How to Foster Biblical Community

The following notes are meant to be supplementary sermon content to go along with the Why: Community sermon above.

Find a Few   

Invest in a handful of people. Intentionally participate in the lives of others using your giftings and resources to positively impact them and their needs. Be willing to love and support others as you would appreciate being loved and supported. 

Consider those around Jesus. He had one person very close to him (the disciple whom Jesus loved), a small group of three (Peter, James, and John), and a larger group/community (the disciples).   

Meet Regularly   

Community is not achieved by attending a service at church for an hour each week and casually talking with those sitting around you. It takes consistent effort. Commit to participating in regular gatherings with others. Whether it is a small group, Bible study, or something more organic/casual, make it a priority on your calendar. Biblical, Christ-like community is not passively received, it must be actively achieved. Oftentimes, it is in the doing that you receive what you need. 

Be Genuine 

The difference between community and biblical community / friends and fellowship is honesty.  

Path to Honesty 

• Access: Be present, do life, and commit your calendar to the community you invest in. Allow the people around you to be a priority.
• Accountability: Be transparent. Be willing to truly share your life (ups and downs, pristine corners, and hot messes). Do not settle for a community façade; be willing to be ugly honest and grow deep roots. Do not settle for less than God’s best for you.
• Confession: Confess your sin to at least one other trusted person. In confession, the breakthrough to community takes place. Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive the power of sin. Sin wants to remain unknown. It shuns the light. In the darkness of the unexpressed, it poisons the whole being of a person.  

Find your community, commit to fully engage, and reflect the love of God to the watching world.