My Second Blog This Week!

I just wanted to share some thoughts that have been on my mind as of late, something I believe is of utter importance for those seeking after God. For the past couple days I have been reflecting on the significance close community plays for the Christian walk. This point really hit home last night at our floor meeting. For the first time in a while we had almost our entire floor present for the weekly meeting. This weeks meeting consisted of a short devotional by our RA, followed by a time of prayer. The openess and care of all the guys on the floor really impacted me; people with prayer requests of any kind shared them with the group, and the rest of us subsequently layed hands on them and prayed for them. This may sound all well and good, but it was more than the atmosphere of trust and care that really impacted me; it was the unity of all us guys as the body of Christ that really amazed me, and here is why. You see, like any group of people, everybody on our floor does not always get along, and there is actually some dislike between some of the guys. However, all of that got put aside at our meeting, as we became the unified body of Christ. I can't recall the last time I ever experienced this type of community in a church, and to me that is a problem. We were not called to walk this life alone. In his book "Holiness in the Gospels" (which I had to read for a class), Kent Brower writes:

"discipleship is not an individual pursuit. The disciples are in it together. The call of the Twelve who are made into a group is instructive. The impression of these disparate persons being fashioned into the corporate representatives of the new people of God is strengthened by the Last Supper, their subsequent failure, and Jesus' reconstitution of them in Galilee...We need to think of discipleship as something we do together in following Jesus, not something that is done alone...discipleship means being together with Jesus on His mission."

The disciples came from a wide range of backgrounds, from tax collectors despised by the people to Zealots seeking to overthrow the Roman powers. Yet these differences were for the most part sidelined as they walked with Jesus. Even without the disciples, Jesus would not have been alone in His ministry. Jesus lived life in a radical dependence on the Holy Spirit, much as we are called to do today. By living in community, we can encourage, strengthen, comfort, and lift up one another before God. Community also helps hold us accountable, and provides support during times of weakness. I have experienced these benefits first-hand this year, whether it be by being prayed over by my brothers in Christ or simply being challenged to get my devotional life back on track. I am truly grateful to have been a part of Gerry Hall this year.