I never heard about the need for community, until the World
Race. Yes we all know as the body of Christ that fellowship is important, but
is it practiced?
I personally feel we have lost the need to commune with each
other. Our fellowship consists on meeting together at schedule times and church
in itself has become a sea of faces that everyone comes in and out unknown.
Acts 2:42-47 NIV says, “they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Did the believers have nothing else to do? Was there no work to be
done?
I believe it was because they loved their God. They wanted His presence more than anything else. They worshiped together, they ate together, they prayed together because they truly understood the fellowship of being in Christ.
meet. If one saint is a force in itself, when several saints meet together it
is a hurricane of great magnitude because God Almighty is in the eye of the storm.
I personally have recognized that community is the
second thing that I value the most in this life. Number one of course is my
devotion to my God my Savior.
Why is that we are afraid to say that we need each other?
I go to church in expectancy to meet with God, but also to
meet God with others. When we have needs we should all be comfortable to go to
one of our brothers and sisters in Christ and ask for their help in prayer.
I remember a couple months after my World Race experience; I
walked into my local church completely broken. That Sunday I went to the alter, vulnerable.
I didn’t care who saw me, I just needed God. I wept and wept, but in the midst
of it I WAS NOT ALONE. I had ten other praying ladies surrounding me in prayer.
This is what Church looks like. One day I am weak and you
are strong, next day you are weak and I am strong, but we walk this life
together.
You may be asking why all this talk about community? Well
after the World Race I had nine months to go through the up and down emotions
of re-entry. Then I joined another community with YWAM and did my DTS. I came
back from Thailand the second time and went into another community, where I was
a worship leader at a House Of Prayer. However, this only
lasted a short time and God led me to stay with my parents.
As a 29 year-old it is the hardest thing for me to rely on
my parents. These last two months have been the most trying time I ever faced
(so far) and you know why? It’s because I HAVE NO COMMUNITY!
There are no friends, no spiritual warriors to lift me up in
prayer, and no fellowship.
So I have been on my own fighting the biggest spiritual
battle and so far it’s been crappy. Battles should be won with fellow soldiers
by your side.
What I appreciate about the World Race and the people behind
the scenes of AIM, is their heart for community and how they all long for us “The
World Changers” to recognize that we cannot do this thing called life alone.
If you are on the World Race now or your thinking about it,
be aware that your teammates are going to drive you nuts! However, more importantly they are the people who you need the most.
I am going to share you a story about one of my sweet
teammates and after this I am done.
As many World Racers know that sometimes teams are changed
to bring overall health to a team. Well personally I loved my old team and I
was not happy to leave.
Within time I grew to love my new teammates and by the end
they were more than teammates, they were my family.
There was a certain teammate I had where I struggled to
support and love her while she was going through her own battle. I never got a chance until later to be close to her.
While in Romania, I was in hospital for several days. I had
been sick for several weeks and not getting any better. They put me on
medication and soon I was released. By next month in Czech Republic, I thought
I was getting better. One night I was really sick, but not only that I was
heart broken because I wanted God to heal me. I could not stop crying and I knew I
needed my team.
Everyone came and sat on my bed, but I was so surprised when
my teammate who I was struggling with, came and wrapped her legs and arms
around me and held me tightly as I cried.
That my friends is what love is and that is what community
does. It heals, it mends, it forgives and it releases God’s awesome power.
P.S. since then God has healed me from the sickness
mentioned above, yeah God!!
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