Return To Community
‘So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.’
Daniel 2:16-19
I am anti-isolation. I believe that isolation is one of the tricks of the enemy to steal, kill, and destroy. The early church was never isolated. They were communal and did things together. They did not even claim that anything that they owned was theirs; they shared everything communally, they lived communally, everybody for everybody.
Today, phones, virtual services, gated communities, insecurity, etc have isolated us –especially post-COVID. We live in streets where we don’t even know the names of our neighbors. The society itself is moving towards isolation and it is eating into the church.
if I were to ask you now, to give me five names of people in your church (not related to you) that you would call if you get in a mess; or when you need somebody to pray with you, just five names, can you list them? Now, how many people will call you when they need someone to stand with them?
Sound the alarm
God is calling us to come out of isolation and go into deep meaningful relationships with those around us. A united church is not possible without a relational church. We need community so that we don’t stay alone when the troubled days come or on any day. To pray and stand with us like Peter did when he was arrested, to show for us when we are going through loss or divorce and to uphold us when our faith is dwindling.
We need three levels of community of peers (those on our level or same age bracket), those “beneath” us (this does not mean they are less, it just means they are where we have been and we can pour into them), and those above us (more on these levels later).
Until we understand that community is important for our faith, the enemy will continue to seive us. Don’t let the enemy deceive you. Get some friends. How? We will do that tomorrow.
Exercise
Write down 5 members of your faith community that you can count on to encourage you in faith and stand with you in prayer. (put it in the comments and in your notes)
Pray for every member of your community if you have.
Prayer (for those who need community)
Father, open my eyes to see the community you have put around me that I have been missing out on. Teach me how to build and grow a healthy, vibrant, faith-based community. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Shalom.
