Living faithfully for Him - part of a community

This week, we are talking about our response to God's faithfulness. We've looked at the Jewish people who returned to Jerusalem as a result of God's promises - we have seen that they had a sense of continuity. They worked hard to keep their heritage and the knowledge of God's promises an integral part of their lives. They wanted to remember His faithfulness in keeping His promises as part of His covenant with them.

We also saw that He has a covenant with us, the New Testament believers, as well. And our response should be similar to theirs: we should remember His promises and their fulfillment in our lives. We should teach them to our children and to other believers.

Another response we can see in the children of Israel who returned to Jerusalem is a sense of community. When Cyrus made the proclamation, and arranged for the temple items to be sent back, and told the Babylonians to contribute to the effort, the Jewish people didn't go back as individuals. They didn't each call their travel agent and make reservations individually. (Grin) They didn't intend to go back to the land, erect their houses and fences and have gated communities where they wouldn't know their neighbors. You wouldn't find them in the situation of going for years not knowing who their neighbors were, how many kids they had, or whether they were doing OK.
You see, they had a sense of community built on their common ancestry and their faith.  Yes, they would live in their respective towns. They would work hard to renovate and restore their homes. But Jerusalem would be the center of the nation. They would go there three times each year (that was the minimum, anyway) to worship God with their neighbors, friends, and countrymen and women. I guess you could say that they had a far less competitive society than what we live in.

Especially in America, we are individualistic. We are competitive. You can see it in our careers and financial plans. You can even see it in our driving habits! Many times we've been on the road and when I pull out in the "passing lane" to go around another car, can you believe it? They speed up! They don't want anyone to pass them! Instead of cooperating, they compete.
We can see it in our spiritual lives, too. When we read the Bible, we think far more often in individual terms, not corporate or congregational terms. What do we mean?
Well, when we read verses about the "new man" or "new self" we usually think about each person's new identity in Christ.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (II Corinthians 5:17)

But in some verses, Paul is talking about the church:

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew,circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:9-14)

Paul is urging all of us to have unity with other believers; he is saying that a sense of community with other Christians is part of that new life.
Again, there are verses that point to each believer's body as a temple of God:

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (I Corinthians 6:19)

While others point to the entire church being God's temple, and that we are being built together into a dwelling of God's Spirit.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)

Praise the Lord for saving each of us individually! He conquered sin and death and redeemed each one of us!
Praise Him too, that He makes it possible for all of us (sometimes competitive, sometimes hard-to-love, sometimes kind and compassionate, sometimes unkind and too "busy" to care) to come together for His glory -- to come together as a church, as a community of believers. To be a place where His Spirit can dwell, and we can all give Him the glory for the unity and community that we share.
Yes, the Jewish people responded to His faithfulness by living faithfully in a community of those who worship Him. And we should do the same!