Communidad

Of all things that God declared “good” when He created the Earth, there is only one that He proclaimed to be “not good:” man’s being alone (Gen. 2:18). From there, God created Eve. Though this passage has many implications for marriage, there are also many implications for community. God created man and woman in His image (Gen. 1:26), and part of the image of Him, is our ability to have relationship with Him and others. So, why is community so important, especially for the Body of Believers? If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend the book Life Together, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He offers many important truths to believers and their lives in community, focusing on Christ as the center of all. Bonhoeffer notes, “Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this. Whether it be a brief, single encounter or the daily fellowship of years, Christian community is only this. We belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ” (21, emphasis mine). In other words, community is based in Christ and through Him. Christ is what all believers have in common, and He is what holds us together. Have you ever thought about the fact that we belong to one another? Scripture is full of “one-another” passages to help us lead and guide each other so that iron may sharpen iron (Prov. 27:17). 

            We need each other for encouragement. We need each other because sin can be a blinding thing in our lives. We need each other because iron cannot be sharpened without another piece of iron. There are many biblical examples of Scriptural “friendships/accountability relationships” that were God-centered. Moses needed Jethro to come alongside him. He also needed Aaron to speak for him. David needed Jonathan. Even Jesus Christ had community. Have you ever thought about that? Jesus—God the Son who took on flesh—did not do ministry in isolation. He had the disciples. He lived in community with them. One of my favorite pictures of Scripture (perhaps because of the example of Jesus’ humanity) is John 17. On the eve of Jesus’ death, there is a picture of Him praying. Though Jesus prayed to His Father alone, he was within a “stone’s throw” of them (Luke 22:41). In His darkest hour, not only was He concerned about the “cup” that would be soon be His, but He was concerned about the disciples. He did not want them succumb to temptation. Wow—that’s community: a true picture of loving God with whole heart, soul, mind, and strength (Matt. 22:37-39) and His neighbor (i.e. the disciples) as Himself. Though Jesus knew that He was about to die, He prayed for His friends. Jesus is the true picture of how we should love others. 

            I love the Spanish language. It expresses many concepts that sometimes English cannot. To perhaps twist the illustration a little, the word in Spanish for community is simply communidad. The last three letters of that word spell the English word dad. That word pictures what community is. Because of Jesus Christ, we can approach our “Dad,” in Heaven. Do you know what the Spanish word for unity is in Spanish? Unidad. Not only did Jesus pray for His disciples during his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemene. He prayed for us. He prayed for unity. As believers, we are unified under our “Dad.” On the night of His death, Jesus was praying for our comm-unity. Jesus told us that the world would know Christians by our love (John 13:35). How are you loving your community right now? Are you praying for them?

 
Kathy King grew up in Oxford, Mississippi. After college, she served as a Journeyman in Madrid, Spain. Currently, Kathy is a student at Southeastern pursing her M. DIV in Christian Ministries and M.A. in Biblical Counseling. She is a counseling intern for the Women’s Life Office and a member of the Summit Church. Eventually, Kathy would like to do Member Care for missionaries on the field. Her hobbies include running, photography, writing, and being outside.