What is the Point of Church Community?

Community

Just as God is shaping and molding us more into the image of Christ as a community: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; so to the Church in this same manner is to facilitate formation into believers today (“Lecture 6,” 2015). God, in the beginning saw that it was not good for man to be alone and created a helper for Adam (Gen. 2:18). Our lecture rightly states: 

Throughout the Bible, God calls forth a community of people: the nation of Israel in the Old Testament (Johnston, 2008, pp. 71-102) and the church in the New Testament (Bock, 2008, pp. 103-118). In the consummation of history, the community of heaven is drawn from "every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9 ESV). Thus, from eternity past to eternity future, God has made community vital to spiritual life. (“Lecture 6, 2015, para. 2)

The need to feel wanted, used, to be of value, and to share a sense of connectedness is built into our very fabric of existence since this is what the Trinity is; a community (Bloomquist, 2014; Pettit, 2008). God, Himself exists in a community and is this connectedness to believers today (“Lecture 6,” 2015). One author defines connectedness this way: 

Being a part of something larger than oneself. It is a sense of belonging, or a sense of accompaniment. It is that feeling in your bones that you are not alone. It is a sense that, no matter how scary things may become, there is a hand for you in the dark. While ambition drives us to achieve, connectedness is my word for the force that urges us to ally, to affiliate, to enter into mutual relationships, to take strength and to grow through cooperative behavior. (Bloomquist, 2014, p. 242)

Exploring this connectedness theologically, one must understand what the Hebrew word qahal means. Berkhof (1938) explains the significance of this:

We should not close our eyes to the patent fact that the name “Church” (Heb. qahal, rendered ekklesiain the Septuagint) is applied to Israel in the Old Testament repeatedly, Josh. 8:35; Ezra 2:65; Joel 2:16. The fact that in our translations of the Bible the Old Testament rendering of the original is “gathering,” “assembly,” or “congregation,” while the New Testament rendering of it is “Church,” may have given rise to misunderstanding on this point; but the fact remains that in the Old Testament as well as in the New the original word denotes a congregation or an assembly of the people of God, and as such serves to designate the essence of the Church. Jesus on the one hand said that He would found the Church in the future, Matt. 16:18, but also recognized it as an already existing institution, Matt. 18:17. Stephen speaks of “the Church in the wilderness,” Acts 7:38. And Paul clearly testifies to the spiritual unity of Israel and the Church in Rom. 11:17–21, and in Eph. 2:11–16. In essence Israel constituted the Church of God in the Old Testament, though its external institution differed vastly from that of the Church in the New Testament. (pp. 571-572)

This form of connectedness can only be found inside a community. The author of Hebrews says, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Heb. 10:24-25). The failure of oneself, brokenness, death, tragedy, sorrow, depression, and sin can only be defeated and nurtured inside the community of God and His Church (Lecture 6, 2015). Throughout the entire salvation plan of God, one can say that from Genesis through Revelation, God is unfolding the way of restoration of “community between God and man” through our Lord; Jesus Christ (Pettit, 2008, p. 75).

It is through God’s Word and a community of believers that one is able to be cultivated with the ethical morality of an individual and experience the ultimate sense of oneness within the Eucharist (1 Cor. 10:16; Lev. 19:2). It is the community that unites believers in so many ways due to the commonality they all hold: faith (Titus 1:4; Philem. 6), salvation (Jude 3), the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13), suffering/persecution (1 Peter 4:13; 2 Cor. 1:7; Heb. 10:33), glory (1 Peter 5:1), and the ability to transcend worldly distinction such as race, class, culture, and gender (Eph. 2:11-22; Gal. 3:27-29; Pettit, 2008).

It is only the villain on one’s selfthat prevents people from participating in the community of God (Pettit, 2008).Satan has used technology to break up the community of believers. Smartphones, video games, television, and social media all play a role in the breakdown of the community of God since it creates believers to isolate themselves (Pettit, 2008). Proverbs 18:1 says, “one who isolates himself seeks his own desires; he rejects all sound judgement.” One must recognize that the community of God provides so much support, accountability, purpose, love, friendship, instruction, the ability to use one’s spiritual gifts, and compassion that a single lone ranger Christian is unable to provide for themselves. To sum it all up, one author rightly says, “God is not just saving individuals and preparing them for heaven; rather, He is creating a people among whom He can live and who in their life together will reproduce God’s life and character” (Fee, 2011, p. 66).

References

Berkhof, L. (1938). Systematic theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co.

Bloomquist, K. L. (2014). The connectedness of ecclesial formation. Currents in theology and mission, 41(4), 240–246. Retrieved from https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0001995137&site=eds-live&scope=site

Bock, D. (2008). "Love and spiritual formation." In P. Petit (Ed.), Foundations of Spiritual Formation. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel.

Johnston, G. (2008). "Love and spiritual formation." In P. Petit (Ed.), Foundations of Spiritual Formation. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel.

Lecture 6. (2015). MIN-320: Christian Character Formation. Phoenix, AZ: Grand Canyon University.

Fee, G. D. (2011). Paul, the Spirit, and the people of God. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Pettit, P. (Ed.). (2008). Foundations of spiritual formation: A community approach to becoming like Christ. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.