God is the First Community, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the Bible is the story of God’s Community on earth.
The Trinity indicates the fundamental truth of the universe is community. Before God created anything, He was a community of love.
From the opening of God’s revelation to humankind, God communicated the relationality of His creation.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
in
the image of God he created him;
male
and female he created them.
Genesis 1:26-27
We see relational tones throughout this revelation.
- Let us. Vs. 26
- Make man in our image. Vs. 26
- Have dominion over. Vs. 26
- God blessed them. Vs. 28
- Be fruitful and multiply. Vs. 28
God’s impartation of His relationality is powerfully seen in Genesis 2:18.
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
God creates a second component of His new community on earth, Eve. Genesis 2:22-23
22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and
flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because
she was taken out of Man.”
God directs Adam and Eve to form the third component of His three-component community.
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
God is the First Community, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the Bible is the story of God’s Community on earth.
This social nature of God and His creation is a focus of scientific minds in the discipline known as sociology.
Sociology is a study of society, patterns of social relationships, social interaction and culture of everyday life. Wikipedia.
From the beginning of time, God has been directing patterns of social relationships and social interactions.
Let’s reflect upon God’s revealed guidance for social relationships and social interactions of the globally famous “Ten Commandments.” Exodus 20
- You shall have no other God’s before me.
- You shall not make for yourself a carved image.
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- Honor your father and mother.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or servants or ox or donkey or anything that is your neighbor’s.
God is the First Community, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the Bible is the story of God’s Community on earth.
At the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, God created an entirely new community.
One of the purposes of the Holy Spirit outpouring is to create God’s new community on earth, “The Community of the Spirit.”
From the day of the Spirit’s outpouring, God’s “Community of the Spirit” began new, fresh and life-giving patterns of social relationships and social interaction. Acts 2:42-47
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Their social relationships and social interactions were:
- Devoted to the apostles’ teaching. Vs. 42
- Devoted to the fellowship (social group). Vs. 42
- Devoted to Holy Communion. Vs. 42
- All who believed were together. Vs. 44
- And had all things in common. Vs. 44
- Selling then distributing the proceeds as the “Community of the Spirit” had need. Vs. 45
- They connected with the “Community of the Spirit” every day. Vs. 46
- Went to the temple and went to each other’s homes. Vs. 46
- Received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God. Vs. 46
The Community of the Spirit is so perfectly aligned with the nature of God’s human creation that people were added to His new community every day. Vs. 47
Let’s end our teaching time together with thinking about The Community of the Spirit and the social isolation of our world today.
- It is not good for humans to be alone. Find ways to connect with people AND keep the appropriate spacing.
Social distancing, YES! Relational distancing, NO!
- Heart to heart communication is essential to override the negative aspects of physical distancing.
- Devote yourself to your congregation’s teachings.
- Devote yourself to your congregation’s people.
- Devote yourself to holy communion.
- Be prepared for your food and resources to be shared with others in “The Community of the Spirit.”
Would you like to join this God inspired “Community of the Spirit?” Acts 2:38
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.