One of the models that the Lord has tried to teach us over and over in both the Old and New Testament, and I believe we have sadly missed in the American Church, is the importance of community. A “Tribe” if you will…
A community or tribe is simply a crew of people that break bread together, pray together, drink wine together, and love God and each others family together. It’s not huge, it’s not religious; it’s just a small group of people doing “Life” together.
Maybe the reason we have not embraced community is the way the enemy, cults and the world have perverted it. I am not sure about you, but I am very tired of the enemy dictating how the Church should operate!! We drive home each night, our garage doors go up, we go in, our garage doors go down. We get lost in our busy lifestyles and just don’t invite people in. Do our neighbors even know who we are; I mean really know who we are?
In Genesis 2:18 the Lord God says it Himself, “It is not good for the man to be alone”. Tribes were formed that became mini nations; God’s intent from the beginning, is that we do this thing called “life”, together!
Jesus had his 11 or 12 He broke bread with, wept with, trained, rebuked, His community was His life. Paul mentions his companions and brothers and sisters in Christ over and over. People that he could trust that would lay their lives and priority’s down, a community of radical believers that helped him run the race.
My wife and I have six incredible kids, and we actually believe the statement that “It takes a village to raise a child” We don’t want to do this alone! We need our community of “Like Minded” people to speak into the lives of our kids, things we can not, or refuse to see. Our “tribe” is awesome.
It is a few families, some just married, some married over 40 years, and a few single people that we have discipled.
Our tribe is a crew of mixed people, lots of problems, and a lot to give, just living life together.
This next generation will only thrive when they have community. Every poll will tell you that being a part of a tribe is in their top three priority’s of life. We must model what true community is and bring them in, if we don’t, someone else will…
