Even though the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have perfect and eternal unity, yet they remain distinct persons. In the same way, even though someday we shall attain perfect unity with other believers and with Christ, yet we shall forever remain distinct persons as well, with our own individual gifts, abilities, interests, responsibilities, circles of personal relationships, preferences and desires.
Community
Darlene Cunningham
God the Father is the composer, and the Holy Spirit is the conductor, giving each of us the music to play as we keep our eyes on Jesus. Maybe I have a tiny little piccolo flute, which has a small but distinct sound. But what if I get jealous of the drummer because he has such a loud, emphatic sound to his drums? If I begin to focus on him, I will mess up the part I’m supposed to play. When the conductor gives me the cue to play my piccolo, I will miss my notes because I’m focusing on someone else’s instrument. I cause disharmony in the orchestra and the music isn’t what it is intended to be because my part is missing. Every contribution is important. God designed you to play a special part. Just use whatever gifts He gives you for His glory. You can’t create orchestra music alone. We need each other. And when we play in a beautiful spirit of unity, people will surely see and glorify Jesus.
Ed Silvoso
Bible-based, Spirit-led social action is absolutely necessary in transformation process. Simply preaching without accompanying good works will not do it. Preaching will get people saved, but cities will not be transformed (much less nations), because the proclamation of the Gospel has to be validated by deeds that benefit society.
Ben Fitzgerald
Some of you aren’t doing okay out there. Some of you hide your feelings of loneliness, shame over things you did wrong, or the pressure of feeling you never do enough. God sees you, God wants to be closer to you, He has people who want to encourage you too. Stop hiding and trying in your own strength; this will only make things worse. Be vulnerable with Him and be real with a trusted friend and pray with them. Not all feelings are real, not all thoughts are truth. Cast your cares upon the Lord, for He cares for you. (Psalm 35)
Nancy Boyd-Sherman
There is an amplified encounter in the gathering of faith filled hearts that is not reproducible on your own. However, there is an intensified intimacy in the quiet of our personal and solitary rendezvous that is inhibited by the presence of others. People of faith need both to thrive.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
In a Christian community, everything depends upon whether each individual is an indispensable link in a chain. Only when even the smallest link is securely interlocked is the chain unbreakable. A community which allows unemployed members to exist within it will perish because of them. It will be well, therefore, if every member receives a definite task to perform for the community, that he may know in hours of doubt that he, too, is not useless and unusable. Every Christian community must realize that not only do the weak need the strong, but also that the strong cannot exist without the weak. The elimination of the weak is the death of the fellowship.
William T Ham
There are many things which a person can do alone, but being a Christian is not one of them. As the Christian life is, above all things, a state of union with Christ, and of union of his followers with one another, love of the brethren is inseparable from love of God. Resentment toward any human being cannot exist in the same heart with love to God. The personal relationship to Christ can only be realized when one has “come to himself” as a member of His Body, the Christian fellowship.
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Kelly Flanagan
Community is love you can see and smell and touch… Community is the invitation to be a mess when you need to be. Community is the joyful embrace of your complicated story. Community is the e-mail or phone call or text message that says, “I’m thinking about you, even when you are away.” And community is the grace-filled invitation to always return to a place, no matter how wrecked you might be. And if community is grace-with-a-heartbeat… the biggest barrier to community will be you. Because in order to receive the grace of authentic community, we will have to believe we are worthy of receiving it.