Devotion #6: The Importance Of Community

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:42 

We need a community for all different aspects of life; for love, prayer, wisdom, accountability, friendship, and discipleship. I could go on and on. Yet, most importantly, it is important who we spend our time with. From past experiences, I like to ask myself these questions to keep accountable: 

I remember a time in my life when I did not have a community that led me to Christ, and it was a hard time for me. I was what you called a “sitting on the fence” Christian. I was living life my own way, hanging out with friends who did not honor the Lord, and more. The people you surround yourself with will always have an impact on your life, whether it is good or bad. 

As a young adult, I am blessed to have a God who showed me this early on. He separated me from a group of friends that did not push me to Him, which, in hindsight, I am thankful for. I was alone for a while, and it was the darkest time in my spiritual life, but God met me where I was. Little did I know, the only issue I had was that I was unwilling to fully give my all to Him. I would not have realized this if He had not separated me from those friends. I remember calling my mom one day, and I was a mess. It had been a while since I talked to anyone about my personal relationship with God. There were lots of tears, and I could not get words out through those tears. However, my mom heard my cries and came right over to my place, spoke truth into my life, and prayed over me. She reminded me that I am a child of God and I need to love Him with all my might. I wrote Mark 12:30 all over my apartment, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” 

I am blessed to have a mom who is so full of God’s love and wisdom and who was able to pray with me during the time I needed her most. Since then, I have learned a lot about community and all of its benefits when we surround ourselves with the right people. Yet, I know that some people do not have that. That does not mean that there is not a community out there that will love you like my mom did for me. There is a community right here at the church that will intercede in your life and will pray with you, give you accountability, and with the strength of the Holy Spirit, give you scriptural wisdom when you cannot see it. I am blessed to be a part of a church where I have so many friends, Growth Community members, and more people who will have my back when I need them. 

This makes me think of a story in the Bible. When Peter went to jail, a community of people were praying for Him, which then led to an angel freeing Peter. 

Acts 12:11-17 says, “When Peter came to himself, he said, ‘Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.’ When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, ‘You are out of your mind.’ But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, ‘It is his angel!’ But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, ‘Tell these things to James and to the brothers.’ Then he departed and went to another place.” 

Peter was going through a tough time, and He had a community of people praying for Him the entire time. 

I am very encouraged to be a part of a church that offers so many opportunities for community. They include Sunday gatherings at nine locations, Growth Communities across so many different towns, from Young Adults to Married Couples, and even places like Recovery Tuesdays at Waterford. There are so many opportunities for people to connect and be there for one another. We serve such an amazing God who gives us the gift of community. We have to make sure we are spending time in that community. Ask yourself these questions: 

If you need a community and you are having a hard time connecting with one, please visit us online and fill out the form! Someone from The River Church will help you get connected.