5-page paper synthesizing the 3-5 ideas from the readings that made the greatest impact on you, and how those ideas apply to yo

Empowerment through Community

When God’s people are in community with the triune God, as He intended, they can accomplish the things He has empowered them to do through His Word. Jesus sent His disciples out into the world to proclaim God’s Kingdom, heal the sick, raise the dead, and drive out demons. Jesus affirms the closeness of community by saying: “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8). Christ not only brings believers into community with the triune God so they can experience wonderful fellowship through prayer and meditation, but also for the purpose of accomplishing His will on earth as it is in heaven. God’s intent is to bring believers together so they can grow. Mike Clarensau observes: “A growing church isn’t a bad thing. In fact, that’s the plan Jesus had when He launched the Great Commission. The book of Acts tells of no spiritual islands, where small gatherings of saints simply existed in spiritual isolation.”⁰

Jesus empowers His followers to accomplish the miraculous. After Peter affirms Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus authoritatively declares: “You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven” (Matt. 16:19, The Message). Furthermore, Jesus encourages the power of prayer in the community by stating, “If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you” (18:19, NLT). As if that is not enough authority, Jesus encourages His disciples by stating that mustard-size faith will move mountains and transplant the sycamore tree into the sea (17:20; Luke 17:6). Jesus continues this line of thinking by astounding His disciples by telling them that they will do even greater things than what He has been doing (John 14:12).

Community in the Life of Christ

Upon beginning His public ministry, Jesus intently focused on creating a community of believers who would not only follow in His footsteps while He lived on earth, but to establish a self-perpetuating community for all eternity. He empowered His disciples both for the present and the future when He will inaugurate a new millennial community. Jesus not only spoke about community, He established community. Leonardo Boff appropriately states:

Jesus did not select the Twelve as founders of future churches, Jesus established the Twelve as a community; as messianic, eschatological church. The apostles are not to be understood first and foremost as individuals, but precisely as the Twelve, as messianic community gathered around Jesus and his Spirit.⁰

Jesus illustrates the importance of community by how He used His time. Howard Snyder brings this into clear focus: “Jesus Christ actually gave more time to preparing a community of disciples than to proclaiming the good news.”⁰ Recognizing the importance of perpetuating the gospel until the end of the ages, Jesus primarily focused attention on His disciples. He took advantage of teaching them heavenly concepts through the use of parables. If they did not understand the parables, He privately explained their meanings to them. Multiple times Christ revealed the plan for His death, burial, and resurrection to His disciples. Julie A. Gorman rightly asserts that “the Gospels show truth and life as seen through the eyes of the community in which He invested His life and energy. Who He was is revealed to them. How He taught and lived is experienced by them.”⁰

Jesus did not minimize the individual characteristics of His disciples, but trained them to work together because He realized the importance of community among the Twelve. Ralph T. Morton recognizes that the most significant part of Jesus’ training was not with the disciples as individuals, but the disciples as a mutual unit.⁰ When the Twelve worked together as a group the whole was greater than the sum of each working individually. Following the death of Jesus this became especially evident as the disciples met together and rehearsed the loneliness they felt—both individually and as a group. After Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples stayed together as a group. Jesus even appeared to the disciples and continued to instruct them (Mark 16:9-18; Luke 24:36-49; John 20:19-29; 1 Cor. 15:5-8). After the departure of Judas, Scripture refers to the “eleven disciples.” One of Jesus’s most well-known commands was spoken to the eleven remaining disciples:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matt. 28:18-20).

After Jesus’ ascension to heaven, the angels address the eleven as “Men of Galilee” (Acts 1:11). The importance of the group was so significant that a few days after the ascension of Jesus, a study of the Old Testament scriptures determined that someone must be appointed to take the place of Judas (Acts 1:21-26). “Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:26).

