The Power of Community
Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, three baby Rhesus macaque monkeys were tested all in the name of science. Primate researchers removed from their mother at a very early age, almost immediately after they were weaned (think pre-animal rights years). The three sibling monkeys clung to each other pitifully; the pictures of their misery are still in my head. Without each other, the case study supervisor said, they would have died. They were introduced to troop of monkeys, a community similar to the one their mother came from, a few days later. After a few hours of mutual wariness, the troop of monkeys “adopted” the three orphans. They commenced to grooming and soothing them before the day was over and over the next year, the troop “mothered” the three. The researchers made a very controversial conclusion: community is more important to an animal’s survival than strong parenting.
There is power in community; we see it every day in the animal kingdom.
“Our lives and relationships show the world how we practice our humanity. Christ designed the church to be a covenant people since we are made in the image of God, and He is a covenant God. ”
Working together, a single bee colony can produce more than one hundred pounds of honey per year. A single termite colony can change the landscape of a field. To overcome predators many small fishes gather in schools and appear to be one large fish, proving that there is safety in numbers. Wolves travel in packs and elephants in herds, unless a lone male is kicked out leaving him to wander in solitude. So the colony of bees, the school of fish, the pack of wolves and the herd of elephants are known for their community, not their individuals.As a species, human beings have to be trained to function as a group. A group of soldiers are called an ARMY. One of the Drill Sergeant’s first job is to take the recruits in his platoon and pound them until they become one unit. Wars are won by armies, not by single soldiers. A group of athletes is called a TEAM. A football team might have a legendary quarterback, but without a good offensive line, the team will never advance.A group of Christians is called THE CHURCH. We might exist as individuals, but we are known to the outside world by how we live as a group. In John 13:35 Jesus tell his followers: “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” The early church, in Acts is described as “having all things in common” – as in sharing what they owned. They met constantly, “breaking bread from house to house … taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.” (Acts 2:43-47)If we look to the early New Testament church as our example, we stop thinking of “church” as a building we meet in once a week. The CHURCH – is not only the group we belong to, it is who we are. We can see that God’s plan for the church was to increase and become a light in the darkness. To do this, they met frequently, and in many places. They had faith together and their faith multiplied, by the grace of God. He added to their numbers daily those who were being saved.Our lives and relationships show the world how we practice our humanity. Christ designed the church to be a covenant people since we are made in the image of God, and He is a covenant God.We are living in a world where families battle to maintain their community. Time is a precious commodity and stressed schedules produce families who are exhausted during their free time. Couples make appointments with one another just to have time together. Many people think that socializing outside of their family units is an impossible challenge. Those who are unmarried can also feel the same, collapsing into second lives or virtual worlds instead of making true connections. If church is just another meeting or something making demands on their time, most people will pass. It is for the world that we testify of our own spiritual family – one that embraces us with God’s Spirit of acceptance and adoption.We are the BODY of Christ (Romans 12:5). We are the ARMY of God (II Timothy 2:3,4). We are not simply a group of friends; we are family with a purpose. We can’t forget that prayer and fellowship build us up to do what God has asked us to do. Our lives are often so busy we might not even remember the power of our own community.The church is purposed with ministry to the world and to believers: teaching biblical doctrine, providing a place of fellowship for believers, observing the Lord’s Supper, evangelizing and praying. We are designed to multiply ourselves just by living together in His will. We seek to love and be loved by the Father. We aim to encourage one another with truth and grace. We seek to do these things while we live in- and practice- community.I think of how my unbelieving friends see the church: not as individuals, but as a group. “Does your church believe…” “Is your church supporting….” They want to know about us a group, a pod, a colony, a unit.The Church is the chosen vessel to do the will of Christ in all things, what we believe He would do if He were here physically on the earth (I Corinthians 12:12-27.) Being Christ-like and Christ-centered involves living in strong communities. This we do even through periods of depression, exhaustion, harassment and desperation. We meet together to share our victories and defeats. We pray together during good and bad times. A covenant community isn't perfect, but it’s durable and continues through all seasons.We mirror the love of God for the world outside.
Janet Rodriguez is a freelance writer and blogger who lives in Sacramento with Mario, her husband of twenty six years. Together, they ventured out (and recently returned from) an African home in Johannesburg, where they served in full-time ministry. When not writing, Janet splits her time between Grandchildren, family and friends, all of whom she greatly missed while in Africa.Twitter: @brazenprincess