Christianity is not an individual sport

Our modern Western culture often thinks of everything only in terms of the individual. Many of the questions we ask are to do with our personal situation, like: How does this impact me? What do I get out of this? What do I need to do next?

We are self-interested people, of course, and we will ask these kinds of questions. Yet the Biblical worldview is consistently much more communal than this. We are constantly being encouraged to think about other people, not only ourselves. Even when Jesus summarises the Law, he includes love for God and love for neighbour as the two commandments. Not to strive for personal growth as primary, but to look to love God and neighbour.

This is illustrated well in Acts 2. When the crowd in Jerusalem responded to Peter’s sermon, many repented and were baptised that day. Yet that was not the end of the story. They didn’t all go home and just think about their personal relationship with God. They met together (often!), shared everything, and their fellowship and their mutual learning drew others in. They lived out their lives in community with their new-found brothers and sisters in Christ.

Likewise, when we look at the New Testament letters, we are struck by how often believers were instructed to do things with one another. More than fifty times! Christians were to love one another, serve one another, forgive one another, and more. In so many aspects of life, the expectation was that the Christian life would be lived with other people.

How can we move our thinking and practice more towards the community thinking that we see in the Bible? Here are some brief suggestions:

1. Be an active part of a local church. I know that many Christians float between churches or watch things online. This only makes us think more individually, not less. We need to pick a local church, physically turn up, and get to know and serve people there. This is the foundation of the communal Christian life.
2. Talk about spiritual issues with other Christians. Discuss what you read in the Bible. Ask questions about what others think. Be part of a Bible study group.
3. Ask yourself: how can I love the others in church? Who can I encourage? Who can I pray for? How can I use my gifts to build others up?

Don’t think of Christianity as just between you and God. You are part of a family.