Build Community 4

Matthew 18:20

Time alone can be very important. We often need some time where we are by ourselves, to spend an hour or two in quiet reflection, to have some peace and quiet to rest and think. But we are not meant to be alone. Since the creation of the world God has intended for humanity to be in a community with others and with God.

This passage from Matthew specifically follows a command that those who believe have the authority, when they are in agreement over a matter, to ask God for assistance in doing the Lord’s work. What does this closing comment remind us of?

A community of faith is vital for the work of God’s kingdom. Community with other believers is important in the growth of our faith and in our own spiritual journey. As believers we may feel comfortable in the knowledge of our connection with God and that may lead us to believe that it is not necessary to spend time in a worship community.

But we are in the company of more than just one another when we gather to offer worship to God or when we gather to do work in the Lord’s name. Whenever we gather as believers Jesus is present with us also. What a comfort and an assurance to know that in our frailty we are empowered with the presence of our Savior.

This is a reminder of how deeply God loves us and how much we are loved by the Son, Jesus Christ. We are not alone. The Lord is with us at all times. But it is also a reminder that it is important to gather as believers, coming together in a faith community, because when we gather the Spirit of God is with us.

Whenever we gather to worship we must bear in mind whose presence we are in. We must remember that our coming together in community is also an invitation for Christ to be with us.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you have an attitude of hopeful expectation and invitation when you attend a worship service?

Build Community 2

1 John 4:18

The fear of the unknown can be a powerful force. Most people are not always comfortable going places they are not familiar with or meeting total strangers. We are much more comfortable with what we know and who we know. The idea of perfect strangers coming into our lives can really raise some fears.

The writer John continues in his letter to new believers by addressing the fear of the unknown. What does he say about fear and love? What does love do?

As we look at the all too common experience of declining attendance in churches throughout the nation, most church members are confronted with a dilemma. If we stay the way we are, wrapped in our comfortable habits and traditions, surrounded by only the comfortable familiar, we will soon die off as a church. If we seek out new members and new believers then we are faced with encountering strangers, people we do not know. And this can cause fear.

But we must remember why we are doing what we are doing. We should exist as a church to be the manifestation – the real and tangible presence – of the love of God. We should be the expression of God’s love in the world.

And that expression of God’s love should involve a desire to build a community of believers. And if we will build a community of believers then we must go out from the walls of our place of worship and encounter the stranger. We must be welcoming to the visitor.

Is this a frightening idea? Absolutely.

We don’t know these people. We don’t know what they will bring to our church. They may bring their own problems and issues with them, their own baggage that might be a bit unpleasant for us.

Or they might bring in new ideas, concepts and approaches that are exciting and dynamic, that might turn our church on its head in a good way. They might bring a new vitality and energy and love to a stagnant group of believers.

Whatever awaits us we must approach the idea of building a faith community with love. We must approach the new believer and the stranger with the love that God has shown us. That is perfect love; and, as John points out, “perfect love drives out fear.”

DAILY CHALLENGE: What will it take for you to approach the stranger and the visitor with perfect love?