Community Of Christ

Repent, believe in Jesus, and receive the Holy Spirit to go into battles, gather with one another, and glorify God with a grateful heart.

“These were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was banished…Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were brave warriors, ready for battle…David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, I am ready for you to join me…the Spirit came on Amasai…We are yours, David! We are with you, son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you.” Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God. The men spent three days there with David, eating and drinking, for their families had supplied provisions for them. Also, their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun and Naphtali came bringing food…There were plentiful supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, olive oil, cattle and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.” 1 Chronicles 12:1-40

Exactly 350 days into our Bible reading plan, we see incredible connections between the passage in Chronicles and the passage in Acts 2. We see an ancient community devoted to David becoming king and a new community of Spirit-filled believers gathering together in the name of King Jesus. The parallels are striking.

David said if you come in peace, you can join. Peace with God through Jesus Christ is what we bring to the world as we join. The Spirit came on Amasai, and he spoke boldly. Daily, God added to their numbers as they formed like an army of God. Daily, they gathered and broke bread, sharing what they had.

Is it possible that none of this is a coincidence and that God has a plan? Is it possible that God has a design for how we are to live in community, where we contribute according to our gifts and resources, are empowered by the Spirit, and experience connection with God and each other with an abundance mindset?

The passage in Chronicles previews the early church known as the Way. The Way was and is less about religious dogma or ritualistic practices and more about living a life of love led by the Savior, where we gather together devoted to the common good, glorify God with thankful hearts, break bread, and delight in the blessings we have been given.

Are you living the life God has planned for you? How connected are you to community? Have you isolated or intentionally sought how you can help? How important is it for you to contribute to the common good and help others find their place in the saving grace that is found in the community of Christ?

“The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets. “Gather to me this consecrated people, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice…I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you…But to the wicked person, God says: You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you. When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers. You sit and testify against your brother and slander your own mother’s son. Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation.” Psalms 50:1-23

God actively pursues each person. He does not sit back silently. He summons and speaks. He shows signs and wonders. He wants people to know that they were made to be sons and daughters. His plan is for reconciliation and salvation.

God said I do not need your stuff. He said I made it. It is mine. This does not nullify the truth about tithing or the importance of generosity, but reveals God’s heart about what matters most to Him. Generosity reveals where our heart is. It shows whether we have trust. God recognizes that often our stuff can get in the way of our salvation. Selfishness separates. The scarcity mindset separates.

God is trying to teach us a better way, but He warns us that not everyone will listen. He tells us to be careful about who we gather together with, for birds of a feather flock together. Your life will be influenced by who you choose to connect with in community. Are the people in your life drawing you closer to God or pushing you further away? Are they helping you be more humble and holy or more worldly and whiny? Make sure you are choosing a community that leads you closer to Christ.

“your love is more delightful than wine. Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. We rejoice and delight in you we will praise your love…If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the tracks of the sheep and graze your young goats by the tents of the shepherds.” Song of Songs 1:2-8

How would you describe the love of Jesus? How have you experienced grace and the goodness of God? The focus of our minds matters. What gets into our heads gets into our hearts. When you think about how good God has been to you and how His love is not conditioned on your performance, your heart will fill with joy. When we think about what we do not have and focus on envy, craving other things, or the offense of others, our hearts are filled with poison.

Which will you choose today? Solomon wrote that if you do not know the way to go, follow the Shepherd or shepherds that lead to love. Just like in Acts 2, where the Spirit is poured out, the name of Jesus is like perfume poured out. It has an effect. You will experience it. Like a pleasing scent, the aroma of grace will fill each place it enters. Pursue love, and you will find it.

“While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard…the Lord says…Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know…I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security…I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations…they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’ the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying, “Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever…This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’” Jeremiah 33:1-16

David said that God summons and speaks. Long before Jesus ever set foot on earth, Jeremiah shared the good news that there will be a Savior who brings healing and peace with God. It is amazing to consider how God tells us what He is going to do, does it, then reminds us that He has always had a plan.

God said call me and I will answer you. God came to Jeremiah when he was confined to a courtyard. And as the believers were gathering together in an upper room to hide away from the danger of persecution, God came to them. God does not just make our comfortable lives more comfortable. He steps into the midst of our uncertainty and shows us the path of life. He promises to forgive and remove our sin and help us find a reason to sing again.

Just like Song of Songs, God wants us to see that our relationship with Him is meant to be that of a bride and a bridegroom. Beloved and bound by a faithful covenant sealed by the blood of Christ. Jeremiah said the people will be in awe at the abundance, the goodness, and the enduring love of God. Are you? Is your heart filled with affection from and for your Righteous Savior? Are you praising His name and declaring that His love endures forever regardless of whether you are in captivity like Jeremiah was at that moment?

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them… ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people…everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved…Jesus of Nazareth was a man…handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan…wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death…You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence…Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together…They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”Acts 2:1-47

Acts 2 is arguably one of the most powerful passages in all of Scripture. It is the promise of power and a reminder of God’s plan. It is the birth of the early church and an invitation to let everyone know that they belong. In Chronicles, it said that daily people were added to the numbers of the army, and at Pentecost, as the Spirit came on them after they repented and believed in Christ, daily God added to their numbers. How will you help people be added to the army? Will you share the good news?

The key for you to know today is that you have a part to play. The army is not the same without you. Jesus left the 99 for the 1, and God is not satisfied with even 1 person doing life alone. We were made for community and meant to gather with a common heart connected by Christ. The enemy wants you to isolate, doubt your identity, and live with a scarcity mindset. God promises healing for where you are broken, to hold you and your needs in His hands, and the Holy Spirit to equip you for your calling.

The response of the early believers was generosity that was costly, gathering together every day, not just Sundays or when it was convenient, and a commitment to praise God by living with full devotion to Him and each other. Has this been your response? Or do you need to repent, be baptized, and renew a right Spirit of love? What is your step today? Where is God challenging you?

Following Jesus will lead you to an entirely different life experience. He leads us down the path of kingdom life, where we discover that we were made for community and connection, holding everything in common. Today is a day to enlist in God’s army and let Jesus equip you for a life of courageous service to your community. As you do, you will find that God’s plan for you is to awaken to joy and gladness that is given to all who are in Christ.