Connecting With Purpose

When I was a teenager, like many others, I had a crew that I spent most of my time with. We went to movies, went cruising, got into a little bit of trouble now and then, but most of the time we just hung out. Whether it was listening to music, talking about nothing, or watching TV, we spent a lot of time simply “hanging out.” None of us felt like we had the weight of the world on our shoulders. Some of us worked part-time to make some extra spending cash, but none of us were overly stressed out or worried about the world around us. Van Halen’s next lead singer was more important to us than who the next president was. Who was going to lead the NFL in rushing carried more weight than the world hunger crisis or the AIDS epidemic. Quite literally, we lived some pretty stress-free lives. We didn’t need a reason to hang out other than we liked hanging out. That was enough for us to see each other as our “ride or dies.” 

Fast forwarding to today, I have a lot on my plate, like most adults. I have a family that depends on me to provide for them. My “job” carries eternal significance that I can’t take lightly. I own a house, so we all know what that entails. I also do other things that help provide for my family through video production and podcasting. In the midst of all of that, I need to be present with my wife and kids and be the spiritual leader they need. All of that to say, “Being a responsible adult takes work, and the worry-free teenage years are long gone. Now, if I want to “hang out” with someone, it’s very different. There has to be a reason and a purpose to it. There simply aren’t enough days in the hours to do that. Time is more precious now than it’s ever been, and I can’t waste it like I could when I was younger. 

For us to be in community with people, we can’t just be there “because.” We have to have a legitimate reason to do just about anything. Most of us can’t just make time for everything, so it has to be something that matters to us. So why should community within our church matter? What makes spending time with our brothers and sisters so important? It’s how God designed us, and it’s the primary way that we grow. He never meant for us to try to live this life alone. 

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24–25

Today, we often get so busy with things that genuinely distract us from our relationship with Christ, leading us to believe we have no time for Him or His bride. One of Satan’s best tools to pull us away from the Church is busyness. The more stuff that we can be doing, the less time we have for our church, our community group, or our Bible study. And the less time we spend with God’s people, the more detached we become from God’s people. Ball games, concerts, and home improvement projects, none of them are bad things, but when we put off intentional time with the Body of Christ, we rob our souls of something much more important. Ask anyone who is thriving in their walk with Christ, and they will, nearly 100% of the time, tell you that much of their spiritual growth is due to intentional time with others. 

Being able to bounce ideas off of others, share in victories and losses, or simply have an ear to hear is vital for the growth of a disciple. Everyone in the Church is important to the Church. To think you can do it without that doesn’t seem to gibe with what God’s word says. 

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
1 Corinthians 12:21–26

We are meant to go through life’s many adventures as one body. And that body is here to help us all navigate the rough waters that are this life. Again, we aren’t meant to do this alone, but because of this world we live in, we think we can. Unfortunately, those who try find themselves missing out on one of God’s greatest gifts….others. How do you live out the Great Commission if there aren’t other people? How do you share in each other’s trials if there aren’t others? In a very real way, the Christian life is devoid of real life when we isolate and try to survive alone. So, the big question is, “How do I prioritize living life with other believers?” For most of us, we want to know what we benefit from being more involved in the Church body, and that’s valid. We should receive blessing from being a part of the Bride of Christ. However, we also need to ask what we can provide for the Bride. The Church isn’t meant to be a group of consumers. It’s meant to be full of producers, people who want to bring what they have to the Church and be a benefit for it. 

It’s amazing how much more we prioritize something when we realize we are needed…..and you are needed! We know how important the brain, heart, and lungs are to the body, but a body without fingers can’t pick up anything. An arm without joints is almost worthless. Just because a part doesn’t seem to have major implications for making the body better doesn’t mean it isn’t important or necessary. Without proper valves, the heart can’t work properly. Without the alveoli, the lungs are worthless. And without the many variations of nerves, the brain can’t accomplish much. When we realize the vital parts that we all play in the Church Body, we see why we need to place a higher priority on being present. 

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12:3–8

Just as the body will suffer when a part of it is missing, those body parts will always die without the rest of the body. God designed us to work in tandem with each other. He created us to be a better light unto this world by serving as one and moving together. He didn’t just call us to “hang out.” He called us for something greater. He called us for His purpose. It’s on us to stay connected with the body, but we must always remember that we are connected with a purpose.