A Place to Belong

We all need to have a place to belong, a church family, a care group, a bible study. Somewhere where we can be committed to a group of fellow believers. This allows us to:

1) be a witness to the world...

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
John 13:35

2) have a place to practice unselfish, sympathetic love...

Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
1 John 1:16

3) grow faster and stronger in our spiritual walks by learning from others and being accountable to them...

As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
Ephesians 4:16

4) use the gifts that God has given us...

A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.
1 Corinthians 12:7

5) have a share in the work that is being accomplished in His Kingdom...

He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Ephesians 2:10

6) have someone to keep us from backsliding...

Encourage one another daily...so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
Hebrews 3:13

If you know people who have wandered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back.
James 5:19

When we share life and become open about our lives with others...

a) we experience genuine heart-to-heart friendships...

If we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other...If we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves.
1 John 1:7-8

Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.
James 5:16

We only grow by taking risks and being honest with ourselves and with others.

b) we experience the art of giving and receiving...

The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part.
1 Corinthians 12:25

I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.
Romans 1:12

We are not responsible FOR everyone in the Body of Christ but we are responsible TO them. We need to do what we can to help.

c) we experience sympathy (sharing pain with others) which helps us feel understood and validated...

Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2

d) we experience mercy...

When people sin, you should forgive and comfort them, so they won't give up in despair.
2 Corinthians 2:7

You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
Colossians 3:13

How do we accomplish these kinds of relationships? Commitment. We need to be committed, honest (speaking in love), humble (thinking of ourselves less), courteous (respecting our differences), trustworthy (keeping confidences), and regular (frequently meeting).

We also need to protect these relationships by focusing on the things we have in common and not the differences, being realistic in our expectations, encouraging rather than criticizing, refusing to listen to gossip, working through our conflicts, and supporting the people in leadership.