YOU NEED COMPANY

• DAY 53
• Fear File: Peter and John
• Scripture: Acts 4:23

And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

ACTS 4:23

If there ever were a hill I’ll be willing to live on, it will be this one – You cannot do faith without company or community. I know that virtual reality, quarantine, and social distancing have us thinking that we can live on our own and do life alone, but let me burst that bubble real quick, they lied to you. Faith thrives in community. If this were not true, God will not instruct us not to forsake our gathering together to fellowship as brethren. However, I have come to notice that the issue with the majority of people I know is not that they would prefer to be alone, they just don’t want to put themselves out there and get rejected or be betrayed because they trusted the wrong people. And that’s fear.

But can we have the conversation? The one where we actually admit that church folk can be the most difficult people to create a community with. They are either too boujee to relate with people, too spiritual to hold any conversation outside of bible study, or too serious to take a joke. Not to mention the church cliques and all that and the fact that most of the relationships are superficial. It can be a lot. Do you know why? Because it is important to your faith, that’s why the enemy is trying to make you isolated. 

I belong to two active communities at the moment. This is a complete miracle because as playful and jovial as I am I didn’t use to mix well with people. They always got on my nerves and felt too fake for me. When this wasn’t the case, it was that they were not reciprocating. Then one day God showed me that the problem was me. I was carrying prejudices against church folk so it was difficult for them to relate with me. He pointed out a couple of things to watch out for when making faith friends and I started to practice them. It took a while but I became a community member, an honest true community where I could be myself without judgment.

Company Is Crucial. 

For Peter and John, it was a place they could draw strength; it was their support system, their arsenal, and their prayer team. When the people of the world threatened them, they knew who to call. And their company did not criticize or question them, “why did you even heal the man? This small Holy Ghost you received now, you will not rest, who do even think you are? because you spoke up at the Pentecost you think you can go about causing trouble for us. You caused this mess clean it up yourself.” Nope! They saw the threat as a collective threat and took it upon themselves to take action. I have experienced this kind of collective responsibility, where people see your threat as theirs.

My community got into action when I called with news of my sister’s ailment with cancer. They prayed with me on Friday nights and when I couldn’t show up, they showed up and prayed for me. But they also blessed me financially and called constantly to check on me. When my sister passed and my life was almost shattering, they came for me too. One of my sisters sent her husband from another state to meet me at the hospital where they proclaimed her dead. If he wasn’t there I wouldn’t have known what to do because I was too devastated. Another sister left her job to come to take me away from the scene to preserve my mind. I went home to a company of people sitting with my mom who came visiting, they created shifts to stay with me. When grief caused a depression that almost ruined my life, my community lovingly prayed me out of it, and not once did they judge me. 

All of these personal details I shared are my way of showing you the benefit of good company. I want you to know what you are missing. These relationships weren’t easy to build and we don’t always talk every day but we know what true friendship means and we are committed to loving one another in Christ.

Start Somewhere

Beloved, start cultivating close relationships with faith-based people. I know it is not as easy as it sounds. For example here are questions and notions people have about making friends with faith-based people. The common questions people have about this subject include:

• How do I start?
• How do I know who to pick as a friend?
• How do I forgive a friend that hurt me?
• What if we don’t share the same faith perspectives
• How do I start a community of my own?
• How can I be friends with people outside my church?
• How do I make friends with believers of the opposite sex?
• How do I set boundaries with friends of the opposite sex?
• How do I decline a friendship offer from people I don’t want to be my friend?
• What if people who I want to be my friend don’t want to be my friend?

Then there are notions and misconceptions that people have about faith-based friendships. Here are a few:

• You have to share every detail of your life with them for it to be true
• You have to always contribute money to these community groups
• I don’t have the time to make friends
• There is always an agenda or angle
• Christian friends are boring
• All communities must be close for it to work

There are principles to building a community, just like with anything good. Today’s devotional cannot answer these questions and more you might have or teach you the step-by-step process of being someone’s friend. I will make serial videos to address this subject and make them available on my youtube. So that you can know practical ways to build a community. I will also go live with a few friends to discuss this. However, I just started a virtual bible study community that you can join. 

Today’s devotional is aimed at liberating you from the anxiety of making friends and hopefully showing you the importance of having a Christian community. As well as benefits such as

1. Faith and prayer partners. 
2. An accountability circle
3. Like minds
4. And a family.

Before you go ask the Lord to help you make better friends this year. It’s a simple prayer that He answers speedily. But beware, it might require a shift in your attitude.

Shalom

Watch today’s video here

Catch up on yesterday’s post here