We must pursue Christian community with joy! This episode is a practical, hands-on application of some of the foundational ideas of living the inviting life as a Christian. (For more in-depth, biblical underpinning for this fun episode, see the related episodes below!)
Key ideas:
- We need each other in the body of Christ.
- We’re going to have to work for it.
My husband and I are currently three years into being the “new kids” in a very inter-connected community at Camp Bethel, in a southwest Virginian Appalachian Mountain town. While our new neighbors and “family” in ministry have been welcoming, it’s also a very interconnected community, and it often takes work to connect on a deeper level with new friends.
What I’ve found first hand over many years of being new in various communities, is that it takes work to go beyond surface-level relationships and pursue the kind of transformative Christian community that God calls us to. While it’s important to be a welcoming community, when we are wanting to become involved, we can’t just wait for someone else to do the work: we have to work to grow those relationships ourselves.
What we can not do as we pursue healthy Christian relationships:
- Stay in a community that is unhealthy.
- Bully our way in with an arrogant or critical spirit.
We should, as we are pursuing Christian community, look for a healthy church to be a part of, where we can both learn and grow, and serve.
Two things to look for in a healthy church, in particular:
- Expository biblical teaching
- Biblically modeled leadership (Paul writes extensively about what church leadership should entail, and we should seek that out in a solid, Bible-teaching church!)
(See some great resources below to go even deeper in finding a healthy church!)
We need to go into our church setting, local study, neighbor group, workplace, and whatever community God allows us to be part of, with a heart that is humble to learn and hungry to serve. We need to ask Him to help us find a place to serve, even as we seek to continually grow as Christ-followers who seek to continually, increasingly, know Him through His word and be transformed by His Spirit.
It can be hard to pursue healthy relationships as a Christian; but God calls us to it, and it is worth the work.
Related episodes:
Grow Mature Lead with Jahlil Jefferson (episode 43)
Be Kingdom Minded (episode 9)
We Need Our People (episode 35)
Dwell Richly – The Word-Rich Inviting Life (episode 39)
Where is the Stapler? An Unexpected Way to Create Welcome (episode 38)
Ask Good Questions – Invite Genuine Community (episode 20)
Refine Your Focus: Pursue Community in Truth and Love (episode 21)
When We Feel Afraid, But God is Bigger with Kim Russo (episode 7)
Resources:
- The Gospel Comes With A House Key (Rosaria Butterfield)
- 9 Marks of a Healthy Church
- Pastor John Piper on How to find a Good Church
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