Church as Family, Part 4: Kingdom Community

Last time, I argued that Kingdom leaders should come alongside their brothers and sisters to assist them in their godly pursuits with the gifts and skills that God’s grace has supplied to them.[1] While the focus last time was on leadership, this time it is imperative to say that the whole community of God has a responsibility to love each other. After all, the community communing with and worshiping the Lord together is the point of “Ekklesia,” and if that is happening properly, there is no need for authoritative leadership.[2]

The community is to welcome, serve, teach, encourage, restore, and love each other. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12, all believers have received manifestations of the Spirit for the good of the community, and a proper stewardship of those gifts is to use them lovingly to edify our brothers and sisters.[3] This is a necessity in the assembling of the saints.[4] Rather than resembling a presentation or movie theater, the gathering of the saints should resemble a spiritual potluck where everyone brings a bit of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to share with others.[5] In this way, every member is necessary and needed and no member can say to another, “you aren’t needed or welcome” (1 Cor. 12:21, author’s paraphrase).

We all know Him, and we are all priests who can share Him with another for His glory.

[1]Compare with Ephesians 4:11-12, 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, and 1 Peter 4:10-11.

[2]That is, leaders need only exercise discipline when sin is running rampant and no one is addressing it.

[3]1 Corinthians 12:1-7.

[4]1 Corinthians 14:26.

[5]Richard Jacobson, Unchurching: Christianity Without Churchianity (Nashville: Unchurching Books, 2016), 51.