There is one truth I’m more convinced of the longer I follow Jesus: we need each other! You need me and I need you. We weren’t created to do life alone. We need godly community surrounding us as we walk through our lives.
Before we dive into this, I want to address something. If you’ve been hurt by your community in the past, let me be the first to say I’m so sorry for the hurt you’ve experienced. I have witnessed firsthand the Lord redeeming and restoring hurt in my own life. After we’ve been hurt, we can get to a place where we’re tempted to isolate and stay away from others so we won’t be hurt again. I want to encourage you to trust again because there is so much you miss without community surrounding you.
There are three reasons in Scripture that show why we need godly community. Our community is there to bring correction, comfort, and celebration.
Godly Community Brings Correction
Correction may not always feel great in the moment, but it’s a necessary part of our lives. There are moments we’ll get things wrong. There are moments we’ll fall short. In those times, we can be met with correction that’s filled with grace.
In the book of Galatians, we see Paul correct Peter after his actions towards Gentile believers shifted because of the Jewish believers he was around. In Galatians 2:11, Paul writes that he “had to oppose [Peter] to his face, for what he did was very wrong (NLT).” Paul and Peter had an established friendship before this confrontation and correction. Paul was close enough to see inconsistencies in Peter’s actions and bring clarity to him for the benefit of Peter himself (and the Church as a whole). This is the purpose of correction in our friendships!
Godly Community Brings Comfort
There is no doubt that we will go through difficulties in our lives. In fact, Jesus tells us that we will have troubles in the world (John 16:33). What is beautiful about the Church is that we’re shown in Galatians 6:2 that we can “bear one another’s burdens and fulfill the law of Christ” (NLT).
How do we bear one another’s burdens? We support each other in the middle of hardships. We let our hearts ache for the heaviness our friends are carrying. We sit alongside them on our couches as they weep, and we pray for God to intervene in their circumstances. There is no higher privilege than to step into the messiest moments the people we love may face. This is exactly what our Savior did for us. Now, we’re able to do that for others!
Godly Community Celebrates
Not only will we see the valleys in each other’s lives, but we’ll also see the mountain tops. In these moments, we can be there to celebrate. When prayers are answered, we can lean into what we’ve read in Romans 12:15 as we “rejoice with those who rejoice” (NLT). There is no greater gift than to step into moments of celebration alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ. We can celebrate their wins in the same way we would celebrate our own.
There is a statement made by Jesus in John 13:35 that brings all this together. “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples” (NLT). Loving one another looks like calling one another higher through correction when needed. Loving one another looks like being there for one another in moments of suffering. It looks like cheering the loudest for one another in moments of triumph and joy. If you’re struggling with godly community, ask the Lord to bring it to you.
A Prayer for Cultivating Community
Heavenly Father, thank You for the charge to Your disciples to love one another earnestly. I desire to see this kind of community and friendship in my life and in my church. Will You bring the heart that You have for community to each of us? Let this first be cultivated in me. Make me someone who will lovingly correct, comfort, and celebrate those in my circle. Help me to model the love that You have for each person around me, God. Amen.
