The Power of Community: Finding God's Design for Connection

Community is one of the most significant game-changing elements that can alter not just our personal lives but the trajectory of eternity for many people. When we decide to root ourselves in community with a common purpose to do something good, holy, and God-honoring, remarkable things happen.

What Does True Community Look Like?

The word "community" comes from Latin roots meaning "common, public, shared by all." Breaking it down further:

• "Co" means "together with"

• "Munis" relates to performing service or functions together

• "Tas" denotes a state or quality

Therefore, community literally means "a shared state of having things in common" or "a state of giving, living, and serving each other."

Why Is Community Essential for Every Person?

Show me your closest five friends, and I'll show you the kind of person you are. Community is crucial for our well-being. Without it, we simply cannot be at our best. But what many don't realize is that the concept of community was given to us by God and is foundational to who Jesus is.

Where Does the Concept of Community Come From?

In Genesis 1:26-27, we read: "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...'" Notice the plural context: "Let us make man in our image." The Hebrew word used here is "Elohim," which is grammatically plural for "divine ones" yet used for the one supreme God.

This reveals something profound - at the very beginning of creation, we see a plural context within a singular God. This is the theological concept we now call the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in perfect community.

How Did Jesus Demonstrate the Trinity in Action?

In Matthew 3:16-17, when Jesus was baptized, we see all three persons of the Trinity present:

• Jesus (God the Son) was being baptized

• The Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) descended like a dove

• A voice from heaven (God the Father) said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased"

The Greek word for "beloved" here is "agapetos," related to "agape" - God's love. We see a detailed picture that aligns with Genesis, showing God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in perfect community.

Why Should We Model Our Lives After This Divine Community?

If we want to learn from the character of Jesus and how He functions, we can look at the Trinity and see that God exists in community. Since we're made in His image, we too need community - we need people, friends, brothers, sisters, and others to do life with.

Jesus didn't do anything on His own. Though He could have (being God), Scripture shows He didn't say or do anything unless the Father gave Him direction. He relied on the Holy Spirit. This pattern of community is foundational to God and to how we're created.

A Personal Testimony of Community's Power

I owe my life and my return to Jesus to brothers who knew my struggles yet still invited me into community. After a season of trying to do things on my own and falling flat on my face, I found myself in a dark place - like the prodigal son in the pigpen.

When I finally admitted I needed help, godly men stepped in and said, "We see your difficulty. We know where you've come from. We know who God created you to be. Come into this community and let's walk through this together."

These same people, after years of walking alongside me through counseling and hard conversations, eventually told me they believed I was ready to be a lead pastor. That's how Genesis Community Church was born - God gave me a new genesis because of community.

What Happens When We Get Community Right?

When we embrace God's design for community, lives are transformed. People's trajectories change. Eternities are altered. Communities are revitalized.

I've witnessed this firsthand. In a previous church, we started reaching out to homeless individuals in our area. What began with one relationship - a homeless woman named Amy who called me one day saying, "I need to go to church" - eventually catalyzed an entire movement.

Amy got plugged into community, was accepted, got sober, got married, and got a house. God did something phenomenal in her life. This sparked a larger ministry where our church began holding services in tent cities, providing food, clothes, and most importantly, community.

People were getting saved and getting sober. The ministry gained national attention. Years later, people who were once homeless are still at that church, loving Jesus and being discipled. Some are even attending Bible college. All because people decided to step into community as God intended.

Life Application

We cannot do life alone. We need each other. Here's my challenge to you this week:

• Identify where you're trying to go it alone. In what areas of your life have you been resisting community?

• Take one step toward meaningful community.This might mean joining a Bible study, a small group, or simply reaching out to someone you trust.

• Be vulnerable with safe people.Find people you can be honest with about your struggles: "My spouse and I just had a fight," "I've been sober but I slipped up," "I don't know what to do with my child."

• Ask yourself: Who needs me in their community?Just as others have welcomed you, who might God be calling you to welcome?

Remember, if the all-powerful God exists in community as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, how much more do we need each other? Don't overthink the theology - grasp the heart of it. Community isn't optional; it's essential to our design and our destiny.