Community in the Bible: Biblical Importance of Community
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Having a community of believers is essential to simply getting through the day-to-day in today’s world. Between the news, the kids, the spouse and the job, our souls are being pulled in a million different directions all at the same time. When we look at community in the Bible, we see the early church living in ways that no longer exist. The experienced the breaking of bread with one another. The developed a biblical community with sincere hearts truly caring for one another. Further, they engaged in unity of spirit which is the entire idea of community.
So why don’t we embrace community? Why do we isolate ourselves rather than follow the apostles’ teaching? Community is designed for three things: Love God, Love people, and love each other.
Fellowship of Believers
Humans were create to be social beings. From corporate worship to small groups to the weekly potluck dinner, we are most joyful when we are in community. The Christian life can be synonymous with boring and safe, filled with good deeds, good news and good things. If this is something that you believe about the Christian life, I am deeply sorry to bust your bubble. What I mean is that the Christian life, when saturated in community, is messy, raw and dangerous.
When the Holy Spirit calls us into community, he is calling us to bring all of ourselves. Every aspect of who we are. The good. The bad. The ugly. The blood of Jesus covered everything we’ve ever done and everything we ever will do. However, oftentimes this doesn’t seem like enough to be real with our communities. The spiritual journey of the Christian calls us to lay down our own life for our friends. This means laying down our own selfish ambition and evil desires to build up a Christian community filled with generous hearts and mutual love encouraging one another as God’s people.
Community in the Bible: Importance of Community
1. Hebrews 10:24-25
“And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.”
2. Matthew 18:20
“For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.”
3. 1 Corinthians 12:25-26
“So that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have mutual concern for one another. If one member suffers, everyone suffers with it. If a member is honored, all rejoice with it.”
4. Ephesians 4:2-3
“With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
5. Colossians 3:16
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God.”
Community in the Bible: Value of Community
1. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
“Two people are better than one because they can reap more benefit from their labor. For if they fall, one will help his companion up, but pity the person who falls down and has no one to help him up.”
2. Romans 12:4-5
“For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function, so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another.”
3. Galatians 6:2
“Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
4. Proverbs 27:17
“As iron sharpens iron, so a person sharpens his friend.”
5. Philippians 2:1-2
“Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy, complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose.”
Community in the Bible: Best Examples of Community
1. Acts 2:44-47
“All who believed were together and held everything in common, and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved.”
2. Acts 4:32-35
“The group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but everything was held in common. With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all. For there was no one needy among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds from the sales and placing them at the apostles’ feet. The proceeds were distributed to each, as anyone had need.”
3. Romans 15:5-6
“Now may the God of endurance and comfort give you unity with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
4. Ephesians 2:19-22
“So then you are no longer foreigners and non-citizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, because you have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
5. **1 Thessalonians 5:14-15**
“And we urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the undisciplined, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient toward all. See that no one pays back evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.”
Community in the Bible: Practical Needs of Community
1. James 2:15-16
“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,’ but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is it?”
2. 1 John 3:17-18
“But whoever has the world’s possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth.”
3. Galatians 6:10
“So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith.”
4. Romans 12:13
“Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality.”
5. Matthew 25:35-36
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”
Putting Into Practice
I could rattle off a list of 25 ways to build a community as written about in the Bible. I don’t believe that community is something that can be built quickly, easily or superficially. God’s word is very clear that building community is of vital importance. I’ve learned that anything good and worthy is usually pretty hard and takes twice as long we think. Now, don’t get me wrong. Sometimes we just click with a person or two, and it leads to a lifelong friendship. I’ve experienced that before.
However, what I mean by community is a group of people that fight for each other. Pray for each other. Care for each other’s kids. Give money to one another when a need arises. Take a spontaneous trip with another family for no good reason. Community comes down to personal preference. You either desire it or you don’t. What I can tell you from experience is that those who ultimately elect not to embrace community struggle to find true joy, satisfaction in life and a deeper form of God’s love.
So what’s holding you back from diving into deep community as revealed in the Bible? Let me guess. It’s one of the following reasons.
8 Reasons for Disengaging with Community
Past Hurt: Past negative experiences with church communities, such as conflicts, hypocrisy, or mistreatment, can make people hesitant to engage again.
Busy Schedules: Demanding work, family responsibilities, and other commitments can make it difficult to find time to participate in community activities.
Disagreement with Beliefs: Differences in theological views or interpretations of scripture can lead to discomfort or reluctance to join a particular community.
Lack of Connection: Feeling that the community’s activities, teachings, or discussions are not relevant to their personal life or spiritual journey.
Perceived Judgment: Concerns about being judged for their lifestyle, past actions, or current struggles can deter people from engaging with a community.
Fear of Vulnerability: Reluctance to open up about personal issues or to be vulnerable in front of others.
Individualism: A belief in being self-sufficient and not needing others for spiritual growth or support can lead to disengagement.
Misunderstanding the Purpose: Not understanding the value or purpose of being part of a biblical community might lead to a lack of interest.
Would it shock you to know that I have experienced every single one of these before? If I’m being fully transparent, I’m actually dealing with a couple of these as I write this post. I’m not sure if I will ever fully come to a place where none of these exist in my soul. However, I have to choose to lean into community. So do you. You don’t have a choice. Choose to embrace the family of God.
About the Author
John Claborn
Hi! I’m John. Author of the post you just read. I like to write about all things adventure. Mostly things to help people live more adventurous lives and care for their families in a more meaningful way. By day, I’m a COO. By night, I’m a rad dad of 4 kids that I don’t deserve and a husband to a woman I can’t understand how I got. My goal is to show freedom to people through adventure and experiences.
