Godly Community

 Last week my family and I had the opportunity to visit our extended family in Las Vegas – and yes, it was hot. We also visited one of our closest and dearest friends we hadn’t seen in a long time. They are a married couple with two sons, similar in age to our oldest boys. They were part of our small group at a church I was a pastor in Vegas. We studied Scripture in bible studies, prayed for each other, had fun together (epic Cranium game matchups), and sometimes cried for each other. What made our friendship special, though, was the honesty we shared. Over the years, we built a trust that allowed us to speak the truth into each other’s lives – even when it hurts. This relationship worked because we desired to see Christ in each other. Not to blame or be judgmental, but to truly see spiritual growth. Going to church with these friends was awesome because our goal was to gather for worship and praise the One God we believe in (Ephesians 4:1-6).

The author of Hebrews offers this encouragement concerning the gathering of believers – “And let us consider one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25, CSB). What does a godly community and relationship look like? It’s people who encourage each other to be more like Jesus.

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