Biblical community is the

that has always held true followers of Jesus Christ together as a body, as a team.

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”—Genesis 2:18 (NLT)
So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.—Genesis 1:27 (NLT)

It was never God’s plan that human beings should be

.

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.…” So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. —Genesis 1:26-27 (NLT)

The Trinity:

God, who He reveals Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. —2 Corinthians 13:14 (NLT)

God’s very nature means He is in

with Himself.

Created in the image of God, human beings have an inherent need for

.

Jesus: I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. —John 17:20-23 (NLT)
And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.—Acts 2:44-47 (NLT)
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.—Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)

God intends us to live our lives in community, especially with other disciples of Jesus Christ, because Christian community is one of the ways God grows us

.

God designed biblical community to be a setting where we can be real and honest and accountable to others, though it takes

to get there.

We weren’t created to be independent, autonomous, or self-sufficient. We were made to live in a humble, worshipful, and loving dependency upon God and in a loving and humble interdependency with others. Our lives were designed to be community projects. Yet, the foolishness of sin tells us that we have all that we need within ourselves. So we settle for relationships that never go beneath the casual. We defend ourselves when the people around us point out a weakness or a wrong. We hold our struggles within, not taking advantage of the resources God has given us.—Paul Tripp

Community is also where we can learn about God’s grace and have permission to try it out and even

it up sometimes.

The church isn’t a

for saints but a

Reveal Answer

for sinners, and that means it’s filled with imperfect people.

We need a place where we can be real and practice living as Jesus did, realizing that sometimes we’ll do it

.

Christian community is the

where we learn to rely on God’s grace and experience the life-changing power of His Gospel and grace.

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.—Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)

The “One Another” verses

A big part of community & a part of growing ourselves spiritually is the opportunity to love and

these “one anothers” to each other and to others.

Jesus: For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.—Mark 10:45 (NLT)
We sometimes treat community like the safety net under a tightrope walker: it’s a good thing to have in case something bad happens. But the Bible talks about community as if it’s the tightrope itself: you can’t move forward without it. We are created for community. We are redeemed for community. And we are transformed in community.—Bob Thune & Will Walker

Virtual community can become a

to the kinds of deep community that we were all created for.

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.—Galatians 6:2 (NLT)
Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.—Romans 12:15 (NLT)
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.—1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT)

Groups at Gateway isn’t about a program of the church but fulfilling God’s own

for each of us to experience community.

Church-wide series: One At A Time, based on a book by Kyle Idleman
Click here to learn more

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Next Week: Living in Community: How?