Community — a body of individuals who unite together in fellowship, sharing attitudes, interests, and goals.
Glance to your left, then to your right. Who’s standing beside you? Would you consider them friends? Is the time that you spend together making all of you better people? Or do things you do together sometimes lead you to regret?
Anyone who walks with wise people grows wise. But a companion of foolish people suffers harm.
PROVERBS 13:20
Relationships are like nutrition for your soul. Do the people closest to you make you healthier? Or do you binge on junk food together? You are directly influenced by the people you spend the most time with. Even if you feel like you’re different from them right now, in five years… you won’t be.
…that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
1 CORINTHIANS 12:25-27
God made us to need each other. We all have different gifts and strengths, different failings and weaknesses. When we join together, we can look out for one another, help each other, encourage one another, and even challenge each other to grow.
Here are 3 simple things you can do to start building your community:
Cross the Street
Do you know your neighbors? If you live on the same street, or even in the same building, you already have something in common. Don’t overthink this. Jesus loves your neighbor. Maybe you will too… and you just don’t know it yet.
Challenge: Start a conversation with a handshake and, “I’m sorry, we haven’t met before. My name is _____. What’s yours?” Even if you’re shy, you only have to be brave for 30 seconds.
Share an Experience
We all have things we need to talk about, challenges that would be helpful to process in conversation. And we all have something to offer, even if it’s just a sympathetic ear.
Challenge: Invite a friend to do something together: share a meal, tackle a backyard project, or just take a walk. Talk about whatever. Just be honest, and get real.
Invite Deeper Friendships
The Bible reminds us again and again that we need relationships with people we can trust: Close friends who will encourage you, inspire you, challenge you, love you, and pray for you. And they need you to do the same for them.
Challenge: Invite a friend (or 3) to join you in the Bible App, then do a Plan together.
Find Friends
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So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
GALATIANS 6:10
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