Building Community: Is it Possible?
A lot.
It was a huge part of what that school was about. Everything came down to trying to make the student body more unified, right down to the uniforms that we wore. The faculty lectured us about unity. We heard chapels about unity. Our coaches always talked about unity within the sports teams. We would go on amazing retreats, and learn about unity.
Ironically, we just didn't get it. After all of the lectures and the chapels and the coaches' pep-talks, you would think that we'd learn how to apply unity to our lives somehow, right?
Nope.
At least, my class never did.
We would go through phases after retreats when we came back on a "unity high" and made claims that we would do everything together. Those claims unfortunately lasted a month. If that. By the end of my senior year, I had given up the hope that my class would ever be unified. In fact, I wondered if it was possible to be a part of a unified group.
Honestly, I was skeptically thinking, "Great; yet another talk about how we should to be unified." Yet, for some reason, I got it this time. I left Bible study that night understanding the need for community. And, it left me inspired enough to right a blog post about it *winks.* The speaker spoke about Romans 12:9-13. I love those verses very much, and so I was really excited that he chose them for his message.
Today, I am going to back up a little bit, and write about the first few verses of Romans 12.
Romans 12:1-2 says, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
I've heard those verses numerous times. In fact, I think it was once a memory verse for school. Whenever I read Romans 12:1-2, I would think, "Okay, I can do this. I can be a living sacrifice. I can be transformed by the renewal of my mind;" I would focus on me and what was possible for me to do, and what God could do for me.
What struck me as I was rereading them after Bible study Wednesday, is that Paul (the author of Romans) doesn't write, "I appeal to you therefore, Annabelle," but rather that he writes, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers..." Paul is writing to a group.
We are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, which is our spiritual act of worship. It's something we're to do together. Not alone.
So, since we're all in this together(*breaks into song*), we, as a group, are called to restrain from being conformed to this world (see Romans 12:2).
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy'. ~1 Peter 1:13-16
We aren't supposed to act like we did before we were Christians. We aren't supposed to be like everybody else. We're not supposed to follow the status quo. We're to be transformed by the renewal of our minds.
Well then, how in the world do we transform our minds?
We don't. Jesus does.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'no' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age. ~Titus 2:11-12
Only by the grace of God can we say no to the world and yes to God's way of living. We can't do it on our own.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation... For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17-19, 21
We can only be a new creation when we are in Christ. All of our transformation is from God, it is only through Jesus that we can be considered transformed at all.
In Ezekiel 36:26-27, God says, And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
God causes us to walk in his statutes and obey his rules. It's nothing that we can do on our own. It's something his Spirit does through us.
We can do nothing.
But God is willing to do everything.
To Recap: True community is built through Jesus. It is by the mercies of God. God transforms us and assists us in becoming like his son.
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. ~2 Corinthians 3:18
So, is building community possible?
I believe it is, but only when we are transformed by Christ. Everything else will just be a shadow of what true community could be.