Written by: Christine Martin
As I’ve gotten older, I have learned that the people you grow up with or around become a part of your community. This community can be built up of family, friends, your parent’s friends, your sibling’s friends, the people you go to school with (or attend home school group and/or co-op with), your church family, your friend’s friends, your neighbors, the people you work with, etc. You can’t always choose these people, but they become a part of who you are.
It puts me in the mind of Mayberry from Andy Griffith. You have your family, but then you also have the local barber, the town drunk, the mechanic who always smiles and says to tell your family hey, etc. These are the people who build up your small town. This isn’t an actual town. These are the people who become a part of your life. Whether you like them or not, they are a part of your community.
I was blessed to grow up going to church every week, and our church family became a huge part of our lives. Theywere our friends, and they became like part of the family—they were part of our spiritual family. People move churches for many different reasons, and I have been a part of a few different congregations, and they all have become a part of my life. They all have become part of mycommunity. I have learned that when you move churches, you aren’t loosing family members, you’re gaining them. Just because you don’t see each other every week, doesn’t mean that you are not still a part of each other’s lives. Yourcommunity only grows.
I know that some people struggle to go to church because of a bad experience or some of the people who go to the church. That makes me sad because people who go to church and claim to be Christians shouldn’t cause others to leave the church or not want to come. It makes me sad because some people decide not to become a Christian because of the bad name that these people give to Christians. It makes me sad, too, because so many people are missing out on being a part of a church family.
You will never find a perfect church and it isn’t about how perfect the people are, because they aren’t, and sadly, not everyone who goes to church is a real Christian, but Christians are also humans who are growing in the faith. We are not perfect. We make mistakes and fall short, but we strive to be more like Jesus. We are not better than anyone else. We are all on the same level—people who need God and who need God’s help to be more loving toward each other. The following quote says it well, “Stop looking for the perfect church. Go worship a perfect God today with a congregation of flawed people who need grace as much as you do.” –unknown author
Being a part of a church family has been one of the biggest blessings in my life, and when I say ‘a church family’, I am not just referring to one. God’s family has branches that extend all over the world. My brother and I went to Wales and stayed with some missionary friends of ours for a month and attended Chapel with them. We got to know the congregation on Sunday and throughout the week. The people there became a part of our lives; a part of ourcommunity. We have kept in touch over the years and have built lasting friendships. One day I hope I can go back to visit them all, but even if I never get the chance, they are still a part of my community. The coolest thing about our trip to Wales was meeting a branch of God’s family on the other side of the world, worshiping together with them, and getting to know them. I love that about God’s family.
When you meet a fellow believer, your spirits recognize each other because the Holy Spirit dwells within you both. I know that’s a hard concept to grasp, but there is an inner connection that you share. Kind of like how you share DNA with your family. God’s forgiveness, Salvation, faith, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit—these are all a part of the spiritual DNA of a Christian. These are the things that connect us to God and to each other.
“But to all who did receive Him, who believed in his name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” – John 1:12-13
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” – Ephesians 2:19-22
“So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” – Romans 12:5
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.” – Romans 8:14-17
“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” – Galatians 3:26
The family of God is not perfect because people are not perfect, but if we are true believers, we will want to become more like Jesus, and we ask God to help us to become more loving, and He does. It’s all about growing. The more we follow God and live our lives for Him, the more He changes our heart for the better.
Have you ever fought with your siblings growing up? Maybe even as adults? Maybe you didn’t have siblings, but you got into it with your parents or guardians or grandparents, etc. Families are built up of people and people butt heads. If you live with someone, you will eventually get into it about something.
The Bible tells us in Psalm 133:1, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all get along? As Christians, we are called to build each other up and not to tear each other down. We are not better than anyone else, but we are held responsible for more because we have God’s Word and are called to live by it. When we love Christ, we want to obey His commandments.
The Bible tells us in Romans, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” This is not something we can do on our own, but it is something that God will help us do when we turn to Him in the midst of our struggle. We often fail to do this—even as Christians. We get caught up in our own way of thinking and sometimes don’t do what God wants us to do. It’s an inner battle.
