The "Ding" of Christian Community

WhatsApp is a communication app that is widely used around the world. It offers clear no-cost internet-based communication. Nearly every person and every business in Costa Rica uses WhatsApp. One widely used feature is the ability to create group chats. This has proven to be an amazing tool for fostering community within English Christian Fellowship.

Pam and I are currently part of two ECF small groups. We host a Rooted discipleship group in our home on Saturday morning and we are part of Tuesday evening Belonging Group. Both of these use WhatsApp group chats to stay connected.

A few weeks ago, our Rooted chat “blew up” with the news that a member of our group had lost his job. Once he shared what he was facing, the chat was deluged with heartfelt prayers and genuine concern. My chat is not on “silent mode,” so every time someone responded, I heard a “ding.” All afternoon, my phone went ding, ding, ding and, then, ding again.

What was happening was incredibly beautiful. Someone was facing a legitimate crisis, but they were not facing it alone. They were blanketed by messages of concern and prayers from a family of believers who genuinely cared. It was amazing.

One of the great tragedies of today’s society is that far too many people go through life alone. Yet, God designed us to thrive best in community. He created us to need other people in our lives. This is one reason God wants us to be fully engaged in a local church. We need other people around us and others need us in their lives, too.

The need for friends may be enhanced even more living in a foreign country. Many people speak English in Costa Rica, but not everybody does. And when life gets tough (as it does for all of us at some point), it is incredibly helpful to have friends to cheer us on and to lift up our arms.

Just ask the guy who lost his job in my Rooted group. He was blown away by the love, care, support and prayers he received.

Pam and I hope that you are connected to Christian community through a local church. At ECF, I am fond of saying that we are Bible-Centered, Love-Saturated and Outreach-Focused. We are intentional with all three core values.

However, being “love-saturated” means we take seriously Jesus’ challenge: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35) If we miss experiencing this love, we miss the guts of the community that Jesus came to establish.

Whether or not you use WhatsApp, I hope the next time you face a personal crisis that you hear “ding, ding, ding” from people reaching out to surround you with love and prayer.  We cannot thrive by isolating ourselves from others. We need love. We need other people in our lives. We need to be connected in healthy Christian community.

BTW:Pam and I hope to lead another trip to Israel early this December. If you are interested, click here.