By John A. Huffman, Jr.
You and I are built for relationship.
When Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth, he referred to them as being ". . . called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours" (1 Cor. 1:2).
You, as an individual, are called. But you and I are also called to be saints together.
We are in community. We are in relationship. You may have forgotten it, but, for a number of years, every Sunday we sang not only the "Doxology." And we linked that great affirmation of praise to the Triune God with the very simple but profound words written by Bill and Gloria Gaither.
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I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God.
I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood.
Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod.
For I'm part of the family, the family of God.
You will notice we say brother and sister around here.
It's because we're a family, and these folks are so near.
When one has a heartache, we all share the tears and rejoice in each victory in this family so dear.
Are some of your best friends members with you here at St. Andrew's? I hope so. If that's not the case, my prayer for you is that it will become your experience. That is why we have these covenant groups, ten to twelve persons meeting weekly, discussing the Scriptures, reflecting on what I'm preaching on each of these Sundays, sharing their needs, praying together. How often I've said it, and I'll continue to say it until it gets across: "There is no room for 'Lone Ranger' Christianity." Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto. You can't go it alone in the Christian faith. We are called to be saints together.
The September 12, 2005, issue of The New Yorker has a profoundly observant article about Saddleback Church and how Rick Warren's congregation grew. It's titled, "The Cellular Church." After describing the phenomenon of Rick Warren's ministry, the success of his book, The Purpose-Driven Life, and the huge mega-church he's built here in South Orange County, the author, Malcolm Gladwell, becomes quite philosophical. He notes that vibrant churches hold one thing in common, no matter how small or large they are. They basically are made up of "small groups" of committed people who know each other and are united in a common commitment. He quotes philosopher Dick Westley, who writes:
As I see it, one of the most unfortunate misunderstandings of our time has been to think of small intentional communities as groups "within" the church. When are we going to have the courage to publicly proclaim what everyone with any experience with small groups has known all along: they are not organizations "within" the church; they are church.
The article goes on to note the church in the United States is becoming increasingly active in producing volunteers who are bringing change to our environment. Princeton sociologist Robert Wuthnow, who has studied the phenomenon closely, says: