Although my Doctoral research was to focus more on Web 2.0 technology rather than content, God has stirred within me exploration of community and now relationship within community.
I was reading a devotional book filled with classic devotional thoughts and I came across this writing by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was a German pastor and theologian who was killed due to his willingness to live out his beliefs and stand against Adolf Hitler. His best known book is probably The Cost of Discipleship.
The reading I was looking at was from another one of his books Life Together. In this book Bonhoeffer is exploring the ideas of community and faith. In one section Bonhoeffer writes “Therefore, the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth.” You see we as Christ-followers need one and other to come along side our brothers and sisters when they have stumbled to help pick them up, dust them off and set them on path again. We do that for other and we need to allow others to do that for us.
Are you in a community where you are willing to help, come along side someone who is struggling? Are you willing to allow others to lift you up? Bonhoeffer puts it this way, “The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother’s is sure.” Be the voice of Christ who can speak into the life of others.