Community

We Are Never Alone

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

This past Sunday evening, and student from my small group gave a message on the idea that we are not alone because God is always with us. I loved this topic because it’s such a true statement and an idea that I have faced and I think many have faced as well. This feeling of loneliness that plagues so many. It’s not the idea of being alone, because we can’t be around everyone all the time, the closest to that you can get is having a spouse, but that’s not what this idea is about. It’s an empty feeling, one that makes it seem like there is no one around to talk to, no way to open up about what we are feeling. It’s not only a horrible feeling, but a dangerous trap. Isolation is the word that best describes this lonely feeling because it encompasses the problems that can arise. Isolation leads to a blocking out of outsides voices trying to guide you. What happens is we fall into a downward spiral of chaos and cause us to sin, and be trapped with no way of escaping. This is a pretty heavy idea, but it’s one that needs to be brought to light for those who are feeling alone or have fallen into complete isolation, and it needs to be brought to light for one simple idea and that is that we are never alone.

Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” This I a simple statement from the Lord to Joshua, because Joshua felt alone. He was a man tasked with a job of leading the people of Israel after Moses passed away. He was left to guide hundreds of people, to lead them through the dessert as well as guide them in actions that were pleasing to the Lord. He was scared, he felt like he could not make it, yet God spoke to him and said that He was with Joshua wherever he went and through whatever he did. This passage in scripture has been a comforting piece for me especially. There have been many times where I have felt unable to keep going, when life gets hard and I feel alone, I want to quit. Yet over and over I am reminded of the fact that I am never alone. I struggle with this loneliness, I understand feeling like there is no one around you to help, but this myth is a lie from the enemy. When I feel this creep up around me, I turn to the one I put my trust in. It didn’t begin this way, it took me a long time to realize the importance of knowing that God is always there and that we need to seek out community. Today I’d like to share three of those discoveries that I have come to that have helped me overcome isolation.

God is with us in the darkness.

In all situations God is with us, this is the message my student Chris spoke about on Sunday. It is the key to begin this journey out of a life of isolation. When we feel like no one is with us, we don’t see the point in moving towards community with others, the darkness in our life begins to consume all that we are. Once we realize that we have an all-powerful God in our corner, we can rise up out of the darkness and fight back. It gives us the confidence to say that we can make it. When Joshua realized that God was with him, he rose up and knew that he could lead the people. Not by his strength alone, but with the strength of God.

We were not made to be alone.

God is always with us, but at the same time we cannot stay in that place. Back in high school I knew that God was with me, but I didn’t want to make any effort into looking for a community. I had been made fun of and that made it hard for me to want to get close to anyone else, I was still isolated. One of the best things for me, and I’ve talked about this before, my High school small group allowed me to be with others who were like me and who were willing to be open about their lives. I was no longer afraid of what people would say because I had a group that could guide me. They helped me to no longer fear what anyone would say. I knew that God was with me and I had a community of guys that helped me take on whatever was thrown at me.

We are better together.  

As you may know by the name of my blog, I love comic books, and one of the biggest life lessons that I have learned by reading comic books is the fact that we are better together. So many stories have a hero who finds themselves with a great power and learns how to use it to help others. They have a mentor and a close cycle of people they trust and rely on to be accountable and get better. Then they face an evil that is too big to defeat on their own, then they find a team, whether it’s the avengers, x-men, or any other team, they unite and win. I just described every superhero story ever to you, and guess what? It’s not just a story. In life we find a passion that we pursue, we seek a mentor who is wise and helps us. Then we cling to a community of like-minded people to grow together and encourage one another. A problem that happens is that we forget to take that final leap, and when we run into a bigger struggle, we fall away, when all we need to do is run to that team of skilled people. Once I joined Daystar I felt as if I had just joined a mission that was bigger than me, but still wanted me because they saw that not only I but everyone is important to the body of Christ. I began to serve, I helped others that were new to the Church, and we become a stronger force when come together. My struggle with isolation diminished, because I had a community that would love and help me no matter what I faced.

20130502-WBURG-slide-7AEQ-superJumbo

I hope today you have realized that not only are you never alone, but you have a bigger purpose than to be trapped in isolation. It may seem like there is nowhere to go, believe me when I say that I understand, know that there is a way to be free. Just like God told Joshua that he was with him, God is with you. Find community, build a trust with them, and realize you are made for more in this world. I have seen the effects of isolation, and I have seen friends that were close to me never break free, believe me when I say this. No matter what is happening in your life, you can find freedom, you just need to grab hold of it.

