The Foundation of Christian Community
John 14:6a: “Jesus said to Thomas, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.’”
“The bright day of Christian community dawns wherever the early morning mists of dreamy visions are lifting.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Life Together
If you ask 100 people what it means to be a Christian, you’d get a high percentage who define it differently. Ask the same 100 people what the purpose of the church is, and you likely will not get two answers the same. I’m not talking about hostile disagreement. I simply mean that most people have their own assumptions about what church is, or should be.
In our day and age, it is so easy to be swayed by popular psychology, mystical experience, cultural expectations, and notions of moral goodness. When any of these are allowed to define the church without the balance of faithful biblical exegesis and diligent adherence to the roots of our historic faith, the people of God can lose their identity. We can allow “dreamy visions” of the church, as cited by Bonhoeffer in the quote above, to supersede the truth about what unites and defines us as Christians. When that happens, we must refresh our perspective so as to experience the “bright new day” of a true Christian community.
I’m personally excited by the opportunity to explore together the foundational elements of a true Christian community. I admit to getting persuaded over the years by certain aspects of the mission that involve dreamy visions of social change, and personal desires to experience community for the sake of friendship and encouragement. I know the challenge of pressing deeper into Christ and Him crucified and following Him versus my own sense of what’s achievable and might get a return on investment (albeit for the Kingdom). But it’s not the ideals and goals we’re after. Bonhoeffer says in another place in his book Life Together, “Christian community is not an ideal, but a divine reality.” Oh, may it be so!
At the heart of our communal experience is the shared experience of the transformational power of Jesus Christ in our lives. If we are united for any other reason, we’re united on a false and worldly premise. Of course, we can experience the deep joy of being together, sharing life, experiencing the ups and downs that life has to offer. For sure, there are many longing for just such experiences and they may be prevented from it. Here we think of those in prison, or those with terminal illnesses, or even those in faraway places. Many love the Lord and long for true community, so we dare not take for granted what we have when we gather and share life in each other’s presence.
But neither should we change the tone and tenor of our gatherings to be satisfied with something purely social. The power of God is untameable, and when lived out should be reverberating with exhilarating repercussions for all those who encounter it. As we live into a deeper appreciation of what distinguishes and unites us, namely Jesus Christ, we open ourselves more fully to the empowering work of the Holy Spirit among us. Isn’t that what we all long for?
I invite you to join me on a journey of rediscovering the heart and purpose of an authentic Christian community. It will mean challenging some things we have thought and in some cases things we hold dear. It will mean working toward a deeper love of Christ, and love of each other, which will, in turn, become a compelling love for others beyond us. Each week for the next 5 weeks we’ll be exploring together what this looks like. This week we focus on what distinguishes us as a Christian community. The answer is easily spoken, but the meaning and implementation of that answer are what we’ll be striving to take hold of. It’s the difference between knowing and doing.
Together on the Journey!
Pastor Scott