Most of us have heard it said that “there is no such thing as a lone-ranger Christian”. You might be surprised to hear me say that I disagree with that statement. The reality: it is possible to be a Christian while relationally isolated from other believers. Therefore, I suggest modifying the saying – “there is no such thing as a GROWING lone-ranger Christian.” Christians can indeed isolate themselves from the world and learn a great deal about the Christian faith. But they will never be able to live out their newfound beliefs if they are not connected to others in biblical community.
The one passage we continually refer to regarding this is Acts 2:42-47. In it we see most of the essential elements necessary for one’s faith to grow: biblical instruction, fellowship, worship, communion, meeting needs, enjoying life together, etc. Biblical community offers love, acceptance, fellowship, encouragement, accountability and so much more. It is also the “training lab” for refining our ability to love as Christ has loved us. The more connected I am to my Christian community, the more refined becomes my understanding of what it means to live like Christ (John 13:34-35). As a result, my walk with the Lord will deepen and my ability to love (i.e. – exercise what I truly believe) grows dramatically over time.
Lastly, with all the distractions the world has to offer, simply promoting biblical community can sometimes seem more trouble than it’s worth. But I want you to think what your life would be like today if you were to strip away all the relationship connections you’ve had with your church family over the past 3 to 5 years. For most, if not all of us, this should be a haunting thought. I believe God has entrusted us to communicate, promote and live-out the sacred value of biblical community. Together we can celebrate (one victory at a time) each person who God brings into, and transforms, through the heavenly fraternity known as biblical community.
I used to be a Lone Ranger Christian. I quite enjoyed it. But then I found out what I was missing....
ReplyDeleteNow, I'll never be a social butterfly, but it is so much nicer having people who pray for me and who I can minister to.
Years ago, my family had a minor medical crisis. It never even dawned on us that we were isolated from community. We spent the night at the hospital with our 2 year old and had to call my sister (over an hour away) to come get our older two kids.
ReplyDeleteThe ironic thing is that I was in my 6th year of pastoring...surrounded by community, but belonging to none. It was an eye-opening event. Today...community is an everyday part of our lives and we are blessed beyond belief.