This is a 12 part summer blog series on Authentic Community. I hope you will read along and make some comments. Two books that I would recommend are: Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Making Room for Life by Randy Frazee. An Aspen grove is one of the largest living organisms. They grow in large colonies which are interconnected by a massive root system. Though individual trees only have a life-span of 40-150 years the root system is long-lived. No individual part of an Aspen colony is alive for long apart from the larger colony.
“The existence of any Christian life together depends on whether it succeeds at the right time in bringing out the ability to distinguish between a human ideal and God’s reality, between spiritual and human community.” How do you distinguish between Christian and mere human community? This is a massive question for we all come into church with a self-vision of what Christian community ought or ought not to be. Our past experience and environments have all shaped our idea and vision of what true community should be. But as Bonhoeffer stated in the above quote, it is critical that the Church is actively putting off the human ideal of community and putting on God’s ideal of community. Listen further to what Bonhoeffer in his book Life Together says about community:
“God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visionary ideal of community demands that it be realized by God, by others, and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own law, and judges the brethren and God Himself accordingly. He stands adamant, a living reproach to all others in the circle of brethren. He acts as if he is the creator of the Christian community, as if his dream binds men together. When things do not go his way, he calls the effort a failure. When his ideal picture is destroyed, he sees the community going to smash. So he becomes, first an accuser of his brethren, then an accuser of God, and finally the despairing accuser of himself.”
Christian leaders, pastors and all believers would do well to deeply think and apply these powerful words from Bonhoeffer. The American Church has way too much of man’s visionary dreaming about community and way too little of God’s revelatory vision for community. So, first a few words to Christian leaders and pastors since I am one. I think Bonhoeffer has nailed it. The pastoral profession today is assaulted constantly with the newest visionary dreams of the hippest leaders packaged and ready to roll out to our congregations. But where are the Prophets today who are making a bold stand before the Church at large and calling all leaders to seek His face for a vision of community? Paul prayed it best, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.” (Eph. 1:17) Oh, Christian leaders and pastors be zealous for a God vision of community and may our small and man dreams of community be exposed for what they are. Now, a quick word to all believers about how to distinguish between authentic Christian community and mere human community?
· First, there must be a recognition that our ideal of community is tainted and we need to submit it to the Word of God.
· Second, we must commit to a local church for God can only give us His vision for community as we are part of it.
· Third, we must expect the Holy Spirit to fill us and impart the fruit of the Spirit whereby distinguishing Christian community from mere human attempts at community.
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This is a 12 part summer blog series on Authentic Community. I hope you will read along and make some comments. Two books that I would recommend are: Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Making Room for Life by Randy Frazee. 
