The lyrics to this old, classic song might seem cliché, but they ring true for every culture, race, gender, and age throughout history. We all need someone to lean on.
It’s difficult to remember a world where our ability to connect wasn’t dependent on the battery level of our phones. We’re living in a time where isolation is a normal experience for many people. Thanks to technology and social media, we’re constantly connected digitally, but the rise in mental health complications suggests that we might actually be
more alone than ever before.
From the beginning, God knew that humans are better together. This is why God created Eve--because Adam needed companionship and help. But our need for connection goes way deeper than just marriage. We are inherently relational, and cannot thrive without friendship and community found in a local church or Christian gathering.
If you’ve ever had a friend show up with spontaneous take-out, give you a ride when your car was in the shop, or offer a hug at just the right time, you know what a game-changer
true friendship can be. In the same way, athletes who compete in team sports all agree: there’s nothing more threatening to the competition than a team who’s in-sync on and off the court/field.
This is even more true in
Christian community. The Bible refers to the
global church (meaning, everyone who follows Jesus) as the body of Christ.
Romans 12 teaches us that followers of Jesus should function like a human body. This truth is further explained in
1 Corinthians 12. We all represent different parts of the body, with different gifts and strengths, and all of them are necessary!
So, when you’re not connected to Christian community (like a church, small group, Bible study, or campus/school ministry), you miss out on benefiting from others’ strengths, encouraging others with your gifts, and having people to mourn and rejoice with.
Not having strong relationships can be deadly. Loneliness is attributed to greater rates of depression, anxiety, decreased immunity, and cognitive decline later in life. Yikes!
Every person needs rich, satisfying relationships where they are
deeply known and loved. If you’re a Christian, you need to be known by friends who will encourage your heart with God’s Word during hard times, and call you out in love when you’re straying from the truth.
Believers in the New Testament were especially good at this whole intentional community thing. Check out
Acts 2:42-47:
"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."
The early church not only got together throughout the week, but they knew when someone had a need, and didn’t blink an eye when it came time to meet that need. They were loving Jesus and loving each other, eating good food, encouraging each other with Scripture and prayer, and probably laughing a lot.
While it might sound too good to be true, this kind of
authentic, thoughtful community is available and possible for you too. If you’re not already a part of a thriving church or Christian group, it might seem daunting to find and join one. Making friends is easy when you’re a child, but for some reason it gets a little tricky as we age. Here are some ways to begin seeking out a life-giving community:
You weren’t made to do life alone. God’s design for us is this:
we are better together!
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