I am an introvert.  I am one of those people who could have their groceries delivered, never see another living soul, and be disciplined and happy and stress free.  A few years ago, God told me that though I may be inclined to this, it wasn’t His design for me.

I was made to live in community.

It took quite a bit of time and testing, but I now take Him at His word and am reaping wonderful benefits.  Our God is an incredible delight wrapped in wonder and adventure and newness.  With every lesson that we encounter with Him, every step of growth and maturity, we must know that this is just the kindergarten version, the beginnings, that there is a doctorate to be earned out there somewhere.  The complexities of a life devoted to growing in Him are profound and never ending.  Do not be content with a kindergarten education, let us –together–contend with the strangle-hold of mediocrity and strive for something greater, something deeper, something nearer and nearer to the heart of this incredible Man who opens the eyes of those of us who concede to our blindness.

Therefore, (yes, if you begin reading here you do need to say, ‘what is it there for’–a nod to a wonderful mentor) let us grow in community.  For some of us that is easy-peasy.  You thrive in company, you delegate well, you see your place in the big picture and relish in it.  For some, the idea of being a part of a larger whole terrifies you.  It means others put dictates on you, they depend on you, they have a say in your schedule and your agenda.

The Word is clear, over and over, we are not alone, we are not islands, we are dependent upon one another and only grow in that context.

Spiritual maturity happens in community, fullness of life and faith happen in community, directionality and purpose are found in community.

Now what on earth does living in community mean?

Second Peter 3:2 is Peter’s summary plea that we remember some of the prior things in order to create minds and hearts prepared for growth.  He says that we should recall the words of the prophets and “the command given by our Lord.” You see anything funny about that?  Just one command.  That’s a singular word, the one command of our Lord.

Somehow we all know what that command is don’t we.  Love the Lord your God and your neighbor as yourself.  It’s a two part thing.  How often we discount the importance of the second part in some delusion of spiritual grandeur that our efforts are better spent solely on the first.

From the first words of this incredible Book to the final chapters, our God lives in, promotes, and exemplifies life in community.  In the beginning, they were all there.  In the end, they are all there.  In His time on earth, they still find a way to be all there for each part of this incomprehensible Trinity.  He knows what it’s like to live together, He knows the value of filling your role in the Body, He knows what it is He is demanding of us.  And it’s for our good and His glory.

Some of the images that have peppered my mind over these last few days are these:

Caleb and Joshua: Caleb was right there with Joshua as they pleaded with the people to follow where the Lord was leading.  They both remained faithful and saw their reward west of the Jordan.  But how much do you know about Caleb? We all know Joshua, we know his victories and his speeches, we know about the wall falling and the jars breaking, we know this man to whom the great Moses left his charge and final commands.  And what of Caleb?  He was clearly faithful, we learn from Joshua 14 that he was a mighty warrior, full of energy, faith, and vigor. What he exhibited after that first spy mission didn’t seem to wane some 45 years later.

But God’s place for him in this community wasn’t quite like Joshua’s.  They each had a role to play and Caleb’s didn’t carry quite the notoriety that Joshua’s did. Do you think that ever bothered him?  Do you think Caleb ever implored of the Lord, “Why Joshua, I was there too, I’m faithful and brave and devoted too”? Here’s something the word doesn’t tell us about Caleb that I think must be true. He knew his place in the body and trusted God’s sovereignty in having chosen it.

The Levites and the High Priesthood:  One branch, the line of Aaron, had the distinction of being called the High Priest, but the whole tribe was chosen.  While some balked at the designations within the tribe, there was such a beauty to the order of it all.  Aaron’s line was chosen to carry the prestige, but also the burden. But they didn’t carry it alone.  The whole tribe served the Lord together, each a necessary element of the whole.  They knew the place where God had fitted them and they served Him with trust in it.  And in that, they never had to do so alone, the burden was never too heavy because the weight was born by the masses.

Peter and Paul:  While they may not have been great buddies who had a natural liking to one another, they recognized the distinctions given to each by the God who guided them and they respected it.  Paul reprimanded Peter for his reverting to Jewish customs, he belittled him publicly (Galatians 2:11+).  Many people wouldn’t get on well after that. And yet, in a show of such enviable humility, Peter extols Paul in 2 Peter.  He concedes to the position that the Lord had put him in, he acknowledges the place that Paul’s writings were to have in the Scripture, he implored people to heed the words of wisdom found there.  It didn’t have to do with whether or not they “liked” each other or had the same interests or were of the same social set (remember that Paul was upper echelon high class Jew and Peter was a fisherman), it didn’t matter how obvious the connections between them were or were not.  What mattered was that they knew, acknowledged and respected where God had placed them both and they faithfully fulfilled their roles there.

Treasure your role, respect others part, feed off of one another, find out what your contribution to the whole is supposed to be and thrive in doing it.  Let others serve you. Be a servant.  Grow together, contributing to the growth and benefiting from it.  Pray for one another.  Give generously.  Remember both parts of the command of our Lord and Saviour.  Love deeply.

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.                                                                                                                      1 Peter 1:22

Obey the truth and let it lead you into the communal life that God designed for His people.