Scripture affirms the importance of a group’s effectiveness to accomplish the will of God on earth. The Old Testament teaches: “Without guidance, a people will fall, but there is victory with many counselors” (Prov. 11:14, CEB). Solomon bemoans the folly of being alone: “How miserable are those who fall and don’t have a companion to help them up!” (Eccles. 4:10, CEB). Throughout the Bible, one can identify many passages that speak of the importance of working as a community to accomplish God’s work. In the Epistles, one can see the emphasis of community through the “one another” passages:

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  Giving honor to one another (Rom. 12:10);
  
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  Living harmoniously with one another (Rom. 12:16);
  
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  Admonishing one another (Rom. 15:14);
  
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  Waiting for each other (1 Cor. 11:33);
  
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  Demonstrating equal care for one another (1 Cor. 12:25);
  
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  Serving one another (Gal. 5:13);
  
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  Lovingly bearing with each other (Eph. 4:2);
  
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  Being subject to each other (Eph. 5:21);
  
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  Forgiving one another (Col. 3:13);
  
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  Bearing burdens of each other (1 Thess. 5:13);
  
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  Giving comfort to one another (1 Thess. 5:11);
  
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  Building up each other (1 Thess. 5:11);
  
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  Maintaining peace with each other (1 Thess. 5:13);
  
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  Doing good to one another (1 Thess. 5:15);
  
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  Confessing to and praying for each other (James 5:16);
  
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  Exhibiting hospitality to each other (1 Peter 4:9).
  

Value of Community

God never intended for people to take living in community lightly because it is a biblical concept rooted deeply in the imago Dei. “The whole church … finds itself in the three theological images drawn from Scripture: the people of God, the body of Christ, and the temple of the Spirit. All churches view themselves as a community of the people whom God has addressed in Jesus Christ and who respond in faith and love.”⁰ For the Early Church, community was not optional, but rather a command that would make it possible to follow in the footsteps of Christ. Gerhard Lohfink indicates that “such ‘upbuilding’ was equally enjoined in everyday living as in the liturgical setting as each shared a hymn or lesson or revelation so that all might be enriched to grow.”⁰

For people raised in a Western culture, living and working in community presents a formidable challenge and shock. In the United States, in both the secular and Christian organizations, the leader is responsible for all of the activities of a group. Businesses and churches alike look for an outstanding leader to either rescue them from failure or take them to new heights. Charismatic pastors, who usually lead mega churches, have the capacity to lead the church into significant growth. However, when the charismatic leader leaves, the church must acquire another charismatic pastor who can sustain the growth; otherwise, the church might experience a decline in attendance, financial income, and/or prestige. The New Testament never illustrates this pattern. Quite the contrary, as James Thompson aptly states:

Whenever individualism tended to break down the community, Paul seems to have reminded his readers that God had called them into a “fellowship” (1 Cor. 10:16). Where the “strong” within the community wanted to ignore the “weak” Paul reminded them that God had called them into a Christian community (Rom. 14:1-15:13).⁰

If one person sinned, it encumbered the whole church; in other words, the community expressed concern about sin. If the church leader sinned, correction came during a public meeting so the entire community could learn from the individuals’ sin. The Apostle Paul encouraged believers to avoid suing one another and encouraged the use of internal arbitration. In essence, the community should handle all of its own affairs. Gorman declares that “domination by hierarchical tiers of authority, as evident in the world system, found no place in God’s ‘new order.’”⁰

Community life necessitated the trustworthiness and growth among all of its members, not just a few select leaders. If a person received inspiration from the Holy Spirit, they would share it with the community and allow everyone to judge whether it came from God. The community must immediately deal with any threat to its unity. New Testament theology presents this radical concept of community as normative.⁰

One cannot understand the Scriptures and God’s plan of salvation for humankind without the study of community and how it relates to God’s image in humanity. “The church is the community of disciples who are called and sent to do in history what Jesus did in his ministry now that he is physically absent.”⁰ Jesus held a high view of community, so much so that He promised to be present in a unique way when they gathered in His name. Jesus declared, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven” (Matt. 18:19).

Matthew 18:19-20 emphasizes how Christ relates to His people through community. Although Christ interacts with individuals, hears the prayers of individual people, and sends His angels to watch over people, His divine plan is to work through individuals who work together as a community.

The authentic religious heritage of Judaism and Christianity is primarily a communal and not an individualist one. It shows how we are to be together in the world, not just how to be good individuals. It reminds us that ‘who is my neighbor?’ is our most fundamental kind of question. It is the way we have learned from Christ.⁰

Therefore, believers must consciously develop the biblical concept of community.

