Christian Interdependence

God has created us to be dependent both on Him and on one another. His judgment that “it is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2: 18) is a principle that speaks not only to the marriage relationship but also to the necessity of spiritual fellowship among all believers. None of us has the spiritual wherewithal to “go it alone” in our Christian lives.

--Jerry Bridges, True Community: The Biblical Practice of Koinonia (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), Kindle location 763.

His Giving Precedes Our Giving

His giving precedes ours, for it is through the ministry of His Spirit in our hearts that we are prompted to give Him worship, thanksgiving, and obedience.

--Jerry Bridges, True Community: The Biblical Practice of Koinonia (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), Kindle location 599.

Remember the Difference between Source and Means

It is not the Word of God itself or even prayer that supplies the power and grace to live the Christian life. It is Christ who is our life (see Colossians 3: 4). The Word of God and prayer are the primary means by which the Holy Spirit mediates Christ’s life to us. But we must never so emphasize the Word and prayer, which are God’s instruments of grace, that we lose sight of Christ, who is the source of our life.

--Jerry Bridges, True Community: The Biblical Practice of Koinonia (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), Kindle locations 312-315.

The Wonder of Sharing in the Life of Jesus

As wonderful as it is to realize that God calls us to have communion with Him each day, it is far more wonderful to know that He has called us to actually share in the life of His Son, Jesus Christ.

--Jerry Bridges, True Community: The Biblical Practice of Koinonia (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), Kindle locations 263-264.

Fellowship with God as the Ground of Fellowship with One Another

[W]e cannot have meaningful fellowship with one another unless we are individually experiencing vital fellowship with God.

--Jerry Bridges, True Community: The Biblical Practice of Koinonia (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), Kindle location 189.

Meeting Needs

When a parent meets a need of one of his children, we do not think of that act as an expression of benevolence but as an expression of relationship. It is both his privilege and his duty to meet that need because he is the parent.

--Jerry Bridges, True Community: The Biblical Practice of Koinonia (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), Kindle locations 163-164.

Sharing Our Stuff

A willingness to share our possessions with one another is a very important aspect of true biblical community.

--Jerry Bridges, True Community: The Biblical Practice of Koinonia (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), Kindle locations 156-157.

The Place of Scripture in Fellowship

This is fellowship: sharing with one another what God is teaching through the Scriptures, and this is an important part of true community.

--Jerry Bridges, True Community: The Biblical Practice of Koinonia (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), Kindle locations 144-145.

Biblical Community

[B]iblical community goes much deeper than sharing common goals, though it ultimately involves that. Biblical community is first of all the sharing of a common life in Christ.

--Jerry Bridges, True Community: The Biblical Practice of Koinonia (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), Kindle locations 111-112.

Sharing the Life of God

Those first Christians of Acts 2 were not devoting themselves to social activities but to a relationship — a relationship that consisted of sharing together the very life of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 

--Jerry Bridges, True Community: The Biblical Practice of Koinonia (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), Kindle locations 102-103.