More... Together is Better

And 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.

Hebrews 10:24-25

I am naturally an extrovert.  I thrive when I am with people.  Other than my youngest son, the rest of my family operate as introverts.  I call them social introverts because they recognize that they need human interactions and even crave them, just not with the same intensity that I do.  John Donne, a philosopher and poet of 17th century England wrote a poem of which you may have heard.  It's first phrase and the name by which it's called is "No Man is an Island."  As was common with metaphysical poets, John Donne wrote to  shake one out of complacency, embracing thoughts or phrases meant to disarm and provoke.  We find this feature in this poem as well.  He concludes his now famous poem with these words:

Any man's death diminishes me,

Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; 
It tolls for thee.

The thoughts that Donne portrays here leave us thinking that we're all connected somehow.  And it's quite true.  In fact, I would like to suggest that we can't experience the fullness of who God is without each other.  Perhaps that's why the apostle Paul compares the church to a body.

We see the metaphor of the church as a body used in several of Paul's letters to the churches, enough times to warrant some attention!  Let's start with Paul's admonition to the Corinthian church:

 For just as the body is one and has many members, 

and all the members of the body, though many, are  

one body, so it is with Christ.  1 Corinthians 12:12

In this passage Paul tells us that Christ's body has many parts.  In his letters to churches in  Colossae and Rome, Paul indicates that the church is Christ's body:

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the 

beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in 

everything he might be preeminent.  Colossians 1:18

In the human body there are many parts and organs, 

each with a unique function. And so it is in the body 

of Christ. For though we are many, we’ve all been 

mingled into one body in Christ. This means that we

 are all vitally joined to one another, with each

contributing to the others.  Romans 12:4-5 (TPT)

And in Ephesians we get an idea what this looks like.

And he has appointed some with grace to be apostles, 

and some with grace to be prophets, and some with 

grace to be evangelists, and some with grace to 

be pastors, and some with grace to be teachers.  

And their calling is to nurture and prepare all the 

holy believers to do their own works of ministry, 

and as they do this they will enlarge and 

build up the body of Christ. 

Ephesians 4:11-12 (TPT)

We are not meant to grow in faith by ourselves.  Even as God within Himself is a community, He created us together to bear his image.  I touch on this idea in a blog post from November entitled "The Growing Grace of Spiritual Relationship."  The Bible actually has much to say regarding being together in community, growing together in grace, wisdom and fellowship.

The psalmists refer numerous times to worship in a community setting:

Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

    and let us exalt his name together!  Psalm 34:3

Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
    so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord:

that he looked down from his holy height;
    from heaven the Lord looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners,
    to set free those who were doomed to die,
 that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord,
    and in Jerusalem his praise, when peoples gather together,
    and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.  Psalm 102:18-22

I was glad when they said to me,
    “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
 Our feet have been standing
    within your gates, O Jerusalem!"  Psalm 122:1-2

There are other instances as well.  Worship is definitely something God desires us to do in community.  The author of Hebrews advocates this rather boldly, declaring:

 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the

 hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to 

keep his promise.  Let us think of ways to motivate 

one another to acts of love and good works. And let us 

not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, 

but encourage one another, especially now that the day

 of his return is drawing near.  Hebrew 10:23-25  NLT

This passage also tells us why community is so important. When we are united with one heart toward Christ we hold tightly to hope better.  We motivate one another.  We encourage one another.  We spur each other to become more like Christ.  Solomon tells us "As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." (Proverbs 27:17 NLT)  Even my introverted husband recognizes that he does life better when he has someone to whom he can be accountable.

I think there's also evidence that community isn't just for this life as well.  Let's take a peek at Hebrews again and we'll see that there's a crowd of people in heaven cheering us on.  I like the description Eugene Peterson uses with the Message paraphrase of Hebrews 12;1-3:

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who 

blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means 

we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never 

quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your 

eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this 

race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never 

lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating 

finish in and with God—he could put up with anything 

along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s 

there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When 

you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that 

story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility 

he plowed through. That will shoot 

adrenaline into your souls!  

The pioneers, of course, are those faith infused souls that appear in the "Hall of Faith" in chapter 11.  Here's the thing, if you look at the lives of those appearing in the rolls of the faithful and you check out their stories, almost all of their stories contain a community in which they operate.  It's not a fluke!  Our great and wonderful Creator has  knit His relational character into our souls.  And we are unable to display that image of God alone.  We together with those faithful believers who have gone before us more vividly exhibit God's true image than we can ever do alone.

Quite a number of years ago now, Alan and I were at a Bible study together.  We had gotten to the end of the study and were sharing prayer requests.  After a particularly difficult request had been brought to our attention Alan thoughtfully mused, "Wouldn't it be great if we could get a physical hug from Jesus?"  Without missing a beat, Laurie, our pastor's wife replied, "We can!"  The church, you see, is the body of Christ so when we reach out to touch our neighbors we are manifesting Jesus in our actions.  We give the physical hug of Jesus!  In the story of the sheep and the goats, Jesus tells us He is present in the lives of people. (Matthew 25:31-40)  Therefore, our human touch not only represents Jesus but gives to Jesus as well.  

Don't ask me exactly how this all fits.  I'm not sure.  I think some things need to remain a mystery.  But this thing I do know.  God's intention for our spiritual journey is that we do it in community.  To experience more of God we need to share our experience with those around us.  We need to learn from each other.  We need to pray for each other.  We need to be in each other's lives.  It might get messy, but it's so worth it!  In God's economy more of Him means together is better!