Community. Life.
God started speaking to me about 5 years ago about his heart to see His people reach an understanding of what it means to be in covenent. First with Him, and then with others. Most of the time the easiest thing to equate this to is marriage. And while I believe marriage is designed to be a perfect representation of that, I can’t shake the fact that we as the Body have somehow missed the understanding that we exist to walk this kind of lifestyle out together as well. Corporately. Community is a hot buzz word today, especially in the younger generations. We are crying out for something more, we have heard whispers and rumors that life together in Christ can look different . That it is supposed to look different.That’s what led me to where I am today, trying to walk this out with 11 other people in this thing called Community Life. And I won’t deceive you by leaving out the fact much of the time has been hard, challenging, and sometimes, disappointing. We have had successes and we have had failures. There have been tears of joy and hope, along with just as many, if not more, tears of frustration and hurt. A lot of the time, there have been more questions than answers.
Wow, you may be thinking. Sounds like a blast. Where do I sign up? But, here’s the thing. Even in the midst of all this complicated stuff, there is one thing that God has assured me of: This is His heart. This is His plan for His church. I am not talking about a program or an 11 month internship at a missions agency, but a paradigm shift. We, those who call themselves followers of Christ, have limped along for awhile now under these divide and conquer tactics of the enemy. Our default is survival mode and this keeps us at a polite distance from one another. No one is being set free, but 
no one is really at odds with one another either. John Eldridge describes it as an army that keeps meeting for briefings, but never breaks into platoons and goes to war. Here is the kicker though: We are at war. There is a constant spiritual battle going on around us. The kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of God are always at odds, and as co-heirs with Christ, we have an intergal part to play. We cannot effectively do this, though, if we are constantly fighting one another, or worse yet, keeping ourselves cooly distant to avoid the messiness. An infantry that is in the trenches together has to know one another intimately to defeat the enemy. And as this intimacy is fostered and Kingdom is advanced, freedom is released. We are free to love and be loved-in a way that can radically change the world around us. Gosh, no wonder Satan wants to keep this under wraps.
no one is really at odds with one another either. John Eldridge describes it as an army that keeps meeting for briefings, but never breaks into platoons and goes to war. Here is the kicker though: We are at war. There is a constant spiritual battle going on around us. The kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of God are always at odds, and as co-heirs with Christ, we have an intergal part to play. We cannot effectively do this, though, if we are constantly fighting one another, or worse yet, keeping ourselves cooly distant to avoid the messiness. An infantry that is in the trenches together has to know one another intimately to defeat the enemy. And as this intimacy is fostered and Kingdom is advanced, freedom is released. We are free to love and be loved-in a way that can radically change the world around us. Gosh, no wonder Satan wants to keep this under wraps.
If this stirs your heart, even a little, I encourage you to check out the information below and hit up the ComLife info page. I can’t promise you it will be perfect. I can promise you that going after the things of God’s heart will be worth it.
Program Dates:
September 1, 2009 – July 30, 2010
September 1, 2009 – July 30, 2010
January 8, 2010 — November 19, 2010
To apply, please click here. Once we receive your application, we’ll send more details and contact you to discuss the program. If you have questions, please call 1-800-881-2461 ext 214 or contact our Admissions Department.
Wow, Jessica, and all-were you all cheerleaders in high school? I’ve never seen such jumping-and on high steps. Thanks for the article though-with so much truth in it. God has brought me into a relationship with a young married woman up the street who along with her husband,& young children is a Godly woman. Now after 3 yrs. they are leaving to take a pastorate in middle Ga. at the end of the month. What you said about living out the life in Christ being meant to be done in communnity or covenant with each other, is something I think God is teaching me. You need some solitude with Him, but you bring out a good point about life in community. May God bless you, my friend, and your fellow workers in Christ. -Emily