What Does “Community” Mean? Part 1

By SoulRio
Posted on April 14, 2005

A great Bible study for the group on Community. This study was in our original "start-up" guide for Rio Links. This is a great study to do with new groups OR if it has been a while since your group has discussed God's idea of community.
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Fellowship is surface, but community is deeper. Beyond human associations, we need to base ourselves on God’s sense of community. This sense of community is based on the scriptures found in Genesis chapter 1.

• Read Genesis 1:1-2 (NIV), “1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
• Read John 1:1, 14 (NIV), “1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
• What do these verses reveal or describe God as?
o He is all powerful.
o Active in His creation.
o There is power in His words.
o God is the ultimate starter.
o In community with God, His glory is known.

God reveals Himself as a multiplicity of persons yet in total oneness: God the Father, Spirit, and the Son. This demonstrates God as community. Community with each of His persons is His character. Community is also the essence of our relationships with Him and others.

God creates according to His nature. Consider the story of Adam. God made Adam to have community with Him, but He did not stop there. Adam was walking alone. God made someone who was like Adam and yet different. God said these two will become one. God turned plurality into oneness.

• Read Genesis 3:1-13 (NIV), “1Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'? 2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'” 4“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5"For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" 10He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." 11And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" 12The man said, "The woman you put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." 13Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
• What happened to this sense of community?
• How did the fall of man impact community? (Allow for answers.)
o It broke community. This rebellion is the breakdown of community.

• Read Genesis 17:1-8 (NIV), “1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. 2I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.’ 3Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 ‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 6I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.’"
o Abram means “one family, tribe or clan”.
o Abraham means “many families”. God will use Abraham to bring community to a multitude of families.

God created us to enjoy community and to bring God's community to others. Because of the fall of man, that community has been broken. Jesus came to restore our relationship with God and others. We were created to live in community with God and others. Not the way the world lives (trash talk, sinful lifestyles, bitterness, envey, empty and meaningless lives, without hope) But the way the Trinity lives (always building each other up, strengthening each other, Oneness, with purpose and meaning in life).

Where do we normally live? Community God's way, or the world's way?

Witness - Others Matter
The value of the empty chair
• Take time to encourage each other. (say an encouraging word to each person in the group)
• List people who do not have community with the Lord and His people and pray for them.

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