Community

«The household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.» (see 1Tim.3:15)

Main notions by which Bible describes group of people who are in unity with God are God's people, community. I.e. God's word says not about separate individuals who are loyal to God and aren't connected with each other, but about community of God's chosen people. In his first letter, John set up whole Jesus' mission into two points: Jesus came to destroy works of the devil and to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad (see 1 John.3:8; John 11:52)

What's more, at the moment when we received Jesus as our Lord, we became members of a big God's family.

We are called not only to believe, but also to be privy to each other. Even in ideal, sinless world in Garden of Eden God said: "It's not good for man to be alone..." (Genesis 2:18). We have been created for communication, for human surrounding, in order to be in family, and none of us is able to fulfill God's plan by himself. Bible doesn't say about holy hermits or spiritual loners, cut off from other believers and left without communication. It says that we "are one body, joined together structure, parts of one body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, growing with a growth that is from God." (1 Cоr.12:12; Eph.2:21; Eph.2:22; Eph.4:16; Col.2:19; 1Thes.4:17).

Now none of us lives alone by himself.

Even though our relations with God are very intimate, God never said that they are only our personal matter. In God's family we are connected with all other believers and belong to each other forever. Bible says: "We, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." (Romans 12:5).

Following Christ is not just faith, but belonging and being involved as well.

To become ‘member' of church for Paul meant to become alive body organ of vital importance, irreplaceable part of Body of Christ, closely connected with other It's parts (Romans 12:4-5, 1Cor.6:15, 1Cor.12:12-27). We need to open up for ourselves and put into practice in a new way biblical meaning of word ‘membership'. Church is a body - not building, an organism - not an organization.

None of organs separated from the body can fulfill its function. The same may be said about you. You have been created in order to play certain role in the Body of Christ, but you will not be able to accomplish this mission of your life unless you join one of many living local communities inside Holy Catholic Church.

In this section we will consider not only functioning of community as it is, but also problems of its activity and development, as well as ways of their solution.

more at Life in community