3 Reasons to Seek Out Godly Community

I love the book of Ephesians. It is known by many as the book where Paul gets so passionate about who we are in Christ. But that is actually only the first two chapters. 

He starts by telling us who we are in Christ, then prays that God help us remember by opening our hearts to truly understand. Then he spends the rest of the book telling us how that new identity works in unity in the body of Christ.

So I want to just share a few things from Ephesians about why we should seek out godly community, and how your special place in it is so important. 

Spiritual Battles are Won Together

"... and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places."

Satan and his buddies don't fully realize yet that they have lost the war, so they are still battling it out on the daily. They attack us as individuals, particularly when we pull away from Christ-centered community (1 Peter 5:8). The more we engage in community with our church family, the better prepared we are to fight and better protected we are against the attacks and schemes of the enemy.

We Only Understand the Fullness of the Love of Christ When We Live in Community

that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have the strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19, emphasis mine)

When we spend time together, we have such an amazing larger view of what Jesus has done. I know what Jesus has done for me personally, but when I spend time with my sisters and brothers, I get to see what His love has meant to someone else, and wow, I get to see Christ's love in a bigger, broader, more beautiful way than I ever could have on my own. 

Your Spiritual Gifts Were Given For the Intent of Building and Maturing the Body of Christ

to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine. (Ephesians 4:12-14)

Whatever your spiritual gifts, find a way to use them in the church. If you aren't sure what your gifting is, talk to your pastor and ask him where you can be useful. There is always a need for help somewhere!

I also want to say that your gift can be used in the global church, not just within the walls of the building you attend on Sundays. I have a friend who is gifted in service and mercy, noticing when someone has unmet needs, and she works to find solutions for them. People see the love of Jesus in her actions and often want to learn more about Him. So your gifts can not only build the church, but grow the church.

Conclusion

When we work together in unity, we all start to look more like Jesus. We start to walk in love and imitate God (Ephesians 5:1). Paul ends this letter to the Ephesians with a reminder to put on the armor of God. To stand wearing the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Shoes of Peace, holding the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit. Remember that soldiers don't fight alone. In the time in history when Paul wrote this, his readers would have been very familiar with the image of the soldier and his armor, because it was something they saw every day. When these soldiers fought, they would often fight back to back, because the armor offered no back protection. It only protected the front. So they would partner up, back to back, to protect each other. 

When being attacked from afar, with arrows raining down over them, they would gather in a group, back to back, with their shields making a shell around them and above them, almost like a turtle shell. A soldier alone was a soldier at risk. The same is true today. You can't be a productive, fruitful disciple of Jesus by yourself.