in Colorado for twenty years, I saw plenty of examples of people hiking in the wilderness where the predatory animals are unlikely to attack a group (community) of hikers. t\They usually waited for a single person to fall behind (out of community) to attack. We have an enemy stalking us: Satan is waiting, crouching for the attack. Being in a community with other Christians helps us resist temptation when our enemy tries to trick us and draw us away. How to Get Involved in a Christian Community There are many ways to get involved in a Christian community. First of all, you need to be a believer, so you share the same beliefs as other Christians. The foundation of a Christian community is that it is made up of fellow believers. This is the basis of their shared beliefs. Next, you need to be attending a good church, where the entire Bible is taught and the church has cultivated a strong community After this, consider the following ways you can get involved. 1. Join a Bible study. Churches often have Bible studies, which are often held at individual houses and consist of around 6-12 people. A Bible study is a great place to plug in Not only are you reading and learning Scripture, you are also getting to know others in your church – sharing desires and needs. This allows you to begin building relationships on a personal level with other believers. Prayer is also done at Bible studies, giving you an opportunity to hear others pray, and even for you to pray for things. This is a type of corporate prayer. The group can share prayer requests and praises of answered prayer. There is power when we pray together as Christians. This also allows for others to be praying for Christians to pray for one another during the week. People in a Bible study also take care of each other – if someone needs help, the Bible study often engages to help wherever needed. For example, if one of the Bible study members has surgery, the group may provide meals while the person recovers, help with household chores, pick kids up from school, or any others tasks the person needs help with. 2. Volunteer to help at church outreach activities. Churches often have several outreach activities every year, where they go into the community to serve. Many times, these activities are not staffed fully, and help is needed. Organizing, setting up, and cleaning up are places where you can plug in. If you have a skill that you see could be useful for an outreach, volunteer! You’ll get to know others in your church, you’ll help others in your community, and may find a niche where your skill may be needed and you may enjoy. 3. Join a ministry at your church. Once again, ministries are often not fully staffed, and any help would be greatly appreciated. There are many ministries – some very visible such as worship team; others not so visible such as the cleaning staff. Consider the skills you have and where you might be able to use them in the church. If you are good with children, you could work in the nursery or teach. If you are a musician, you could participate in the worship team. If you know about computers or electronics, you could serve in the audio/video ministry. If you are good at fixing things, you could serve by helping to repair the building. You can also work with the cleaning team or the groundskeeping team. This method also allows you to get to know others in your church and can be very rewarding when you are using your skills to help others. There are other ways you can get involved, these are just a few examples. Join a Bible study. Attend church regularly. Pay attention to what is going on. If something sounds interesting – ask about it. Ministry leaders are always happy to have new people join their ministries. By joining other Christians in community, you’ll get the benefits discussed earlier: you’ll grow in your faith, you’ll get help when you struggle with your faith, and you’ll be more secure – other believers will help you resist Satan’s deceptions and temptations.

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