Discipleship – That’s Why Community Matters

Discipleship is a community project. We need each other to grow more like Christ. Christian community is the context were we can be “instruments in the redeemer’s hands” and “means of grace” to each other; the context were others can remind us of the gospel when we are prone to wander; the context where others can “speak the truth in love” into our lives (Eph 4:15).

Hebrews 3:13 warns us to “Exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” That’s the problem with sin – it is deceitful and seems so reasonable that we are often the last ones to notice it in our own lives. The author of Hebrews says we need to exhort one another daily. We need friends who are committed to our growth in godliness. Superficial, once-a-week relationships are not very helpful in spotting sin that creeps in. We need people who know us, our strengths, our weaknesses, our prayers, our history, our hopes. We need people who are emboldened and permitted to speak the truth to us in love.

Jesus shepherds his sheep (John 10, 1 Peter 2:25), and one way he does this is through appointed leaders, who are also shepherds and overseers of God’s flock (1 Peter 5:1-4). The role of church leaders is to shepherd, guard, take care of, and be an example to the flock, subordinate to Christ. But we, the congregation, also have responsibility for pastoral care. Paul used the same wording of ‘teaching and admonishing everyone’ of both his ministry as a pastor and of the congregation (Colossians 1:28, Romans 15:14). We are to mutually teach and admonish one another, just like Paul.

The bottom line is that trying to ‘go it alone’ is dangerous and foolish and wrong. Sin is blinding.

Cheers Y'all,

Will