Building community is an activity of the Kingdom of God and the Spirit of King Jesus. It involves hard work. It requires love for all individuals in the community and hospitality for all who are becoming a part of it (churches can’t be closed communities and be NT). It requires forgiveness and reconciliation. It requires humility and gentleness. We kindly allow for each others’ faults when we know that we have our own. Christian community is when we allow the Spirit of our King to knit us together; we are built together for a place for the Spirit to dwell (Ephesians 2:22). Building community is His work as well as ours. We belong to each other because we belong to Him; we live in reverent awe because the King dwells with us preparing us to be the kind of Kingdom that God envisions for all the earth.
“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.” Ephesians 4:2-6 (NLT)
