An Imperfect but Needed Community

One thing we know about Christian community is that we need each other for encouragement, for support, and for growth in Christlikeness, but because of the sin that so easily entangles (Hebrews 12:1), we experience community in this life in imperfect ways.

In the early church of Philippi, for example, there was some sort of falling out between two prominent women in the church (Philippians 4:2-3), and yet those two women were both still part of the same community of faith, united by their common redemption and adoption in Christ. No wonder Paul encouraged them to reconcile!

Here’s some good news: although we experience community in imperfect ways now, one day, the sin that so easily entangles will be done away with (Revelation 21:1-4), and we’ll finally experience community as it is meant to be, without any kind of brokenness. In the meantime, we pursue the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3), not allowing our imperfections to distance us from one another. This week, how could you pursue community with other imperfect Christians who need Jesus just as much as you do?