Koinonia is a transliterated form of the Greek word, κοινωνία, which means communion, joint participation; the share which one has in anything, participation, a gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, etc. It identifies the idealized state of fellowship and unity that should exist within the Christian church, the Body of Christ. – Wikipedia

How important is living in community?

Perhaps one of the primary ways we experience God and His Love is through “one another”?

If God cares enough about this to mention it 56 times in the Bible why do we tend to miss it?

Yeah I get it, we’ve all been hurt by “one anothering” in church, but why wouldn’t we get hurt? The very fact that we are all human means we are gonna get hurt in close community and we’ll even hurt others unintentionally sometimes! Ever wish for the perfect church with perfect community? yeah? Well I hope you don’t go there because if you did find one, your own presence would contaminate it! There is no perfect church, or perfect community!

But we, in our miserable imperfection, living together in community seems to be very close to the heart of God. If we are the hands and feet of Jesus, doesn’t that mean that if we live together in community we will all be experiencing Jesus through each other? You see, God never intended that you face life alone. Of course, God is sufficient, but what we so often miss is that often God chooses to show himself to us through a brother or sister! There’s Biblical evidence that God intended all along for us to work in communities of people who are there for each other, to help each other, to bear each others burdens and yes, even to love each other enough to point out sin in each other’s lives. The last one is a tough one for many people because it makes us uncomfortable. We wanna be left alone to do our own thing but when times get tough, we wish for community.

You will get hurt, you will have people wrongly accusing you of sin, that will hurt you, you will be let down! We’re human for crying out loud!

So is it worth it?

I’m turning a blank here because words cannot begin to describe how awesome living in biblical community is! I guess you could say I have extra need for community due to my health issues especially in the future. Words cannot describe how often the communities I’ve been involved with have been there for me, prayed for me, called out areas I needed to repent of, hurt me sometimes, forgave me, encouraged me and on and on. (my family tops all this but I’m just assuming that’s a given 🙂 ) God has allowed me to experience Him in way richer forms through community then I ever would have experienced alone.

Recently the elders and prayer team at The Village laid hands on me in prayer for healing. While bowing my head, with many amazing friends standing around including my community leader, I was overwhelmed with God’s love & peace. A love and peace I would never know if I would try to face life alone. I feel sorry for so many people who have been hurt by other imperfect people in churches and turn their backs on living in real, open and rich community only to experience misery and miss out on one of the primary ways God shows Himself to us.

Community is a covenant not a come and go as you please. It’s, I’m here for you no matter what. If you hurt me I’ll love you back. If you approach me about sin, I’m listening. Why? Because only through this kind of community do we experience God to the fullest!

If you’re still not convinced that living in community is better, just go join a Biblical community and start first with pouring your life out for them. You’ll see.

Personally I’m thankful to go to a church that views church membership as a biblical command. No its not biblical to demand membership so we can breath down each other’s backs about personal preferences. It’s a covenant which means you’re with it through thick and thin and for better or for worse for as long as God is calling you to that community. Just make sure your community is centered around the Gospel and not man-made religion.

Here’s what the Bible has to say about “one anothering”

Leviticus 19:11	“‘Do not steal. “‘Do not lie. “‘Do not deceive one another.
John 13:14	Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
John 13:34	“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
John 13:35	By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Romans 12:10	Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:16	Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.
Romans 13:8	Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.
Romans 14:13	Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.
Romans 15:7	Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Romans 15:14	I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
Romans 16:16	Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.
1 Corinthians 1:10	I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
Galatians 5:13	You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature;  rather, serve one another in love.
Ephesians 4:2	Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:32	Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 5:19	Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
Ephesians 5:21	Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Colossians 3:13	Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Colossians 3:16	Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
1 Thessalonians 5:11	Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Hebrews 3:13	But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
Hebrews 10:24	And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Hebrews 10:25	Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another– and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
James 4:11	Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.
1 Peter 3:8	Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.
1 Peter 4:9	Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
1 Peter 5:5	Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another , because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
1 John 1:7	But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all  sin.
1 John 3:11	This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
1 John 3:23	And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
1 John 4:7	Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:11	Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 John 4:12	No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
1 Peter 4:8	Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
James 5:16	Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
James 5:9	Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
Hebrews 13:1	Keep on loving each other as brothers.
2 Thessalonians 1:3	We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:15	Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
1 Thessalonians 5:13	Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
1 Thessalonians 5:11	Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 4:18	Therefore encourage each other with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:9	Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.
1 Thessalonians 3:12	May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
Colossians 3:13	Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Colossians 3:9	Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
Philippians 4:2	I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.
Ephesians 4:32	Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Galatians 5:26	Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Galatians 6:2	Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Corinthians 12:25	so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.
Galatians 5:15	If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
1 Corinthians 11:33	So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other.
Romans 1:12	that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.
Ephesians 4:16	From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Philippians 2:3-5	Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.