The Call to Community
Embracing the Divine Invitation
The Call to Community is a challenge to see community not as an optional add-on, but as a vital calling from God—for our own sanctification and edification.
Community is made up of broken people saved by grace. Everyone bears scars, and our interactions often reveal our brokenness—but God redeems and repairs through our fellowship.
God intended us to need Him in doing community. We can’t build godly fellowship on our own; we require the presence and fruit of the Spirit.
Community is never meant to replace God. It is a tool in God’s hands, not a substitute for His role in our lives.
God uses community to shape our hearts. The repeated encouragement: Don’t give up meeting together, but keep spurring each other on in love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24-25).
God’s Desire: Why Gather at All?
God sincerely desires for us to be in community for sanctification and edification. This is not a casual suggestion, but a directive rooted in deep divine love and wisdom.
Drawing from Psalm 139, we get a rich picture of a God who knows us intimately—our thoughts, struggles, quirks, hurts, and dreams. Every instruction from God, including the call to gather, comes from His complete understanding of who we are and what is best for us. The message is clear:
There is nothing we can want for ourselves that is better than what God wants for us. The challenge is to trust and align with His will, especially regarding relationships and communal commitment.
Sanctification: The Rope That Pulls Us Away From Sin
True spiritual growth and separation from sin don’t come by mere willpower or focusing on what to avoid, but by focusing on relationship with God. Just like the illustration from Sunday, as we “pull on the rope” of knowing Him, we’re naturally drawn from the shore of sin towards His presence.
And this is where community shines. When you’re tired of pulling, community gathers around, encourages you, reminds you why you hold on, and sometimes even strengthens your rope. Sanctification isn’t about personal heroics, but about deepening relationship with God—supported and strengthened by others.
Community: Where Flaws Rise and Growth Begins
In Galatians 2:11-16, we see the real messiness of spiritual community. Even pillars like Peter struggled—code-switching between Gentiles and Jews, falling into hypocrisy, and influencing others poorly. The passage demonstrates two crucial realities:
Community exposes what’s hidden in our hearts. Often, relationships are where our cracks show up—impatience, pride, inconsistency—things we might never notice on our own.
Brokenness shouldn’t keep us away from community; it’s exactly why we need it. God uses our shared imperfection to help us grow in patience, love, and vulnerability.
Edification comes directly through others’ correction, support, and encouragement—shaping us not to look perfect, but to become more like Christ. Accountability is what most people fear, but what we need most. Without vulnerability, we miss the very environment God uses to remake us.
Commitment Matters: Community for the Long Haul
So here’s the final charge: Don’t just be inspired—commit. The truth is, attendance and vulnerability in community groups can dwindle over time as life gets hard or messy. But God, who deeply knows and loves us, calls us to longevity and perseverance in relationships.
Community isn’t just for today’s emotional boost—it’s a commitment to walk together even when it’s inconvenient, knowing that this journey is how Christ shapes us for eternity.
Your Next Step
As our church enters a new season with a variety of community groups—meeting in person and online, with different structures and study focuses—the invitation is clear and urgent:
Start somewhere. Be vulnerable. Hold on to that rope. Allow God to use community for your sanctification and edification.
Listen to God’s invitation, and let this season be one of deeper connection, perseverance, and real transformation.
