“Community is where we can be our true selves with others. It is our safe place; the place where we can share our greatest accomplishments and joys as well our darkest moments and failures. It is where we show up in each other’s lives for the magnificent and the mundane. It is knowing and being known deeply. It is pursuing God and growing into the best version of ourselves for His glory. It is fighting the good fight and helping those around us fight it as well.” Better Together- YouVersion Bible Reading Plan
“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper ), and to prayer. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity — all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” (Acts of the Apostles 2:42, 46-47)
One of the biggest takeaways that many church leaders point out from the COVID crisis a couple of years ago is the power of community. Where the lockdowns were the most extreme, suicide, depression, and drug & alcohol abuse were rampant. Even in my home state of Georgia where the lockdowns were not nearly as extreme as other places, I still had many conversations with people with anxiety and depression.
God knew what he was talking about in the second chapter of the Bible when he said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” This was a much bigger idea than just providing Adam with a wife. We need healthy, life-giving community. For followers of Christ, most of us find those relationships in our church. And, for those of us who want to go even deeper, we are involved in some sort of small group.
Every church does small groups differently, but being connected at that level provides us with great people to do life with. Our church just launched the new connect semester with around 50 small groups. The reports are already coming in from people who are finding the type of friends and community that they’ve been searching for.
What about you? Who are you connected with? God’s plan from the very beginning is that we would have people around us who can encourage, challenge, love, and pray for us and who we can do the same for, as well. Don’t be afraid to push through your comfort zone and look for a great group of like-minded people. It might just change your life.
David and Annie are serving the Lord in the US, Africa, India, and South America. Would you consider joining their team? Just click here to get involved. Thanks so much!
