Our Community Testifies of the Trinity

When God created heaven and earth, the only thing in creation he deemed "not good" was a man without community. We were meant for relationships, and we worship a God who is himself a community. Our love for one another is a testimony to the world about how the members of the Trinity love and relate to one another.

--Daniel Montgomery & Mike Cosper, Faithmapping: A Gospel Atlas for Your Spiritual Journey (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 184.

Community is Part of the Message

Community isn't just a requirement; it's actually part of the message. As we live our identities in community with one another, we are testifying to the world what it means to follow Jesus.

--Daniel Montgomery & Mike Cosper, Faithmapping: A Gospel Atlas for Your Spiritual Journey (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 184.

Our Commitment to Other Christians Should Reflect God's Commitment to Us

Nowhere does the Bible show us an individualistic faith where Jesus is only your personal Savior. This isn't just about going to church; this is about being faithful to the gospel. We're saying that the commitment that God has made to us through the sacrifice of the Son results in commitment to one another and sacrifice for one another.

--Daniel Montgomery & Mike Cosper, Faithmapping: A Gospel Atlas for Your Spiritual Journey (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 141.

The Gospel is Personal, but It is Not Private

Though the gospel is personal, it is not private. God's grace frees us to be quite specific with things going on in our lives, but it also compels us into deeper community with others.

--Scotty Smith, Everyday Prayers: 365 Days to a Gospel-Centered Faith (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2011), Kindle location 165.

Together With God

We can't become the Christians we are meant to be by being alone with God. This is not God's intent. What we become, we become together.

--Timothy S. Lane & Paul David Tripp, How People Change (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2006), 71.

A Love-Hate Relationship with Relationships

In creation, we were made to live in community, but because of the fall, we tend to run from the very friendships we need. Quite often, our longing for them is tainted by sin. We pursue them only as long as they satisfy our own desires and needs. We have a love-hate relationship with relationships!

--Timothy S. Lane & Paul David Tripp, How People Change (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2006), 65.

Chrisian Faith is Personal but Never Private

Throughout the biblical narrative, community is emphasized and commanded; it is never presented as optional. Many have a misconception that the Christian faith is private. The Christian faith is personal but never private. In fact, the more personal the faith is to a believer the less private that faith becomes. If a person claims his faith is private, he has adopted a view that is contrary to God's. From the development of Israel to the building of the church, He has always gathered His people into groups.

--Eric Geiger, Michael Kelley, and Philip Nation, Transformational Discipleship: How People Really Grow (Nashville: B&H, 2012), 160.