Don’t Go It Alone

Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.
Esther 4:15-17

Ask any builder – the taller the building, the deeper the workers have to go to dig the foundation. A believer’s foundation is his root system, and God has made a way for us to deepen our roots through spiritual disciplines. The Bible stresses the necessity of worship, prayer, and study of Scripture. Those are the Big Three essentials in growing as a believer.

A fourth discipline is often overlooked. While it may not immediately come to mind as a discipline, an argument can be made that Jesus elevated it to be among his top priorities. Community.

By community, we mean sharing life with other followers of Christ. Of all the Bible’s descriptions of the church, perhaps none is more appropriate than “the body of Christ.” If we’re the body of Christ, then by nature we are a collection of individual parts grouped into a purposed whole.

Community is more than connecting with your friends and attending a worship service; it’s part of digging in your roots. If you’re only a roots person, full of knowledge without any reach, you’re useless. At the same time, if you dig in alone, not only are you useless as a reach person; you also don’t have a good picture of God. God is community. Even in his essence, he is three Persons in one – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and they’re always together.

Together is Better

We either believe we are a small but essential part of the body of Christ or we don’t. We either believe Jesus meant it when he called us to community or we don’t.

Jesus is God himself, and during his time on earth he didn’t do ministry alone. He started the church by discipling a group of men. Similarly, we forfeit a significant part of our growth when we do not join with other believers.

Why Is Community So Important?

One of the primary ways God ministers to us is through other believers. When Jesus was crucified, the disciples huddled in fear of the authorities. On the surface, it’s easy to judge them in their weakness, even though every one of us would have trembled right there with them. But what is apparent in this picture is beautiful fellowship and community because of the trial they were enduring as a body. Fellowship is not pizza and Coke after church; it’s the certainty that we’re in something together and that our common faith will keep us going. God is honored when we do something bigger than ourselves and need each other to do it.

Found in the NIV Bible for Teen Guys from content in the Thrive Student Edition by Mark Hall with Tim Luke.