We live community here. What exactly is community? We talk about ‘communities’ of peoples all the time, in various arenas of life, but are we really talking about ‘community’ or just groups of people with a common goal?
My weeks thus far living here are teaching me more what Biblical community is. In Acts 2:42-47, Luke speaks about the fellowship of the believers at the time – the beginning of real church, and the example of community.
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
I am not about to say we are walking anyway near perfection in this, but I will say for sure that we are walking in it more than ever before.
Tom and Cindy’s hearts are to learn to follow this Biblical model more each day, all aspects of it, and have already made many steps toward that. They sold much of what they had in America, came here, and now open their home to those of us who need a place to stay and what is theirs here is ours. Their glad and generous hearts have truly welcomed us here, and given us as much as we need.
In turn, we have come here and we share as well. In terms of responsibility, money, food, etc…nearly everything in this house right now is everyone’s. Tom shares his computer and his Internet connection with us, claiming that ‘none of my possessions are my own.’ We all contribute our money and buy groceries together, (very little labeling of food in the fridge) and share meals.
Cindy has cooked most of the meals, with our help each day, and I have done a couple meals. Dinners have been most often family style around the table, sharing fellowship with one another – breaking bread and remembering Jesus. There is never any thought about walking away from dishes or cleaning responsibilities and we have never made a chart for it, we just live responsibly about that. 🙂
We have given time to prayer here more than anywhere else before, though I don’t want anyone to read this thinking that we have done nothing but devote 24 hours a day to prayer. We aren’t to that point, though we have spent several hours a day in prayer – simply conversation with God, some days more time than others.
We live very relationally focused here – it’s not about how much we ‘do’ together than who we are together. Pretty much all of our time together consists of conversations, which challenge us to think and to see God more like who he says he is.
Tom and Cindy are real – they don’t attempt to hold onto a façade of having everything in order, figured out, and perfect in their walks with Jesus. We have grown closer as we have shared in the intimacy of prayer and conversation, investing mutually into our relationships, carrying each others burdens when needed.
This passage in Acts contains so much example and expectation for us, that if I were to dissect the whole part, it
could become disheartening to realize how far from that reality we are, I am.
But as I mentioned before, we are getting there, this is closer than anything I’ve had before, and it’s a beautiful way of life. It reminds me of reading Shane Claiborne’s book,
Irresistible Revolution, and how hungry I became at that time for real community. I love it, and want more of it! God’s grace is sufficient for us as we are in this learning process. I don’t know how it will work at home, I really don’t even have a framework on which to create a scenario, so I suppose that leaves me in a place to trust God even more to arrange the whole thing. He knows my heart and I am seeking after His, and I trust him to take care of this desire of my heart.
