Community Built on the Foundation of the Holy Spirit

This post is dedicated to ERobb for her friendship, kind contributions, and understanding/sharing my viewpoints on community and solitude.

Toward the end of Jesus' ministry, He began to talk about how he would be leaving the apostles. Thoroughly enjoying fellowship with Jesus on Earth, many of the apostles could not comprehend the necessity behind His departure. They insisted that Jesus remain with them, but in John 16:7, He responded by saying, "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you." The Helper that Jesus was speaking of was the Holy Spirit, which is contained within each and every believer in Christ. It assists us in many ways and is quite powerful because it is the living God in all of us. I've borne witness to its amazing power on some of my deployments with Samaritan's Purse because without the Holy Spirit, some of the volunteers would not be able to do what they were doing because they were so far out of their everyday comfort zone.
Not only is the Holy Spirit powerful enough to allow us to gracefully function outside of our comfort zones, but it is what holds the body of Christ together. What many may not realize is that the Holy Spirit binds us to one another, creating a great big family. As Chris Smith said in an article for the Gospel Coalition, "The New Testament reveals that family ties—the strongest human bonds—are redefined not by biological relationships, but by mutual faith in Christ." Through our love of Christ, we can discover and acquire an entire new family if we so choose. Unfortunately, our natural instinct is to seek solitude and avoid community because we are either pursuing our own selfish desires, or we don't understand the importance of a solid Christian community. Proverbs 18:1 warns against this solitude by stating, "Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment." Obviously remaining within a community of believers must be important if it is included in the wisdom that Solomon chose to impart to others. Rather than be self seeking, we must focus on the Holy Spirit within us, which will draw us into community and fellowship with others. As C.S. Lewis put it, "No man can be an exile if he remembers that all the world is one city."
It is necessary to look back at the original Christian church to fully appreciate the bonds of community and how we are all tied to one another. Our goal should be to emulate the first century church in our interactions with fellow Christians. "Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common," is what's written in Acts 4:32 describing this first century group of believers. The Holy Spirit provided them with a singular heart and mindset creating a commonality within the group. Their group dynamics molded them into a tight knit family. They wanted to live their lives in service to one another by reflecting the words found in Galatians 6:2 ~ "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." It is the duty of the community to help and assist one another in any way possible. This requires us to live outside of the walls of isolation and put other's needs ahead of our own. Though this may sound impossible at first, over time and through prayer, the Holy Spirit will give you the mindset to act in an unselfish manner. By putting the needs of others first, you will grow even closer to fellow believers.
The bonds we have with our fellow Christians are strong and unyielding due to our common faith. As the authors of the book Creature of the Word wrote, "Unity in the gospel is much deeper than surface uniformity." In the secular world, we maintain friendships in category subsets that have few, if any, overlaps. You might have friends who shared your college major, others who enjoy similar sports interests, or others with similar music tastes. An amazing aspect of great Christian community, though, is the fact that the Holy Spirit can transcend all boundaries and bind us together in spite of our differences. "The reason Christian love will stand out and bear witness to Jesus is that it is a display, for Jesus' sake, of mutual love for social incompatibles," is a really powerful and eye-opening quote from a D.A. Carson book. By analyzing the community of believers I surround myself with, it becomes evermore apparent that only the Holy Spirit binds me to them. That's because this group of believers consists of a retired firefighter, an accountant, a personal trainer, a registered nurse, a fashion designer, a jazz musician, an avionics specialist, an unemployed computer geek, school teachers, eye doctors, scuba enthusiasts, a marine helicopter pilot, stay at home moms, social workers, a fitness manager/custom painted shoe artist, a pharmacy tech, an outdoor recreation enthusiast, a 911 operator, a college professor, a concert pianist, and an engineering student, just to name a few. Each time I think of all of these family members, I consider the intricate plan that God formulated in order for me to cross paths with these individuals. I know that He has a hand in every aspect of my life and that these people were placed in my path for specific reasons, and for that I'm very thankful.
For a Christian community to be fully effective, the members of the community must not become apathetic about the ability to gather together, and they also must understand how to find a healthy balance between fellowship and solitude. In Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, "It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us, that the time that still separates us from utter loneliness may be brief indeed." We aren't to neglect the blessing of community by forfeiting it out of laziness or selfishness. In the United States, there are no consequences for Christians who meet together and so we let community go to the wayside. In some foreign countries, though, Christian's who meet risk punishment or death, which is why they appreciate the sweetness of fellowship above and beyond those who can freely meet. Rather than becoming apathetic, let us constantly yearn to remain connected to a Christian community. As it is written in Hebrews 10:24-25, "Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Our motivation to love and care for each other should stem out of the knowledge that the last day is creeping closer and Jesus will soon be returning. Why not spend our days encouraging one another and glorifying God in the process?

One danger about community is that some might develop an unhealthy dependence on others. This is on the opposite side of the spectrum to those who have no desire to meet in any form of community. A balance must be struck in order to garner the benefits of fellowship while still being able to maintain a  sense of self. Some forget that solitude is necessary in order to build one's relationship with Jesus by reading the Bible. Dietrich Bonhoeffer offers an ample description involving the dangers of imbalance:  

"One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation, and despair." We must find solitude with Jesus so we can learn how to love others. Then we can bring that love into our communities in order to serve and love one another just like Jesus.
In closing, if you're blessed with a Christian community that becomes like family, don't neglect it or take it for granted. We need each other more than we know. "The physical presence of other believers is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer," is how Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it. In the past couple of months, I have discovered this joy honestly and truly for the very first time. At the moment, there is a ten hour distance between me and the majority of that family. It is my hope and my prayer, though, that God has a plan to provide me with a way to be put in closer proximity with them so that we can encourage one another and share the true joy of community that Bonhoeffer wrote about.