For Hope in the Storm: Together in Community

Faced with another setback, another obstacle that seems unbeatable, you begin to wonder how you’ll move forward. How will you be able to fight this battle and keep up with the rest of your life? How will you figure out the ways to beat back this latest challenge? How do you typically react in these situations?

What if instead you called out to your community for support?

Share your challenge with your community and ask for prayer. Accept their help in whatever ways God calls them, so you can be freed up to fight your battle. Remember this battle is not yours alone to fight, but call on the army God has placed around you.

This week we’re looking at how we face change with a new, better response. We’ve identified three keys to helping us do that, so what do those look like in action? We talked about knowing Jesus intimately yesterday, so today we’ll look at leaning into community.

Community is the battle-ready army God has placed around you

As Peter began his transformation into a bold, faith-filled evangelist in Acts, we can see how critical his community was for him. The apostles didn’t split up when Jesus left. They didn’t each strike out on their own or make their own decisions about what to do next. Instead, they stayed together. They waited as Jesus instructed, they prayed and continued to study and teach. They remained in community.

[callout]Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. (Acts 1:12-13 NIV)[/callout]

In such uncertain times of change it was even more important for these first believers to stick together and build a strong community. They needed to support each other, pray for and with each other and continue to learn from each other. Living in community also allowed them to care for each other and provide support to the leaders, like Peter, so they could focus on preaching and leading, not taking care of the daily provisions.

As they lived out this concept of Christian community, they visibly reflected God’s grace at work within them.

[callout]All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. (Acts 4:32-34 NIV)[/callout]

We are stronger in community than when we are alone

This early church needed each other to survive. They were stepping out against the established church and standing up for beliefs the religious leaders of the day denounced. They need the teaching and support of the apostles to remain firm in their new beliefs. How much harder is it to stand firm in your beliefs when your knowledge of those beliefs is thin? You need deep roots and firm understanding to withstand the kind of pressure these early Christians faced.

The early church also faced severe persecution. They were arrested, beaten, put on trial, and killed for their beliefs. They were forced out of regular society and many were unable to support themselves. So, the support of the community was vital. Those who had means shared what they had to support those who did not. They all supported the leaders, so Peter and the other apostles could focus on teaching and leading.

Most of all, they prayed. They asked God to be in their midst and carry them through the hard times.

Community holds us up when we’re too battle-worn to stand on our own

These are the same reasons we need community today. We need the support of a community to help us become firmly rooted in our faith, so we can withstand any storms. We need others to care for us when we’re in a season of need. We need others to pray for and with us.

Prepare before the next storm comes:

• Find or build a Christian community and develop those relationships
• Study, pray, serve and worship together

Rely on your preparation when the storm hits:

• Ask for and graciously accept support from your community
• Ask others to pray for and with you

Dig deeper when the storm subsides:

• Worship God with your community, thanking Him for being by your side through the storm
• Use your experience to help others through their own storms
• Continue to lean into your community; invite others, give to those in need, pray

Take hope today in this song, “Come Together” by Third Day.

We’ve got to come together ’cause in the end we can make it alright
We’ve got to brave the weather all through all of the storms
We’ve got to come together ’cause in the end we can make it alright
We’ve got to learn to love

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[callout]This post is part of the “A Better Change” series. For more information on this series and to find related posts, click here: A Better Change Series – Overview[/callout]

Sharing with: Wednesday Prayer Girls, Coffee for Your Heart, Thought-Provoking Thursday, #TellHisStory