What is community? Well certainly it’s more than the buzz word it’s become in Christian circles of late.

The dictionary defines community as “a unified body of individuals with common interests living in a particular area.”

This definition highlights the 3 key components of community -

1. Unity – Jesus’ heart is that His body (the church) be unified around those things we have in common. He prayed to this end in His High Priestly prayer in John 17: 20-23).

2. Commonality – There is no community without commonality. As the church our common interest is simple…it’s Jesus. We gather regularly to celebrate the Person and Work of Jesus Christ who lived the perfect life we could never live, died a sacrificial death taking the penalty for our sin, and powerfully rising from the dead proving His authority to atone for our sins and His power to overcome death making it possible for us to be restored back to God’s original created goodness.

3. Life – Community involves living life together, not meeting in a building once a week for an hour. It means we are committed to walking through the messiness of life together; bearing with one another, forgiving one another, and sharing our time, money, and gifts with one another.

Read Acts 2:38-47 for a great Biblical example of community and what it can look like when we live for each other instead of simply looking out for # 1.

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