Community is Three Guys in a Boat
~ by Pastor Rob Krause
Cain, in his sin, shirks God’s probe for his brother Abel.
"Am I my brother’s keeper?" Genesis 4:9
I believe the opposite holds true:
Cain, outside of his sin, is his brother’s keeper — and he knows it.
James 2:8-10 teaches so strongly that between you and God stands your neighbor. As members of the Church, the Body of Christ, we are mutually responsible for one another. We are responsible for our brother’s spiritual, emotional, and social welfare. Here’s a tough Christian responsibility to ponder in our shallow-commitment-society: We are also responsible for our brother’s shortcomings, his/her speech, & restititution from the damage of sin.
True Christian Community occurs when the individual takes on the identity & ideals of the Church and the Church takes on the accountability of the individual.
"A dramatic story illustrative of this point has been passed down from talmudic times. The tale is about three men in a boat. Suddenly one of the men begins to drill a hole beneath his seat. When his friends immediately plead with him to stop, he replies, What are you worrying about? I’m only drilling under my seat." The moral drawn by the rabbis has been repeated again and again: ‘We’re all in the same boat’."1
- Wilson, Marvin R. Our Father Abraham, Eerdmans p. 188-189 [back]
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How true, Rob…I have been really thinking on this recently. There is no such thing as a Lone Ranger Christian. Now, here is the rub…in an increasingly commercialized and consumer oriented Christian culture, how do we foster a sense of community within a particular local church? This is especially challenging where God has placed me, in a place where it is possible to have an entire “Christian” existence, friendships, ect. independent of the local congregation.
Tom, This is a great question. In fact, I wonder how many Church leaders out there ask the same thing?
I have so many thoughts about your question that I’d like to include them in another article (given enough time, the right heat, plenty of salt, & a match - there’s combustion and a new article).
However, I’d like to say that I believe that folks should always start with motive. Why do we meet together? It is Christ. In fact, I do not have another option. I have a Divine obligation to common-unity because Christ is found IN my brother. There is no pursuit more valuable; no purchase more precious than to grasp Christ through my brother. I know this sounds "earthy" — but is not the Spirit of Jesus incarnated in the true believer? So people must be raised to the higher motive - that this is a way of life. I must be with and identify with my brother. The culture tells them otherwise.
How do you lift their eyes to this supreme duty-privilege? Teach these values to the few who will listen and walk with you. When they taste this, they won’t want to go back. They’ll build it into others in time.
Again, if you’d like, I’d be glad to share more of how to foster a community sense in an article or threaded comments here… Thanks for commenting! Rob
Some interesting thoughts that I think I will chew on a bit…though I am not sure that I would go so far as to say that there is, “no pursuit more valuable; no purchase more precious than to grasp Christ through my brother.” However, I would agree that our highest pursuit and most valuable endeavor is to know God (full and experiential knowlege) and that this kind of knowlege of God is inseparable from loving our brother. So, in a sense I guess I agree…just not comfortable with the emphasis, maybe.
Also, I would very much like to hear your thoughts, particularly regarding the practical encouragement of what really amounts to a paradigm shift in most of our currently established modern churches.
Rob,
You da man! Great to see your blog. Just got back from a week away. It’s late and so I can’t comment just now on your post here. Give me a day or two or three. Blessings bro!
Joel
Hey Joel. I wondered if I’d see you around these parts some day. Thanks for stopping by.
Tom, let me clarify my sentence there. It was in direct response to your question "in an increasingly commercialized and consumer oriented Christian culture." My statement is more on the practical side. In a commercialized society — is there a shopping purchase more precious than being with Christ Jesus through my brother? Is there a pursuit (distraction, recreational opportunity — you name it) that is more valuable to my Christian life than knowing Christ through community? As Piper said (paraphrase here), "People aren’t feeding at the table of God because they’ve filled up on so much less."
So, you are correct. I like how you put it about the knowledge of God. How am I going to be filled up with a rich knowledge of Christ without my brother — to whom I am mutually responsible? Any way we slice it - being a consumer starts and finishes with self-oriented pursuits. Paul generally told folks being a consumer is fine for a while (as long as they’re consuming the right thing, of course). That’s the "milk" of the Faith. But we don’t stay in the milk. I like what one pastor said, "It’s cute to feed a newborn a bottle of milk, but it’s one of the ugliest things to try to part-a-beard on a 35 year-old guy to get the bottle in there — grow up to meat!" And I submit that that meat will directly involve how I care for & how I know Christ through my Christian family - community.
Hey, I’m still chewing on the "how to foster" part… I just want to get the ideas condensed and workable & then find the time to jot them down cohesively. Thanks so much for participating and making it a great experience!
One of the most precious things my family and I have is our lifeteam. Our lifeteam meets every Thursday night for worship and fellowship among families. Each and every member from the youngest to the oldest is part of our immediate spiritual family. The men are truly my brothers and the women are truly my sisters. There is more than just a bond and a weekly meeting between us because Christ is in the center of our relationships. We met each other through Christ and we sustain each other through Christ in our everyday lives. The church has a few lifeteams throughout the body, but the spirit of a lifeteam is always present when the members are together. We learn how to be a family with our small group and it carries over to our large group body. Team members continously take care of each families need without any obligatory feelings - it is a desire to please my brother in Christ. The children are the repsonsibility of all and are treated with the love that each parent gives their own child. Our sick are taken care of and no family has to worry about everyday tasks while they are incapacitated because the families are there for each other. The other day most of the families were able to eat lucnh together at the Spaghetti House and it felt like each of them have always been part of my family. We also serve each through accountability. We challenge ourselves in lifeteam with difficult questions and discussions that must be dealt with. We have three months left in Italy and my family’s heart grows sad when just the thought of leaving our team is brought up. Not just the lifeteam, but the community of lifeteams that Christ has built for us. The communion, sharing, and enjoyment was truly a small Christian community. We fear not having the same type of community when we move to Nebraska this fall and we pray that we will find a Christian community that will become our true everyday family and not just a Sunday family.
Rob,
What is the brother’s name who is now the pastor of the church Mike Redick pastored in Singapore?
I think his first name is Chris? I can’t remember the guys last name. Do you have his contact info - email, etc….
Thanks,
Joel