Do I have to be like everyone else to be a part of the Christian Community?
You aren’t saved into solitude!
Christians aren't meant to follow Jesus alone.
What happens when you become a Christian?
Let’s list some of the wonderful things!
- Your relationship with God is repaired
- You are given a new focus and purpose for your life
- Your sin isn’t counted against you
- You get eternal life
- You have a whole new family
I want to take a closer look at that last thing on the list: “You have a whole new family”. I think that sometimes, when people become Christians they think it’s all about what’s going down between them and God. And while this is partially true, being a Christian is about so much more than just you and God!
You are one of many Christians
Statistics tell us that there are over TWO BILLION calling themselves Christians in the world. That’s a lot of people! And while the number of people who actually follow Jesus is probably smaller than those who identify as “Christian” on an official document, there are still heaps of Christians around the world.
How does that make you feel? Does it make you wonder how God could possibly care for you when there are so many other people following him?
God cares for you!
Just because there are millions of other Christians in the world doesn’t mean God has no room for you and your concerns. In Matthew 10, Jesus says to his disciples, who are worried about facing persecution for their faith…
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
See – Jesus says that God protects even the tiny sparrows, so of course he’ll protect us and show his love to us! And he knows each of us intimately, even down to the exact number of hairs on our heads. The huge number of Christians is no problem for God – he can hear every voice distinctly!
It’s great to be surrounded by so many Christians!
So now that you’re reassured that even though you’re one in two billion, let’s look at the bright side – having up to two billion brothers and sisters in Christ is amazing!
Here are two reasons why…
Firstly, Paul writes that every Christian plays a different role in the body of believers. Have a read of 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. In this passage, Paul points out that while we all have different roles, our roles complement each other and work together to strengthen us as followers of Jesus. We’re a team together – we aren’t meant to do our little job on our own!
Secondly, being surrounded by other Christians means that we always have people around us to help us follow Jesus more faithfully. Paul instructs believers in Colossians 3 to…
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
When we meet with and share our lives with other Christians we get to teach, encourage and rebuke one another so that we can worship God more effectively with our lives.
So what should we do?
Don’t forget that you aren’t running the race of the Christian life alone. You are surrounded by “a great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrew 12:1) to help you live for Jesus every day. These people are your brothers and sisters through Christ – you share God as your Father!
Make sure you are meeting regularly with other believers. It’s highly unlikely you’ll get to meet all the other two billion Christians in the world before heaven, but you can at least meet with some and benefit from the family that God has given you to encourage you.
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