Issue 662 – Community – February 21, 2022
Gleanings From the Word, experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life
Canada Geese nearly wiped out 100 years ago are seemingly everywhere today. Many communities now have permanent resident flocks, and their numbers require active management to keep them from over-running everything.
About 25 pairs lived around a small lake across the street from our home at one point. Each pair was raising an average of 14 young. Each goose has an average lifespan of 10 years. If all the goslings had lived, that would have meant well over 100,000 geese in just four generations. Now, all the goslings don’t survive, and the actual number would be much smaller, but there are still many geese.
It’s no wonder that geese are often considered pests. Still, I enjoy seeing them and photographing them like any other bird or animal.
I recently relearned something about geese that I had forgotten. A flock describes any group of geese in one location, but more technical terms apply.
Whether on land or water, a group of geese is also known as a gaggle. I had forgotten the term for a flock of airborne geese; they are a skein of geese.
Whether you call them flocks, gaggles or skeins, one thing you seldom see is a solo goose. Geese were designed to be in community, sometimes vast communities, but communities nonetheless.
In that, geese and Christians have a lot in common. Christians are not designed to live solo lives.
There is a terrible misconception about the Christian faith walk. Since they have a “personal relationship” with Jesus, many believe that the relationship is individual and private. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Our relationship with Jesus is personalized, but we are not born again to walk alone. We are born again into a community, into the body of Christ. We are born again into a public demonstration of God’s mercy and love.
Our God is a relational, communal God who exists as three persons in one God. He created us for intimate fellowship with Him and others, not to be lone ranger believers.
The Scriptures use many terms and images to describe the Christian community. We are a body, a family, a fellowship and more.
Perhaps the most well-known description of the Christian community comes from the book of Acts.
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47
While that community was in part due to the artificial circumstances of the time (many of the new believers did not return home but stayed in Jerusalem with the church without sources of income), it does give us a good idea of what the Christian community can look like.
Had the early church consisted of lone rangers who didn’t “need” other believers or “a fellowship to belong to,” the picture would have been radically different.
When believers are absent from fellowship, they steal from themselves and others. Being absent from a local fellowship means depriving yourself and others of the opportunities to minister to or be ministered to by you.
We are united by the bonds of one spirit and called to communities of worship, service and fellowship.
I recognize that not every local church is what it could be because it is filled with sinners. Still, we are called to the community. If you are not involved in regular fellowship with other believers, you need to change that.
Until next time, may you be blessed by true fellowship in the Christian community.
Hallelu Yah (Praise God)
Be blessed.
Kevin.
Gleanings From The Word.
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (for the glory of God alone.)
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All contents are © 2001, 2022 K. F. “Kevin” Corbin and Gleanings From The Word.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV). Spelling modified to Canadian English as required.
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