Thanks for reading, where do you find life giving community? I’d love to hear from those who are reading these. Feel free to comment and share your thoughts.

-Joshua Thomas

The Value of Community

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

Life is hard. We go through some of the toughest trials imaginable, whether it be a loss of someone close to us, heart ache from the hurt others have done to us, a lack of vision over our lives; we have all been through these. Sometimes it is hard to understand how to get through it all. This caused me to think about one important element in my own life and walk with the Lord, community. As humans, we are built to crave community, without it, we physically and emotionally cannot grow. This then led me to ask myself, why is community such an important element to not only our physical well-being, but also to our spiritual walk? To be honest, I have never really looked at the reasons why it is so beneficial, I only knew that I like to be in community with others. Sounds funny right? How can I enjoy community and not know the reason why we need it. As I was thinking about this, I searched for scripture that deals with this idea. Two verses kept coming back and was a perfect of picture of what community is. Hebrews 10: 24- 25 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.” As well as Proverbs 27:17, which says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” While praying over these verses, I believe there are three reasons why community is so vital to our journey in Christ.

Community increases our individual growth.

In my walk with Christ, small groups played an enormous role in my life. Back in my ninth grade, I felt outcast. My old church was not a healthy growth place for me, and yet I did not seek to change. When my parents first went to Daystar, I wanted nothing to do with any of it, I was done with youth groups. One day my mom told me that a youth small group was going to be at my house, and that I would be at it. I didn’t want to be there, but I was forced (I know, forced to be at a small group that would change my life, oh woe is me). The first night was incredible, it was the first time I had been able to talk to people that were real in their faith, they didn’t wear masks to save face, they were open and honest about their struggles. I was changed forever. After that evening I kept going, got involved with serving, made friends who I will love for the rest of my life. I now serve with the next generation in elementary and high school, I intern with the youth ministry, and I truly own my faith. I say all of this to show how that community was the catalyst for my spiritual growth, and without it, I don’t even know where I would be. That line in Hebrews says how we spur each other on, I am now able to help others grow in their walks and create life change. I am so thankful for community.

Community increases encouragement.

For myself, and most likely many of you, I need encouragement. As I said earlier, life gets hard, and people say words that can cut us to our core. Whether it is said as a joke, a sarcastic comment, or a purely malice deed, words hurt us. People don’t realize the power of the tongue, and people act carelessly with that power. This is why we need a community that gives encouragement. I am so thankful for my family, they have always supported me through the toughest times in my life. My parents will always listen and speak life giving advice and encouragement that helps me grow and be wise in my walk. I am so thankful for that, I love them for their words. I have been around “friends” that just speak death, and maybe you have these people in your life and are thinking of them now. My advice on that is, get rid of them. Show these people love, but don’t invest in them if all you receive is hurt and pain. Surround yourself with a community that provides support and encouragement. Trust me, you will live with so much more joy. This is the importance of the last line in Hebrews, find people that you can receive encouragement from.

Community gives wisdom that you can give to others.

I want to state the verse in Proverbs again, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” That verse sums up the final aspect of community. As you grow and receive encouragement, which is the sharpening of iron. The second, states that so one person sharpens another. That person is you. That person is me. We aren’t made to just receive and receive over and over, we are to give back to those in community around us! Our human nature is to be selfish, but Christ tells us to live selfless lives. Share with those around you, speak to those you care about. Earlier I talked about how I was in a small group that changed my life forever, and now as time has passed and I have graduated, I lead a small group. I want my students to see how valuable they are in life, how they should run after their dreams, and pursue Christ in everything they do. I do this because I was told these same things, and I am so grateful for that! Speak life to those around you, I always try to encourage my family because they continually encourage me. I want to be careful with my tongue because I know what it feels like to be told by others that you aren’t worth it, or that you will never reach your dreams. Those are lies, the truth is that we are children of the one true God, and we should act like that towards everyone. Sharpen others just as you have been sharpened.

 small group

This is the picture of that first small group that I was in, some weren’t in this picture, but these were the people who first taught me about community. I hope you see just how vital community plays a role in our lives. Not only do we need it in order to grow in our own spiritual journey, but we need to be intentional about those who we are in community with. We shouldn’t just receive, but give because we have been poured into so much. A simple conversation could change a person for the rest of their life. That is the value of community, community is the place where people are loved, where people find peace in their trials, and where people find wisdom from the people that care about them. Be intentional about your community, speak life to those around you, encourage one another, and sharpen those around you.

-Joshua Thomas