The Cullen family works well together as a
team to support each other and defend their coven from outside threats. They
are a good starting place to discuss what it means to be part of a community in
Christ. While having an individual relationship with God is crucial, so much of
our spiritual growth and blessings come from living in a community of God’s
people. The
Random House Dictionary
defines a community as “a social group of any size whose members
reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common
cultural and historical heritage.”
5 We can find a community in our
high schools, colleges, places of work, church or even social networking sites.
When we come into a relationship with God, we gain a new community in Christ.
Our community has a specific locality - now, on earth and in the future,
heaven. We share the same government – Jesus Christ as the head. And we have a
common cultural and historical heritage. We may live in the same town or
connect online because we like the same things. We may share a common heritage
because we may have grown up within a certain religious movement, like Church
of Christ, Baptist, Presbyterian, etc. Some of us share the common heritage of
no religious experience at all.
Paul has
described our new community throughout Ephesians 1. It is a group of people who
are loved by a God who designed us for His glory. We are a group of holy and
forgiven children. God has placed His presence in us, the Holy Spirit. We have
abundant freedom because God provides for our every need. He has given us a new
identity in Christ that will take an entire lifetime to understand and explore.
And we even have increased eyesight and wisdom to use in this life. Paul sums
up the power of this new community in Ephesians 1:20-23. It’s easy to think
that we don’t need other people, but community is essential to our well-being.
Our past may have brought us into the community of Christ, but it doesn’t
define us anymore. Our new community is defined by life of Christ. We have a
new energy and strength. We have a new leader, Jesus Christ, who rules the
universe at the right hand of God. Our leader associates Himself with us, as we
represent His body in our community. What a powerful assessment of identity!
And we are just getting started in Ephesians.
