Have you ever felt a moment of convergence in your life in which your entire existence seemed to come together and connect at that point in time? i'm sitting at lunch today eating taco boat with Kevin and we're talking about the vision that God has given him for the ministry here at Haven. We're discussing the vital link that connection in community has with growth when the question hits me: Is growth even possible without connection?
Ephesians 4:16 says, "He [Christ] makes the whole body [the church] fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love." (NLT) Without the rest of the body, growth is not possible.
John 15:4-5 says, "Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing." (NLT) We cannot grow without being connected to Christ. How are we connected to Christ? According to the Ephesians passage mentioned above, we're connected to Christ through His body, the Church.
We have this idea that we can be "Lone Ranger" Christians, that we can make it on our own. We can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. Yet this is the very thing that Christ tells us is impossible. We are connected to Him through His body, the Church. Therefore, failure to connect with others within the context of the Church is failure to connect to Christ making growth impossible.
God has gifted every believer in order to be an instrument in His hand to make an eternal impact on the lives of others. How then can we make that impact or be impacted ourselves if we are disconnected from the body?
What then is connection? Connection cannot be simply coming to Church and sitting in a pew. Connection is not coming to Church and teaching a class, passing an offering plate, leading in worship, caring for infants or directing children's ministry. Attendence and service opportunities are excellent, but they fall short of the connection with our brothers and sisters that we need as a body in order to grow.
Connection is "koinonia" or community. It's not just "fellowship", it's living life together. It's sharing the load of the burdens that we struggle with (sin, stress, grief, finances, devotions, marriage, family, purpose, difficulties...). It's sharing what God is doing in our lives and what the Holy Spirit is teaching us so that we can grow together. "Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2) "A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need." (Proverbs 17:17) "God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God Himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ." (1Pet. 4:10-11)
Connection then is not just something that is useful--it is vital. Connection is not just something to "get around to"--it is urgent. Without the connection of community with our brothers and sisters within the body of Christ we are trapped in a shallow, spiritually impotent existence.
How about you? Are you part of a vital connection group within the body of Christ? If not, what's stopping you? Get connected so that you can take your place within the body of Christ and experience significance, purpose and growth like never before. Thanks for reading.
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2 comments:
Superb post!
Well stated! After all, we are a church family. Family members of healthy, functional families have close, loving relationships with each other. They share the burdens and struggles of everyday life together. They also celebrate life’s victories together.
Sounds great! Why then is it so rare to see in the church?
Some might say that many of us have grueling schedules already and barely enough time to deal with the issues in our own families right now. We just can’t add the burdens that come along with these types of relationships. After all, it does take an investment of time.
However, the main reason I feel we see a lack of connection, everywhere today (not just the church) is simply due to the vulnerability that comes with true connection. True connection only happens when we are willing to “bear our souls,” so to speak. To connect, we have to be willing to expose our fears, concerns, successes, and failures. In essence, we have to expose our true nature, not just the character we make sure we put on before driving to church. It involves putting our hearts totally on the line and trusting in each other to honor that trust with love, sincerity, grace, and pure motives. This can be scary and uncomfortable for many people.
As a disclaimer, let me state that these are just honest concerns that come to my own mind. I truly don’t know if they represent the thoughts of others. I just know that this type of connection is extremely uncomfortable for me to establish in the beginning. What I will say is that it is definitely worth the initial discomfort because the benefits are GREAT. As you stated earlier, it is God’s intention for us to connect with each other in this manner.
I pray that we all have the courage to do what we are called to do, even if it is uncomfortable at first.
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