While community is God’s plan for His people, it does not happen automatically. Searching to be part of a God-given community is worth the effort, but simply attending a church does not suddenly bring a person into a community. Depending on the size of the church, a person may need to seek intentional avenues that lead to inclusion in the community. A major part of this project is helping churches develop community for everyone who walks through the door. A church must purposefully develop a community plan for those who already attend the local assembly, but also develop a plan to include newcomers. Mihailo Temali, in his book The Community Economic Development Handbook, talks about strategies and tools to revitalize one’s neighborhood. Although he is addressing a secular audience, churches could utilize many of his ideas. The following list illustrates some of the ideas Temali proposes for building community that one could use in the church:

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  Keep the focus on making a difference to regular people who attend your church.
  
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  Keep your church open and inclusive, and remember to have fun.
  
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  Keep momentum by spreading the word about your results.
  
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  Get past conflicts as quickly as possible.
  
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  Do the basic management of your church well, so you don’t get bogged down in it.
  
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  Make things happen so that many people can take credit for and take pride in their church.
  
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  Focus on projects that bring people together.⁰
  

Church leaders should not be afraid to use scripturally based business strategies to reach their generation for Christ. Jesus confirms this principle in the parable of the unjust steward. Before a terminated employee actually left his job, he negotiated with his employer’s customers to reduce their debt. The employee hoped that this would secure good treatment for him by these people after his termination. To his surprise, his employer commends him for this shrewdness. Jesus then summarizes the event by these words:

Now here’s the surprise: The master praised the crooked manger! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior (Luke 16:8-9, The Message).

While scholars and Christians alike struggle with this message, Jesus taught His followers the importance of using all means to reach this generation for Him. T. C. Butler puts this into perspective for people in the twenty-first century:

Jesus put the parable in context. In this world the children of light—those who have become lamps letting God’s light shine through them often are much more foolish in their dealings with other people than are the secular people who have no concern for God. God’s people should be as dedicated to living out kingdom living with other people in this world as the people of this world are in living out their own values to their own advantage in this world. The world’s citizens, however, are only of this age. They have no future beyond the here and now. Children of light will shine through all the ages of eternity. Live now so you are assured of eternity.⁰

The Apostle Paul reinforces this concept when he declares, “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). Clearly, the church must use every means possible to reach the people for whom Christ died. Peter Metz identifies the importance of marketing the services of the church to unsaved people in the local community:

Today, churches are discovering that it isn’t enough to offer energizing, uplifting worship services and dynamic ministry programs that sustain and support those looking to grow in their faith. Churches are learning that they also must be successful marketers if they hope to attract those in their community who aren’t connected with a church but would benefit from what a church can bring to their lives.⁰

Some Christian leaders believe they should not use modern technology, but rather rely on a particular type of church service to minister to the people who come their way. Romans 10:14 declares, “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” This statement behooves believers to discern the various methods God would have His people use to spread the gospel message with the lost and dying people who have never heard about Jesus. It may include translating the Scriptures into all languages for distribution on the printed page or in electronic media. Churches might avail themselves of signs, attractive buildings, websites, Facebook, YouTube, and phone answering services while other churches might use servant evangelism as an effective tool.⁰ The goal is to identify the most effective ways of reaching people in one’s community who do not attend church and have not found faith in Christ.

As the church seeks to reach the unchurched with the gospel of Jesus Christ, God will help them reach their goals. God will equip church leaders with creative ideas that will help them successfully reach and disciple people within their reach. Karl Vaters encourages leaders to pursue their goals: “Each church has its own mission and shouldn’t try to duplicate the mission of another church.”⁰ Churches that vigorously pursue available tools for evangelism will quickly learn that the Eternal One himself will provide the necessary assistance along the way.

The earliest Christians understood that by following the teachings of Jesus they formed a new type of all-encompassing community. S. Scott Bartchy provides a good description of the community life experienced in the Early Church:

The community they formed was redefined as a radically inclusive group in which all human beings were now called to honor this God primarily by obeying God’s will regarding how they treated each other. And in the Acts of the Apostles the nature and purpose of God’s ekklesia (‘assembly’ or ‘church’) is displayed both by such a radical inclusivity and by the giving of honor and aid to all followers of Jesus.⁰

In the twenty-first century, the church must understand the critical nature of the theology of community because it counters the rugged individualism of the American people. Once understood, the local church will make significant strides in reaching their region for Christ. This will require the studious pursuit of true biblical methods to reach the current generation. The Twelve disciples understood this when prioritizing their daily schedule by declaring, “We will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). Paul reaffirmed the importance of study when he instructed Timothy, “Make an effort to present yourself to God as a tried-and-true worker, who doesn’t need to be ashamed but is one who interprets the message of truth correctly” (2 Tim. 2:15, CEB).

