It’s been a minute since I’ve written. God blessed us with the time and resources to travel and enjoy making some long-lasting memories and I’m so very grateful for that privilege. I’m learning, daily, how to exist and live, while mourning and missing my husband. With all of that going on, it surprised me that the topic that is weighing on me is that of community. Specifically, a community of grace. Therefore, let’s define a few terms:
Community: a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. (as defined by dictionary.com) and Grace: (in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings. (also from dictionary.com and because I’m a believer, when I talk about “grace” if it’s not my sister, it’s this definition I’m referring to.
So, what’s a community of grace? Well, it’s a group of believers who are doing life together, and they are continually extending grace to themselves, to one another, and to others. Sadly, many people have not had the experience of this type of community in church. And, that… should be to every believer’s utter chagrin.
I have been blessed beyond anything I deserve. My church families both in Miami, and in Alabama, were/are safe places for me, and my family; and are very much communities of grace. We’ve all been flawed, sinful people, brought together by our love and commitment to Jesus. We’ve locked arms and lived out our faith. We don’t always execute perfectly, but that’s where the grace comes in. I’ve revealed some pretty dark struggles over the years and the advice and encouragement have always come from healthy biblical places. Again… I’ve been blessed.
But not everyone has that experience.
A lot of people do not go to church today, not because of Jesus or the Bible, but because of people who attend the church. Self-proclaimed believers who have been so harsh to someone who desperately needed an encounter with grace. It’s sad, but unbelievers can sometimes do this better than the Church. They don’t necessarily dispense grace, but they accept the person in their brokenness, and encourage them sometimes, to just stay broken, and belong.
Ugh, what a word, “belong”… isn’t it so simple, that it trips so many people up?
The number 1 verse I think most church-going believers refer to, when asked, “why do you go to church” or variations of that same question is, Hebrews 10:25, it reads:
“not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
Now, this verse picks up mid sentence… verse 24 (the sentence begins with) it reads, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,” So, reading that as a complete thought, we stir one another (believers) to love, and to good works by not neglecting to meet together. We’re told that the darker the days get, we should meet together all the more. If we begin this very chapter of the book of Hebrews, the writer starts off by explaining how the law pointed to our inequities, and how sacrifices were offered. However, all of those sacrifices were flawed, and we’d have to keep sacrificing, that is, except the perfect sacrifice of Christ. HE, once and for all, was offered as the perfect sacrifice and because of HIS payment for our sin, we are gifted forgiveness. God’s grace, forever lavished upon a broken and sin filled people. We’re told in verse 17, that the Holy Spirit of God testifies, that “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” It’s funny that then the chapter continues to encourage a believer to live with confidence and an assurance of faith. And then, verse 24 and 25… where we need our brothers and sisters help; they’ve also had this forgiveness given to them, and we need them to stir us up, to love and to good works. Like, we remind one another of God’s amazing forgiveness, of HIS grace.
Community. Of grace.
But, what about when a brother and sister messes up? Or, they admit to be wrestling with God over something; something, they are trying to fight? Be it, a compulsion, or an addiction, or a desire: What then?
We’re told in Proverbs 27:17 that “iron sharpens iron”, in Thessalonians 5:11 we’re told to “encourage one another, and build one another up…” So, people of God… what does that look like? In practical terms?
I think, sometimes, it looks like sitting with the person and being a safe place for that person to unpack their convoluted thoughts. Sometimes, it can look like praying, on your knees, face to the ground, praying. Sometimes, we can walk our brother and sister to another more-gifted sibling in-Christ that can guide them to a place of help, not pawning them off, but remaining with them. As we would our kids, or our parents, or your most beloved.
Remember, when our brother or sister is struggling with something, they aren’t doing anything (yet), they are fighting, they are wrestling. Are we fighting alongside them? Or, are we fighting them? Are we judging what we’ve already perceived to be their weak mind? Have we determined that they simply have a lackluster walk with the Lord, and need to read their bible more? Do we just point them to some verses? Or, do we unpack some verses together? How quickly do we dispense grace? Because, the God that forgives me does so immediately. What’s our requirement for a brother or sister?
A community of grace… what does that mean to you? And, wouldn’t you want to be a part of that? You know… instead of just clocking-in on Sunday’s for a little worship and the word?
I want to belong.
I’m blessed to belong, but we can’t pretend that the Church (as a whole) has always done this well, and we need to do better.
Let’s be a community of grace? Please?