Here are a few excerpts on the importance of community in the Christian’s life:
“To be a Christian, if means anything at all, means being gathered out of isolation into the corporate life of the body of Christ. Christian islands simply do not exist! In Christ we belong together. According to Scripture a right relationship to God is to a significant degree a right relationship to God’s people. The quality of Christians’ relationships with fellow believers, particularly in the local church, is therefore one of the primary indicators of the quality of their relationship with the Lord.” (Milne, We Belong Together, 7).
“No Christian is self-sufficient – we need each other (1 Cor. 12:19-21). Each member’s gifts and contribution is required. Not one can be dispensed with. The loss of any member’s gift and ministry means the impoverishment of the whole…It is within the carrying, praying, sharing fellowship of believer men and women hat God intends the Christian life to be lived.” (Milne, We Belong Together, 61).
“God has put certain people in your life and will lead others across your path to encourage and correct you…While God can reveal himself in dramatic visions and dreams, his common means of providing wisdom and guidance to his people is through his people as hey exhort one another in the Word (cf. Hb. 3:12-13). Make no mistake about it – you need to hear from others for your own progress in he faith…Proverbs tells us there are answers to be found in the counsel of friends (Pr. 24:6). What this implies is that you need the local church, and you need to see the body of Christ as the people God brings into your life to learn from. So the local church must be more than a weekly event. It needs to be your covenant community and extended family who have the privilege to exhort you – to speak into your life when you need it most.” (Joe Thorn, Note to Self, 84).
“You are not strong enough, or spiritual enough to successfully follow Jesus and be faithful on your own. The words of God recorded in Genesis, “It is not good for man to be alone,” speak not only to marriage but also to a very basic need all people have. We are created by God to dwell in community.” (Joe Thorn, Note to Self, 87).