Don’t Go It Alone

My oldest son is fascinated by the TV series Alone.  It’s a reality show where contestants are willingly thrust into a wilderness, completely isolated.  Last man standing wins the prize.  I haven’t watched the show, but my 14-year-old son assures me “it’s legit bruh.”   

While a show about isolated contestants might be entertaining, a very similar scene is playing out in our high-tech world with the reality of isolated Christians.  These are believers who willingly choose to isolate themselves from Biblical community, while trying to survive off the scraps of Christian podcasts, YouTube videos, and Facebook posts.  This kind of Christian might attend an occasional Sunday gathering but they have no meaningful Christian relationships and they like it that way.  

The Bible is clear that we are saved as individuals, but not saved to live individually.  To be isolated as a Christian is to be isolated from experiencing God’s key source of sustaining grace, his people.  It’s why we are commanded to meet regularly and to stir each other up into good works (Hebrews 10:19-25).  

And its why I want to provide you with at least three reasons why you need Biblical community: 

Defense Against the Enemy

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

If you watch Alone, you’ll notice that nearly half the contestants tap out for fear of becoming a wild animal’s dinner.  Unfortunately, many Christians don’t have that same healthy respect for our real enemy.  If we had spiritual eyes to see, we’d be keenly aware of Satan prowling around, in search of believers who’ve strayed from the herd (1 Peter 5:8).  Show me an isolated Christian and I’ll show you a targeted Christian.  

Bear Each Other’s Burdens

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Eight years ago, my family was given the biggest burden we’ve ever carried when our middle child was diagnosed with cancer.  Our church family truly showed us what it meant to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2) as they cried with us, prayed for us, and sacrificially gave their time to us.  I hope you never need your church family for an emergency like that, but the fact remains that you do need them for everyday living.  Which is what brings us to the third reason you need Biblical community…

To Serve and Be Served with Spiritual Gifts

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

We all have spiritual gifts to be shared within the community of believers (Ephesians 4:11-15).  How maddening it must be for angels to see first-hand the daily dark clouds of the depressed mother while simultaneously watching the gifted Christian lady who could offer light to the darkness.  If she’d only put down the ipad.  How frustrating to see a young Christian man struggling with temptation while the older man just down the pew has the capacity to encourage him into holiness.  If he’d just put down the golf clubs.  

In the TV show Alone, one winner takes home the prize money.  In the real world, only one person was strong enough to spiritually survive being thrust into the wilderness to fight off the enemy’s attacks (Matthew 4:1-11).  His name is Jesus.  Our savior had victory over isolation so that we can live in covenant community.  There are no secluded saints that win the daily spiritual battles, so the fact remains—we need each other.    

With that in mind, Doxa Church is kicking off Doxa Community groups (DCs) and I want to challenge you to take that next step into biblical community.  Sign up below!

Jon Wood

The Director of Discipleship