Walking in Community
Community is The Father's way of supporting us in our walk with Him. Walking in community is our safety net from things good and bad that may come our way as a Christian.
Start right back in Genesis 1:26, God says ‘let US make man in our own image’. So here is The Trinity (community) creating man for fellowship with them.
Think next about a people loved by God - Israel is chosen by God as His ‘special treasure’ He chose a community.
When Jesus came to the earth and began His ministry, He did not do that alone. He chose 12 people to walk with Him - a community. He, although ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit, chose to use community as His working party.
We see in Genesis 2:18 The Lord says ‘it is not good for man to be alone’, and in Proverbs 18:1 we see this, ‘An unfriendly person isolates himself and seems to care only about his own issues. For his contempt of sound judgment makes him a recluse.’ (TPT) Out of community makes you vulnerable, an easy target for the trickery of the enemy to trip you up.
I saw the power of community in 2016 when I had a major heart attack. As I was rushed to New Cross hospital, Sue was texting our Life Group that I was in trouble. By the time I reached New Cross I knew the Life Group was praying and they had asked other people to pray, Sue and I could feel the power of that prayer. I lived and have gone on to lead an active and fruitful life since then. I can testify it could have been so different without that prayer support. The next time I was with the Life Group, one lady said to me “when Sue texted and said you were OK it was like I had got my own Dad back” such was the depth of community we had.
So, you might say, how do we walk in community? May I make three suggestions?
1) Choose to make community your way forward in the Christian life. Your will is very powerful. Make your heart and mind line up with what God is saying is good for you.
2) Meditate on His word and what it says about community, Don’t take my word for it, take His.
3) Find a group who will love you and who you can love back, and if you don’t see one maybe pray about starting one. You could be the answer to someone else’s prayer.
We need each other, we were not created to do Kingdom alone. Support and prayer from each other is healthy for our progress.
- John Whitehouse
Start right back in Genesis 1:26, God says ‘let US make man in our own image’. So here is The Trinity (community) creating man for fellowship with them.
Think next about a people loved by God - Israel is chosen by God as His ‘special treasure’ He chose a community.
When Jesus came to the earth and began His ministry, He did not do that alone. He chose 12 people to walk with Him - a community. He, although ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit, chose to use community as His working party.
We see in Genesis 2:18 The Lord says ‘it is not good for man to be alone’, and in Proverbs 18:1 we see this, ‘An unfriendly person isolates himself and seems to care only about his own issues. For his contempt of sound judgment makes him a recluse.’ (TPT) Out of community makes you vulnerable, an easy target for the trickery of the enemy to trip you up.
I saw the power of community in 2016 when I had a major heart attack. As I was rushed to New Cross hospital, Sue was texting our Life Group that I was in trouble. By the time I reached New Cross I knew the Life Group was praying and they had asked other people to pray, Sue and I could feel the power of that prayer. I lived and have gone on to lead an active and fruitful life since then. I can testify it could have been so different without that prayer support. The next time I was with the Life Group, one lady said to me “when Sue texted and said you were OK it was like I had got my own Dad back” such was the depth of community we had.
So, you might say, how do we walk in community? May I make three suggestions?
1) Choose to make community your way forward in the Christian life. Your will is very powerful. Make your heart and mind line up with what God is saying is good for you.
2) Meditate on His word and what it says about community, Don’t take my word for it, take His.
3) Find a group who will love you and who you can love back, and if you don’t see one maybe pray about starting one. You could be the answer to someone else’s prayer.
We need each other, we were not created to do Kingdom alone. Support and prayer from each other is healthy for our progress.
- John Whitehouse
Posted in Prayer and Fasting Sept 2024
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