It’s no secret that this is likely the easiest piece but seemingly the most overlooked. We live in a day and age in which community is something that just isn’t all that important. Think about the last time you came home from a long day at work. If you’re like many in my neighborhood, you pull your car in and close the garage door before you even get out of your vehicle. We’ve taken human interaction out of the equation in much of what we do in our day-to-day lives.
These four components are not tools to start these groups. Rather they are characteristics of these groups. They are what make them different from just another club. The first aspect is community building.
Focusing on community is just keeping the human interaction piece alive and well in our day-to-day living. As a movement of God’s people we seek to be about things God is about. We want to speak where God speaks and remain silent where he is silent. We seek to go where he goes and stay away from things he prevents.
This community building can be called fellowship. It’s a word that the bible uses called koinonia. It’s pronounced coy-n0-nia. The meaning of the word is communion or joint participation. It can also mean fellowship or the sharing of life with one another. When we focus on having koinonia with one another, our focus reflects that of Christ himself. The greatest example of this sharing of community comes from God himself. He even tells us through the scriptures that he made his dwelling among us. He moved in to our neighborhood. He called men and women to be a part of a movement that would impact generations to follow. He invited them to walk alongside him. They shared life together. They ate together. They talked together. They shared common interests like fishing. Jesus just upped the ante every time!
Another example of this community building from scripture is in the book of Acts. Luke tells us what the fellowship of believers looked like right at the outset. When the people of God first started to assemble after Jesus’ ascension, they gathered to share life together, have fellowship. They even sold all that they had and held everything in common. That’s community!
When we talk about community building as part of this F1V3 movement, it’s less about evangelistic efforts and more about building that sense of shared living among the participants in the group. This means that you share stories. You share interests and passions. Go hang at the bar together. Go out to dinner together. Play ball together. Do things in life together.
I know some of you are wondering where the Jesus part of this is. I get it. It’s hard to wait for that part. Sometimes the relationship comes before the preaching. Often in his life, Jesus would heal someone before he called them to follow. Sometimes we need to meet another need with people before the teachings of the bible can come front and center verbally. Notice the word verbally! If you are grounded in the teachings of Christ yourself, then your living out the love of God becomes a witness to those with whom you interact. The same is true for these F1V3 groups.
As these people of God come together and share expressions of faith, hope and life together, they will grow closer to one another. This koinonia will occur. The closer the group becomes and the deeper they grow in the teachings of the bible (this is coming in a later post) the more impactful they become.
But WHY? Why are we even talking about this? Simple – Jesus told us he was about the pursuit of seeking the lost that they might be found. He also calls us to follow him. If we’re going to follow him, then we’re probably going to be about the things he was about! This F1V3 movement isn’t about growing a local church. It’s not about a church name or sustaining a budget! It’s about seeing more baptized followers of Jesus around the world. It’s about fulfilling God’s great-commission.
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