People genuinely represent the generation and location in which they were reared. Generally speaking, Americans tend to think that the individual reigns supreme. This rugged individualism comes as a result of the influence of family upbringing, sermons, society, theology, personal studies, and a myriad of other forces. For most Americans, community, as taught in the Scriptures, may present a new paradigm. Proper understanding and implementation within the local church will result in a church that grows in a fashion similar to the growth of the New Testament church.

The New Testament does not illustrate a perfect church, like the church in Corinth that needed significant help in the maturation process. Interestingly, Paul usually addressed his epistles to a particular church. Although he periodically recognizes individuals, his instructions focus primarily on the church as a community. First Corinthians 1:10 states, “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” Prior to this strong admonition, Paul compliments the Corinthian church in a variety of ways (1 Cor. 1: 4-9), but verse nine provides the key to understanding community: “God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship (koinonia) with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” In order for God’s people to be in fellowship with Christ, they must also be in fellowship with each other.

Most studies of the word koinonia (fellowship) recognize it as having two aspects—divine and human—but that these two aspects represent two sides of the same coin. Communion with Christ entails fellowship with other believers and true community with other believers is not possible without communion with Christ.⁰ Paul then tells the church at Corinth that God has provided for them to be blameless when Christ returns by participating in community with the other believers in the Corinthian church. Christ creates this maturation process by insisting that each person put aside his or her own individualistic rights for the sake of harmony with each other and communion with Christ. God was bringing the Corinthian church into spiritual maturity through the development of unity of mind and purpose. Christ longed for the Corinthian church to grow, both spiritually and numerically. As the believers submitted to the lordship of Christ, they would experience a new day of growth and prosperity.

Communities are not static and, even biblically based communities, can move away from their original moorings. Amos Yong insightfully states that “false ideologies can capture the hearts and minds of the communities, even communities of faith. Community needs to be transformed by the Spirit and checked by the Word.”⁰ The New Testament reveals that a number of church communities faced great spiritual danger. Paul begins the third chapter of Galatians by saying, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?” (Gal. 3:10). Paul realized that the believers, having begun in the Spirit, were in danger of going back to the Mosaic Law and trying to observe its commandments.

John, in his letter to the church at Ephesus, rebukes the believers for forsaking their first love. He chastises the believers saying, “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (Rev. 2:5). Jesus warns the community of believers at Pergamum who tolerated false teachers in their community saying: “Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth” (Rev. 2:16). Jesus also warns the church at Thyatira who tolerated Jezebel, a self-proclaimed prophet whose teaching led the believers into sexual immorality. Jesus pronounced judgment on Jezebel: “I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely unless they repent of her ways” (Rev. 2:22). Jesus makes a profound statement when He tells all communities of believers the outcome of rejecting God’s Word: “I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds” (Rev. 2:23). Communities of God’s people are also held accountable if they deviate from God’s plan.

God’s eternal laws of sowing and reaping also apply to the community of His people. The community of believers at Sardis was found to be in the hands of God. The church at Sardis had a reputation of being a strategic church, but it had fallen into a place of spiritual chaos. Christ asked this church to wake up, honestly assess their spiritual condition, and finish the work He had asked them to do (Rev. 3:2).

