Community vs. Biblical Fellowship

Today's churches focus heavily on community. So does the homeschool community. What does community mean? What should it mean?

And is it a word for church or other areas of life?

Today we find community being 'preached' in church and just about everywhere else. People today believe community, a group of people who agree with them on a particular subject OR who simply gather where they gather, is essential to a happy, fulfilled life. It is something many pastors, the type that market Christianity rather than preach the gospel, talk about a lot.

The problem with this is that it promotes uniting on terms other than sound, Biblical terms. How many people stay in their church because of relationships they have with other people, even though they are not learning or growing in Christ? (insert red flag)

How many people dismiss critical thinking and evaluating homeschool groups that are supposed to be united in beliefs all in the name of 'community'?

True Christian fellowship rarely happens in today's churches, but it is essential to a satisfying Christian life. The difference is this: when you are with others who really believe God's word is true and they see what is going on in the world and church today, it allows for meaningful interactions. You leave feeling fuller when conversation is glorifying to Christ in truth. On the other hand, when you spend time with people who do not uphold God's word or do not see what is going on in the church today (ie people who are fine marketing the gospel or mixing mysticism with Christianity or who think it is damaging to really hash out truth from error), it is either draining or leaves you feeling discouraged.

Biblical fellowship is one of the best things I can think of in life. It is encouraging to see others contending for the faith in a day of deception in the church. Merely gathering with others on a basis of something other than biblical truth is wholly different and far less satisfying. Believers need to pay attention to this and realize if community is what is holding them or their children in their church, they may very well be at risk of having a weak faith or a false conversion. In churches that market the gospel and bring in droves of unsaved people, finding true Christian fellowship is extremely difficult, often improbable.

Regarding homeschool groups, we should be careful not to teach our kids to unite while overlooking or ignoring where the other people are when it comes to Christ and the gospel. Should unbelievers be in close relationships with believers ever? I think not. Being unequally yoked is a principle to give us all pause since we are told not to be. Can we interact with unbelievers? Of course, we need to in order to share Christ, but a steady diet and intimacy of believers and unbelievers is not wise.

Just my .02.