and posted in Explore
Do you ever feel disconnected? Do you ever stand in a crowd or amongst a group of friends and still feel lonely?
Do you currently feel hurt or let down by other people?
Sin is a social disease. It seeks to disconnect us from others. Pride and selfishness, greed and abuse, unforgiveness and fear all stop us connecting and relating to one other in the way our heart's desire.
In the way we were designed by God to relate.
A constant theme within the Bible is God's desire to restore our broken lives and relationships and reconnect us into vibrant, life-giving community.
God began with a man called Abraham and grew his family into the nation of Israel. God's purpose was to see Israel become a people who attracted others to join a new way of living. However, Israel often became indifferent to God and his purposes, so God sent prophetic voices to guide his people back to his vision of community.
God then sent his only son, Jesus, to physically demonstrate and teach us a new way to be human. Jesus taught that things like selflessness, generosity and forgiveness, as well as loving your neighbour (and your enemy), are essential to developing community.
Jesus spent a lot of time teaching a small group of his friends and followers what it meant to be community. We now call what he started, the Church. We are aware that the Church, much like Israel, does not always get things right, however, through God's grace we hope to resemble Jesus in such a way that we offer the world a glimpse of what is to come if we partner with Jesus.
And what is to come...? The Bible ends with an amazing image of community. A community made up of people from all tribes and languages, where there is no more disconnection, marginalisation, social injustice, tears or pain and where God and his love for us are known fully.