The church in Laodicea succumbed to compromise because the believers faced difficulty in rejecting the temptations and allurements of the world. Christ rebuked them for being lukewarm. Their pride blinded their eyes and they did not even realize how far they had drifted from God’s plan for their community. Jesus tells them, “You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Rev. 3:17). Some modern-day churches display a similar attitude. Gary McIntosh sees a similarity between the seven churches in Revelation and the North American church today: “Roughly three-fourths of established churches in North America are either declining or on a long-term plateau. Such churches are ineffective at making disciples—at least new disciples—and function with a lack of fruitfulness and hope.”⁰

The unity of a community can be destroyed—not easily, but it is possible. Leonardo Boff illustrates how this can happen within a community of faith:

When the church forgets the source that gives it birth—the communion of the three divine Persons—it allows its unity to become uniformity; it lets one group of believers by itself assume all responsibilities, keeping others from participating; it allows its confessional interests to prevail over the interests of the reign; in short, the river of birth waters is in danger of becoming a stagnant pond. We must be converted to the Trinity to recover diversity and communion, which create the dynamic unity that is ever open to new enrichment.⁰

A community of faith must vigilantly assess its progress so as not to drift from doing God’s commands. Yong appropriately states that “theological interpretation is a communal enterprise to discern the Spirit, to understand the Word, and to be transformed by the Spirit and the Word.”⁰ The community of God must always stand on the Bible as its final authority.

A community that serves God does not appear overnight, but rather develops when God’s people understand that by working together they can more effectively accomplish His will than they can alone. Vaters make an interesting observation: “When Jesus said ‘I will build my church’ maybe what Jesus had in mind was a world littered with churches of all sizes, shapes and styles to meet needs of all size, shapes and styles.”⁰ As people created in the image of God, believers participate in a community inspired and directed by God himself. Boff, discussing the development of community, declares, “If we take as our starting point that the Blessed Trinity is the perfect community and that the communion of the divine Three makes them one God, then we will see another type of church emerge. It is fundamentally community.”⁰ In essence, living in community with other believers reflects the community demonstrated within the Godhead.

The community of believers established by God, often referred to as the church or bride of Christ, will last forever. Community, as established by God when He created humankind in His own image, will endure for both time and eternity. Jesus discussed the end of time and predicted, “The time is coming—and is here—when the dead will hear the voice of God’s son and those who hear it will live” (John 5:25, CEB). Bilezikian, addressing the individualistic notion of believers, points out that salvation’s culmination comes as a community:

Unfortunately, many Christians think of their salvation after death as a solo flight to heaven, where they will make individual entrances at the pearly gates. The Bible teaches precisely the opposite—that is the passage of believers into eternity will take the form of one mass migration from this world into the next.⁰

In keeping with God’s command, humanity has multiplied and filled the earth. Currently more than 7 billion people live on the earth today. Of the billions of people who have lived throughout all the ages, Matthew 7:13-14 declares that only a “few” people will find the narrow path that leads to eternal life. Nevertheless, Revelation 7:9-10 creates a mental image of a great multitude of believers comprising the community in heaven: “After this I looked, and there was a great crowd that no one could number. They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language” (Rev. 7:9a).

Christ will gather the community of believers to himself at the Second Coming as promised in Acts 1:11 when the angels told the disciples: “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” The Thessalonian believers feared that they had missed the Second Coming, but the Apostle Paul assures them by describing the events surrounding Christ’s return. First, he assures them that the “dead in Christ will rise first;” then “those who are alive and left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:17a). He concludes with the promise: “And so we will be with the Lord forever”

(v. 17b). The community God envisioned from the very beginning will truly last forever.

The celebration in heaven will commence with what Revelation 19 calls the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. Jesus, the groom, will be joined by the community of believers, the bride of Christ for this glorious occasion. “His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear [Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints]” (Rev. 19:7-8). After God destroys the old heaven and earth by fire, Revelation 21:2 describes the “Holy City, the new Jerusalem, [as] coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” In verse 3, God promises to dwell with His bride forever.

Bilezikian describes three lessons, based on Revelation 21:1-22:5, as it relates to the church as community.⁰ First, the passage describes the lavish beauty of the New Jerusalem, which serves as an eternal showcase of the grace of God for His people. The church, God’s bride and community, are recognized as the centerpiece of history. God’s great investment of himself in the person of His Son paid royal dividends; Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary culminates in this glorious celebration of God’s community in eternity. Second, God’s dream of a community of oneness like that found in the Triune God becomes a reality. God has obliterated all the evil that entered the world in the Garden of Eden. Behold, all things become new, with one exception—the church, God’s community, the bride of Christ. Third, God forms a new community that lives forever in harmony with God. As people respond to God’s gracious gift of salvation, they fulfill the Lord’s Prayer by accomplishing God’s will on earth as it is in heaven.