Making Disciples in the Midst of the Crisis - Community

In the first blog in this series, I began to address what I consider to be a vital question, specifically, how can we continue to make disciples for the glory of Christ during the COVID-19 crisis? In that blog, I said to make disciples we must “share and show” which I later modified to “share, grow, and show,” that is, we must share the gospel, grow as disciples of Jesus, and then show others how to grow along with us. It’s really that simple, and with this in mind, I made the point that we will make disciples in this or any season of life as we determine to make disciples by faith in Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Then in the second blog, I addressed the issue of worship and I talked about how we can grow as disciples of Jesus in this vital area and how we can show others how to join us in it. In the same way, I want to talk in this blog about how we can “grow and show” with regard to Christian community. So, let me begin by defining Christian community, and then I’ll say a few things about what it looks like to “grow and show” in this season of life.

What is Christian Community? 

When we talk about Christian community, we’re referring to the Greek word koinonia which in a general sense refers to a commonness of life between people in a certain context, and which in a biblical sense refers to the commonness of life we have in Christ. When we put our faith in Jesus by the grace of God, we become one with God through Jesus and we become one with everyone else who has put their faith in Jesus. Whether we think or it not, whether we feel it or not, whether we like it or not, we share a profound unity together and the Bible calls this koinonia which is fairly well captured by our English word “community.”

Because we share such unity with one another, the NT is filled with what we call “one another” commands like love one another, forgive one another, bear with one another, encourage one another, teach and admonish one another, and so on. And as we look closely at all of these “one another” commands, we see that “love one another” is the primary command and then all the rest of them fill in the details.

This is an important insight because it demonstrates that our unity with one another in Christ is not just a technical or formal or organizational unity, but that we’re one with each other as the family of God in Christ so that love is to be the hallmark of our lives together. 

Since this is so, we simply can’t settle for a “Sunday only” approach to church where we only see one another once per week and then have little or nothing to do with each other the rest of the week. This simply isn't a biblical vision of our lives together, even if it is pretty typical of American church life. 

This is why we’ve organized our church in the way we have. Of course, we have much growing to do and we always will, but Jesus didn’t call the church to develop program after program to educate and entertain people, rather, he called us to do life together in him and through him for the glory of his name and our common joy. He called us to love one another in truth as we walk together in this life.

So, when it comes to making disciples, we need to understand that Jesus issued this command to us as a people and not just as individual persons. In other words, he commanded us as a body of disciples to go into the world and make disciples together, and the way we do that is by first loving one another in practical and increasingly profound ways and then by going on mission together in the world. We'll talk about going on mission together in the next video, but for now, I want to briefly address how we can "grow and show" with regard to community in this season of life. 

Growing in Community in the Midst of the Crisis 
As I said in the last blog, growing in this area begins with determination, for where there’s a will, there’s a way--and since God has declared his will, he will make a way! So, with this in mind, let me give you a few ideas.

1. Take time each day to pray for one another. When we pray for one another, God shared a portion of his heart for others with us so that we learn to love them with his love rather than ours. So, let's not downplay prayer, rather, let's passionately give ourselves to it.

2. Look up all the “one another” texts in the New Testament, meditate on the vision of life together that’s plainly presented there, and then ask God for the grace to grow in love for your brothers and sisters in Christ and to shape your life according to his will. 

3. Reach out someone each day to let them know you're praying and that you care. Make a phone call. Schedule a Zoom meeting or whatever technology you like to use. Send an email or text. Send a hand-written note. Arrange to meet with someone within the current guidelines. Drop something off to bless or help someone. In other words, do something to express your love for others for the glory of God and your common joy.

4. As we think of our broader family in Christ, reach out to leaders and people in the churches you’ve been part of in the past and let them know you’re thinking of them, praying for them, and that you love them.

5. Reach out to our global partners and let them know you love them and that you’re praying for them.

Again, God has a will and he has made a way, so let's discern his will and walk in his way! Who knows, it may well be that this season of life is a golden opportunity to grow in love and practical action, so don’t waste it but rather determine that you’re going to grow in this area of life by the grace of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Showing Community in the Midst of the Crisis 
Now, when it comes to showing others how to engage in Christian community at this time of life, it’s as simple as showing them to do what we’re doing and then asking them for ideas of their own. Just involve them in what you’re doing—it’s really that simple. As I said in the last blog, life with Christ is very simple—it’s not simplistic and it’s not easy, but it is simple—and discipleship is simply about showing others how to walk with him.

Beloved, of course, more could be said, but I trust that this is enough to get the ball rolling and to help you think about how you can grow in this particular way at this particular time. As we determine to grow in our lives as a disciple of Jesus, and as we determine to show someone else how to join us in this, I pray with all my heart that the Lord will make us fruitful for his glory and our common joy.