We are each on our own personal walk with Christ and it is a lifelong journey. Everyone who attends church is at a different place in their walk with Christ. Knowing that we all struggle and are at different places in life, let us have grace for one another as God has had grace for us. Let us encourage one another and help each other grow. And let us not be turned away when someone sins against us. For we, too, have wronged others. I again point you back to the quote from the unknown author. You will not find a perfect church. You will not find a perfect family—physically or spiritually—because we are all people who fail. But when we are connected by a God who never fails, we build a strong family bond that comes in handy when we need a friend, when we need encouragement, when we need a hug, etc.
Don’t miss out on growing your community with a church family. You be the person who God calls you to be and encourage those around you, build them up, give them grace, love them—even when they really don’t deserve it (For this is what God has done for you)—and then You will help to make the church a better place. And you will also be blessed by the strong connections that you make with fellow true believers.
Keep in mind not everyone who attends church is a real Christian. We must be on guard to not be deceived by those who are trying to bring division. They are not true followers of God. And so, they do not define God’s family. Don’t let them steer you away from attending church and finding true believers to connect with.
Your community continues to grow in many different ways—through church families, your own growing family, the addition of your spouse’s family, meeting new friends, starting a new job, moving to a different place, gaining new neighbors, etc. This world is so big and we are connecting with more people now than ever before. But even as yourcommunity grows, in comparison to the population of the world, you really are still just living in a small town; your Mayberry. Just like how in a small town everyone knows everybody, you know most everyone who lives in your community. After all, your community is compiled up of the people you know, but it is also built up of the people around you—the people you come into contact with.
Some people pass in and out of our lives. Town drifters. Now I know that town drifters aren’t really a part of the town, but your town is built up of the people around you; the people you know and the people you come into contact with. And so, town drifters are a part of your community. These are the people whom you see at the grocery store or at Harbor Freight. These are the people who sit next to you at a concert. These are the people whom you cross paths with, if only for a moment. They are part of your story. Sometimes they touch your life in a special way. Often times, these are the people whom God gives us the opportunity to witness to or encourage or help. Don’t overlook the drifters.
Everyone in your community (whether you like them or not) becomes a part of who you are. The memories that you share with them (good or bad, many or few) are a part of your life. When you loose a close member of your community (someone you knew), it makes you sad because you are not only loosing someone you knew; you are loosing a piece of yourself because they were part of the community that contributed to who you are today. You share memories with them and so, you share a piece of your life with them. Even if you disagreed over something in the past or they annoyed you in some way, they are still a part of your Mayberry, and you miss them when they’re gone. Maybe you were close to them and loved them dearly like a family member or friend, or maybe they were a co-worker who really got under your skin and now they are missing from the office and you are strangely surprised that you actually miss their annoying questions.
Maybe not. Yes, there are people whom you don’t like and who you are not sad about loosing. As terrible as that sounds, sometimes that is true, but it’s always sad when someone dies (or ‘leaves town’ like the town drifters whom you may never see again). Someone loves that person. God loves that person. And we should always show love to those people in our lives whom we don’t like. God tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:43-44). Your enemies are also a part of your community.
As you go through your life and your community continues to grow, remember to be a good citizen. God can help you. Your community is important. These are the people around you. These are the people who pour into your life and also the people whose lives you pour into. This is your mission field. Encourage your fellow believers and point those who don’t know God to Him. God will strengthen you and help you as you work and live together with the people in your community.
May you be encouraged to keep living for the Lord and encourage one another. If you don’t know God, you can be a part of God‘s family right now. All you have to do is talk to Him. He’s listening all the time. Just tell Him that you are sorry for your sins and ask for His forgiveness. It’s a free gift. When you believe in Him and ask for forgiveness, He is faithful to forgive you, and you become part of His family. I especially love the words to the second verse of the following song. Listen closely as Bill Gaither sings “The Family of God”.
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