From an early age, we’re implored to pursue a personal relationship with Jesus. It’s not the faith of our parents, friends or pastors that saves us, but a personal declaration of faith in the one who lived, died and rose in victory. We see this in Romans 10:9 (NIV), “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This moment of personal confession marks an incredible moment in the life of a believer. They’ve taken another step forward in the lifelong pursuit of following Jesus, listening to the voice of God and being led by his Spirit.
Unfortunately, likely the result of our consumeristic and self-centric culture, we’ve imposed new, incorrect meaning on the idea of a personal relationship. The “self-centric-meets-Jesus worldview” claims that you don’t need to worry about others as long as you think you’re on good terms with Jesus.
Scripture presents a very different reality.
The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2 about the reality of the Kingdom of God. We were once far off, but through Jesus’ death and resurrection, the wall of hostility that separated us from God has been broken down.
We, as individuals, have unity with God through Jesus, by the Spirit.
But it doesn’t stop there. Paul says the purpose is to “reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross” (Eph. 2:16).
Paul isn’t just referring to individual salvation. He explains this further in verses 19 – 22:
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
We’re no longer distant. We’ve been drawn near. Our foundation is the written word of God through the apostles and prophets. The cornerstone – the essential part of the structure is Jesus himself. What’s even more incredible is this temple isn’t a fixed relic, but a growing, active body to be shaped into a dwelling place for God.
It’s important to recognize what Paul is talking about. As we saw earlier, we have unity with God through Jesus, by the Spirit. But we also have true unity with each other by the Spirit, for the greater purpose of being “built together into a dwelling place for God.”
Life can’t happen in isolation from others. Being a Christian isn’t just about coming to church, listening to sermons or playing worship music in your car. God’s purposes for our lives are worked out in the community.
This pushes against everything our culture is trying to tell us. The way of Jesus isn’t one of self-preservation, of “me first, others second.” The upside-down nature of the Kingdom of God is, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” (Matt. 16:25 NLT). Jesus’ words, not mine. Or in, John 15:13 (NLT) “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Life in unity with other believers isn’t always clean and polished. There’s vulnerability and risk involved, but the benefits outweigh the cost. That’s a promise from Jesus (Matt. 18:20).
It’s the best place to discover your spiritual gifts and put them into action.
It’s a place where personal and corporate holiness is worked out.
It’s a place to edify and be edified.
The bottom line: the way of Jesus isn’t about what you can get. It’s about what you can give.
If your desire is to be built into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit (Eph. 2:22), to tap into the spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:3) and to walk in the good works he prepared for you before the foundation of the earth (Eph 2:10), get connected to the body beyond our gatherings. Let Sunday be the launching point for your week, rather than the finish line.