Hey everybody! I hope you are all doing well and that the
Lord is revealing new and personal things about Himself to you daily. Here
lately, the Lord has really been challenging me in the area of community. As
many of you know, I just moved to Northwest Arkansas to work at camp, but with
that transition, I left all of my community at home. My closest friendships, my
church, my relationships with the lost- everything was left there. I am now
faced with the very scary reality of creating new community within the new
context of my life.
Why say all of this? I think it is vital in the life of
somebody who is in Christ to build good community in their lives. It is also
healthy to understand the balance that needs to happen between our greatest
encouragers in Christ and those who are walking in a direction that is
completely opposite of that which Christ called us to live. In Hebrews 10:24-25
and Acts 2:42-47, we are given examples of what it looks like to be in
community with one another as believers. We are also shown throughout the
Scriptures that Jesus spent a lot of time with sinners. A specific example is
given in Mark 2:13-17. Jesus called sinners to follow Him, and they did. Not
because of anything special that He did, other than living a life that backed up
what He claimed.
I think for a lot of people, we hang out with one of these
groups only, if we can help it. We spend our time only with believers, or only
those not pursuing Christ. This isn’t healthy in the life of somebody who is in
Christ. If we spend time with only believers, we shut out all opportunity to
love the lost, which is what Christ has called us to do. If we spend time with
only the lost, we aren’t getting the encouragement in Christ that we so
desperately need. Our lives tend to mirror the lives of those whom we spend
most of our time. It’s important to note also that Jesus spent time with
sinners, but never while they were sinning.
So to sum everything up I’ve got a few quick questions for
you to think about…
1 1) Are you sick or are you healthy?
2 2) Where is your heart for reaching people?
3 3) Have you responded to Jesus’s calling?
4) Who in my do I have pouring truth into my life?
Who am I currently a positive influence on who needs Christ?
5 5) In what relationships am I not making Christ the
focus? What steps need to be taken for this to happen?
Seek community. Seek the lost. Pursue Christ. And remember
this awesome truth and encouragement…
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted
as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne
of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
–Hebrews 4:15-16
Amanda
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