Be devoted to one another in love. 

Romans 12:10 (NIV)

If we build our church community on human efforts and reliance, they will disintegrate and fall apart, just like the Tower of Babel. When it is centred on Christ's grace, the impossibilities of community become possible. This is because Christ is incarnate in us through the power of the Spirit so that we can mirror and manifest His life with one another.

True community is founded on Christ's words, "I am the Vine, and you are the branches" (John 15:5). Christ's love for us fuels our love for others. However, we live in a time when many believers are listening to a competing gospel, that of toxic individualism and self-centeredness. The emphasis is on "I don't need the church to have a relationship with God". That is partly correct, but it does not accurately reflect what the gospel says about the church.

Our faith becomes weak and hollow in the absence of community.

According to Scripture, the life of community within the church calls us to shift our focus from ourselves to others. We are to bless one another with the same love and generosity that God has bestowed upon us, and we are to do so with grace, hospitality, and acceptance.

A genuine community involves acknowledging the contribution each person makes to love and serve each other. When this happens, the community becomes a safe, healing, and helpful place for outsiders and new people.

Our society craves community and connections. If the church is not the best and most appropriate place for genuine friendships and genuine conversations to flourish, then we must hear the gospel over and over again. If we are not as committed to the gospel as we would like to be, we will not be as strong in Christ as we could be.

Our witness to the world will become more significant and impactful if our church can live more faithfully according to the gospel and demonstrate that the truth is in us.