Read Acts 2:46; 5:42.
Nothing builds community like spending time together. Whether it be a family vacation or a weekend retreat, time is one of the most important aspects of building a strong community. For the early church, today’s passages say they met daily. For the most part people lived in small villages or towns. Meeting with others was a walk away. It was also cultural. People had time to “hang out”. Not so for many people today. Meeting with others means scheduling far in advance and driving long distances. Add to that the desire to meet with so many different people, we might meet someone this month, someone else the next month or week, and before we know it we are playing “catch up” in so many relationships. Consistent and frequent contact with others is a crucial part of community. Jesus met consistently and frequently with His disciples. The early church met daily in houses and larger group gatherings. The greatest impact on people’s lives occurs in the context of consistent and frequent contact.
Heb. 10:24 says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing…”
Realistically, we cannot meet daily with the church. But that’s not really the point; it is the principle. The more a group meets together, the stronger the community will be. Consequently, some people experience more community at work or in sports leagues than in the Body of Christ. Of course, it takes more than just meeting together to build a healthy community, as we will see in the coming days. For the Christian community, the centrality of Christ unites us more than any secular, common purpose.
To consider:
Who are you building community with? Who are you meeting with consistently and frequently? Is it enough? How do you know? Are there ways you can stay in community with others?
Consider your schedule for a moment – the things you do in a given week. Many things compete for the time needed to build community – even noble things. We can get so busy doing our individual activities. Are there ways to include others in your activities in order to build community? Rather than competing against community, can your activities be used to improve community?
Note: The church gathers together weekly (Sunday), and this helps address this need for consistent and frequent contact. But as we will see in the coming days, Sunday’s miss certain elements that are needed to build effective community because Sunday worship focuses more on contact with God rather than with one another.