The Role of the Community of Faith in a Believer’s Life (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Communities of believers now play an important role in the lives of diverse Christian churches. Fraternities, communities, lay orders, and different types of monasticism throughout the globe have been actively emerging in the Christian world since the second part of the nineteenth century (Lee et al., 2022). The increased involvement of churchgoers is related to the unique personal identity of the man in the contemporary and postmodern eras, as well as the end of the “Constantinian period” in the lives of most Christian nations and churches. The evolution of spiritual movements in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries should be the topic of scholarly thought and investigation.
Spiritual and Personal Growth Through Community
A community is a group of Christians who are connected in their love for Christ and in participation in Eucharistic communion. A parish is a community of Orthodox Christians from one church, made up of clergy and laity. The Orthodox Christian is acutely conscious of his affiliation with the community. Most modern parish communities are involved in social ministry, such as assisting orphans and prisoners, as well as organizing charity bazaars to raise funds for very ill persons. Many churches feature Sunday schools for children and adults, Bible study groups, and personal gatherings – tea parties with the bishop – where people can ask any question or contribute something.
Communities assist man in participating in God’s service, and in this way, the community helps to represent man’s ideals, to serve society, and to be protected and supported. If a person is not a member of the community, it will be difficult for him to find a way to apply his gifts in the life of the church. The existence of a shared direction of activity in which all parishioners are involved is an important factor leading to parish unity and the formation of extra-service interaction. Consecutively, such communication contributes to attracting new people to the temple.
The Role of Spiritual Leaders
Ephesians 4:11-16 emphasizes the necessity of spiritual leaders as well as a mature, loving, and cohesive Christianity “until we all reach unity in the faith” (English Standard Version Bible, 2001, Ephesians 4:13). Certain commentators say that selected persons have the talent of teaching, preaching or “speaking the truth in love” (English Standard Version Bible, 2001, Ephesians 4:15).
The Bible also notes how vital it is for the health of Christian communities for these people to use their God-given abilities correctly, as “for the whole body, joined and held together… grows and build itself up in love” (English Standard Version Bible, 2001, Ephesians 4:16). Therefore, the problems of a person who is not a member of the community are related to the lack of communal life as such. Also, such a person will not be able to receive support, as well as personal conversations with the priest.
References
English Standard Version Bible. (2001). ESV Online. Web.
Lee, M., Lim, H., Xavier, M. S., & Lee, E. Y. (2022). A Divine Infection: A systematic review on the roles of religious communities during the early stage of COVID-19.Journal of Religion and Health, 61(1), 866-919. Web.
Powlison, D. (2017). How does sanctification work? Crossway.