As I was preparing to begin the session for a Christian women’s group, I sensed subtle exclusivity upon observing that after initially welcoming a newcomer, the women at the table turned from the visitor, excluding her from conversations as they caught up with each other. She did not feel welcome in this tightly-knit community. I prayed God would guide me in encouraging the group to be more inclusive.
Several weeks later, God gave me a broadened perspective of community during a Christian writers’ conference I attended with a friend at Bethel Church in Redding, California. Before each morning session, we strolled over to the beautiful chapel on the campus, rested in God’s presence, and received what He intended for us that day. My friend was relaxing on the floor; I was sitting in a chair. As I gazed through the glass walls at the beautiful scenery, I was stunned by the sound of the water feature in the prayer chapel and the worship music surrounding me. I laid my head back on the chair, closed my eyes, and felt God’s presence in the room. Almost immediately, I envisioned a picture. But unlike any I’d seen before, this one came with sound. First, I saw my friend lying on a plush blanket of grass surrounded by a grove of trees. Then, I spotted a small bird flying toward the trees in the distance. It perched on the branch of a nearby tree and began to warble and chirp, making all those musical bird sounds. Someone must have tasked that bird to sound a Clarion call– a trumpet blast invitation to all the other birds. Because, in the distance, I saw birds flying in from every direction. Each time a flock of birds landed in the tree, they joined the chorus conducted by the little bird. A melodious sound broke forth when all the flocks had settled in the branches. You could not tell where one bird’s chirp began, or the other’s warble ended; It was just one continuous, smooth, beautiful sound I’d never heard before. I asked, “God, what is that sound?” He responded, “That is the sound of community.”
Shortly after that, as my friend and I entered the conference area, we noticed artwork on the walls and tables. The moderator announced that Christian artists from the Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry had displayed their art for us to enjoy before the meeting. I navigated to the back of the room. The initial painting that caught my attention included five birds sitting on a wire. In the near distance was a flock of birds approaching them. When I viewed the title of the painting, it revealed just one word: Community! I thanked God for affirming what I had seen earlier and said, “Wow, God, I sense you are serious about community!”
Several months later, as I prepared to present at a women’s event emphasizing the importance of the Christian community relative to church growth, I began with a Google search for the definition of Christian Community—several sites defined the Christian Community as an incubator for discipleship. So, I dwelt on what that meant. God did not intend that we live in solitude. Genesis 2:18 is the first place in the Bible that mentions community; The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for Him.” (TPT) Most lonely people, both Christians and unbelievers, crave community. God asks Christians to seek out the lonely, love them, and invite them into our community. Instead, we often activate our “safe” filter to assess whether a prospective community member meets our standards. Even for lonely Christians seeking community, we might surmise something is awry if they’re not in community. Perhaps they were asked to leave their past fellowship and are troublemakers! For the unbeliever, we ponder whether they’re alone because they don’t even like Christians. Or they prefer being alone, period. Some of this reasoning might be valid, but many times not. Instead, our aura of exclusivity has signaled that they are unwelcome outsiders; being alone is not their choice.
When we feel secure in our community cells, fear often grips us as we perceive that adding potentially unsafe people could threaten our agenda. We are reminded by Paul in Romans 15:1 (NIV) that it is not about us. We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. But encouragingly, God is pleased through our sacrifices of time, resources, and comfort in aligning with the weak;Hebrews 13:16 (NIV, And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices, God is pleased. Unduly assessing whether others will fit within our protected boundaries rather than welcoming them with open arms will likely stifle growth. Stepping outside of our issues–swallowing that lump of pride and connecting with the person sitting next to us who seems lost, confused, or plain weird–will invite God to expand our boundaries.
As for Christians who have abandoned community, without community accountability and the Body, it is hard, if not impossible, for them to survive. Lone Christians are easy prey for Satan, and no doubt that isolation is what he’s after. However, God is unwilling to have His children feel abandoned because the Christian community IS God’s plan. Acts 2:46-47 (KJV), Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Romans 12:16 (NIV) conveys the posture required for Christians to produce the sound of community—the Clarion call welcoming others to join the chorus: Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
By inviting and welcoming others into our Christian community, we’ll all become a choir—not only our voices but our very lives singing in harmony, producing a pleasing anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus, the sound of community echoing throughout heaven and earth! “Welcome to OUR community!”
Joyce Olsen Author. Majored in Child Psychology and Elementary Education at Biola University and Fresno State University in California. However, her natural bent seemed to better match business and administration. In those fields, she worked in corporate administration, church administration, and also as an Information Security Analyst in the medical field. The focus of her writing is to inspire and provoke thought.
Photo by Egor Komarov on Pexels.com
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