And the desire that I am thinking about is our desire for community. It is the desire deep in our hearts to be with, around, connected to and surrounded by others. It is our desire to be an intricate and intimate part of a group of people. It is our desire to belong.
And we see this desire expressed in everything from the hundreds of clubs, teams, groups, societies, and organizations that we throw ourselves in, to the sheer joy and happiness we feel when someone sends us a facebook friend request or invite, and everything in between. Whether it's the softball league, the kids' playgroup, or the local bar, we are all searching for deep, true, meaningful community. But why? Why do we long to have and experience such community? Why do we desire to belong? And how does God satisfy this particular desire?
Several things are clear from the pages of scripture that relate directly to our desire for community.
1. First, the whole of scripture tells us that we are made in the image of a God whose very nature is that of community and relationship. In God's revelation about himself, we encounter a Father, Son and Holy Spirit each loving the other, giving to the other, honoring the other, glorifying the other.
2. One of the primary purposes of the cross was to destroy the isolation, rejection, seclusion and loneliness of sin. Sin makes you think, feel, live and believe that you are alone. Jesus died to prove that you belong. And not only into his country club, fraternity, or fantasy football league, but into his very family (Ephesians 2:11-22).
3. God has designed for all of humanity, and especially his church, to work as a unified group whose very reason for existing and being together is to tangibly manifest His power and presence to one another (1 Corinthians 7:-11) as well as to the world at large (Ephesians 3:8-11).
Many people have expressed a deep interest and desire to experience and encounter God. And yet, most of the people that I have talked to feel as if that will happen to the degree that they separate themselves from the established church and all of the baggage and "dead weight" that we typically associate with the church. And yet, that is completely backwards thinking. The entire NT makes it clear that we cannot separate our relationship and experience with God from our relationship and experiences with other people, especially the church. It is not by separating ourselves from the church that we experience God in fresh, new and liberating ways. It is actually through the church, through the body that Christ died to redeem.
Even if that body has warts, wrinkles, and ailments, it is still our body, and still the very means by which God manifests himself to his people and to the world. May you know that God has called you to belong, and may you use that assurance (along with your passions and talents) to bless those who belong with you, as well as those who feel as if they are on the outside looking in.
