Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. —Hebrews 10:24–25
When I was in the third grade, my favorite superhero was Superman—the “strange visitor from another planet…” If there was a job that no one else could do, Superman got it done—solo. He didn’t need an army; he didn’t need back-up; he got it done by himself—even if the bad guys had Kryptonite!
Throughout my life, the idea of getting stuff done by myself—doing it solo—has often been the easiest way forward. Especially if it meant “troubling” someone for help. But the truth is that we not only do our best work with others, we hunger for—and thrive in—community.
The first time I experienced this personally, I was going to the University of Washington in Seattle and my girlfriend Erin (now my wife) was going to school in LA. During those long months of separation, I tried focusing on my studies in Seattle, but while we were separated, I couldn’t think of anything but her!
Then after we were married, we joined a group of young adults where we worshiped to mentor the youth in our church. It was a group that planned together, prayed together and hung out together. It was an incredible time. I didn’t understand why we were drawn to and enjoyed these people so much, but here is what I’ve discovered since: I was created for community.
When I say “community,” I don’t mean simply having access to a lot of people. I spent my summers in NYC during my high school years, and it was during those summers that I experienced how it is possible to be lonely—even in a city of 8 million people.
I define community as experiencing a significant life-connection with others.
Most of us have experienced loneliness (in one way or another) in our lives. But did you know that there is clinical data that demonstrates the destructive power of loneliness? Professor John Cacioppo, of the University of Chicago, has spent his life studying social neuroscience, and has demonstrated over and over the effects of loneliness on our bodies and brains. The outcome: loneliness is lethal. It literally ravages our brains and our bodies.
Loneliness is lethal. It literally ravages our brains and our bodies.
In fact, LinkedIn has hosted a number of articles on the destructive effects loneliness is having in the workplace. Not surprisingly some of it is a result of substituting social media for real community. Here is one example.
Why do we thrive in community? Scripture gives us some powerful insights.
God himself lives in community.
In the earliest lines of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, God said,
“Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us…” So God created human beings in his own image (Genesis 1:26, 27).
What is only hinted at here in Genesis, Jesus made clear later: God, who is One, exists in Community. Jesus taught that God exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (e.g. Matthew 28:19). God lives in community: a community of unity, interdependence, love and cooperation. Father, Son and Holy Spirit cooperate to accomplish God’s purposes in our world and our universe.
All of which means this: the reason we hunger for community (significant life-connection with others) is because God lives in community and we were created in His image.
Jesus’s idea of community
Jesus, the real life Superman, demonstrated the power of community by calling 12 men to do life together: his twelve disciples. When you read through the gospels, you discover that he could have done it all—by himself! So why did he call the twelve to be with him (Mark 3:14)? I believe it was because Jesus knows that we are created for community—and we can do far more together than we can apart.
At CenterPoint, we express this kind of connectedness in our weekly gatherings each Sunday, and in our Growth Groups: groups of people who live in community, doing life together.
Our Summer Groups have just started. In these groups, we interact around God’s word, pray for (and with) each other, and serve our greater community as a group. And when we do this, we experience what we were created for: living out God’s purposes in our lives.
Together.
Click on the link above for group details. Hope you can jump into one of our groups and flourish this Summer.
Love you,
Pastor Bill
Bill Herried is a pastor at CenterPoint Church in Tacoma, Washington and is married to the most extraordinary woman on the planet. Together they have 3 adult children and 5 grandchildren. He has been the lead pastor at CenterPoint Christian Fellowship in Tacoma since 2006.
Your Daily Encouragement 