In a Christian community, everything depends upon whether each individual is an indispensable link in a chain. Only when even the smallest link is securely interlocked is the chain unbreakable. A community which allows unemployed members to exist within it will perish because of them. It will be well, therefore, if every member receives a definite task to perform for the community, that he may know in hours of doubt that he, too, is not useless and unusable. Every Christian community must realize that not only do the weak need the strong, but also that the strong cannot exist without the weak. The elimination of the weak is the death of the fellowship. ... Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
A chain unconnected is a collection of links, useless for the work it was intended, and likewise a Christian unconnected is also not able to accomplish the work intended by our Savior.
A link connected in a chain is indispensable, no chain can work to its purpose without each individual link firmly in place, likewise each member of the Christian community is indispensable to the Church when connected in their place, and thus it is able to accomplish the work set forth by our Savior.
From the early beginnings of the Church the community of believers was indistinguishable from its leaders when it met in common. Each person ate from a common table, lived in a common house, and worked toward a common goal. From the very beginning we were intended to be like that community of believers so many years ago. We were charged by our Savior to be different than any other group of people today, we were to come together in common, share worship in common, care for each other through the week and lift each other up. We were to love God fiercely with all that we have in our very souls, and we were to love each other as we love ourselves. We were to be transparent, leaving our sinful nature at the door and come together in the Spirit of unity and brotherly/sisterly love and communion. This is the only acceptable fellowship for us, as it was given to us by God, anything less dishonors God’s call.
Each member, from the sister sitting in the last row in the last seat, to the preacher was to be equal in their standing in the community. We are to live and breathe in community, even if we only do it when we gather together for practice, devotion, study or worship. Each member is important, and each member has equal importance. Our community is made up of Christians at different levels of their Christian walk, some eating meat some drinking milk. We must ask ourselves; are we being faithful to each of these members, or are we being faithful to our needs and desires for how things should go? Like good ole Dietrich says above, “Every Christian community must realize that not only do the weak need the strong, but also that the strong cannot exist without the weak. The elimination of the weak is the death of the fellowship”.
We must above all else, above the delivery of the word, above the development of the songs, above the preparation of the sanctuary remember that what we were called to do was to come together in community to love God and each other, everything else is a residual effect of that call from God.
A chain unconnected is a collection of links, useless for the work it was intended, and likewise a Christian unconnected is also not able to accomplish the work intended by our Savior.
A link connected in a chain is indispensable, no chain can work to its purpose without each individual link firmly in place, likewise each member of the Christian community is indispensable to the Church when connected in their place, and thus it is able to accomplish the work set forth by our Savior.
From the early beginnings of the Church the community of believers was indistinguishable from its leaders when it met in common. Each person ate from a common table, lived in a common house, and worked toward a common goal. From the very beginning we were intended to be like that community of believers so many years ago. We were charged by our Savior to be different than any other group of people today, we were to come together in common, share worship in common, care for each other through the week and lift each other up. We were to love God fiercely with all that we have in our very souls, and we were to love each other as we love ourselves. We were to be transparent, leaving our sinful nature at the door and come together in the Spirit of unity and brotherly/sisterly love and communion. This is the only acceptable fellowship for us, as it was given to us by God, anything less dishonors God’s call.
Each member, from the sister sitting in the last row in the last seat, to the preacher was to be equal in their standing in the community. We are to live and breathe in community, even if we only do it when we gather together for practice, devotion, study or worship. Each member is important, and each member has equal importance. Our community is made up of Christians at different levels of their Christian walk, some eating meat some drinking milk. We must ask ourselves; are we being faithful to each of these members, or are we being faithful to our needs and desires for how things should go? Like good ole Dietrich says above, “Every Christian community must realize that not only do the weak need the strong, but also that the strong cannot exist without the weak. The elimination of the weak is the death of the fellowship”.
We must above all else, above the delivery of the word, above the development of the songs, above the preparation of the sanctuary remember that what we were called to do was to come together in community to love God and each other, everything else is a residual effect of that call from God.
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