““There is no good trying to be more spiritual than God. God never meant man to be a purely spiritual creature. That is why He uses material things like bread and wine to put the new life into us. We may think this rather crude and unspiritual. God does not: He invented eating. He likes matter. He invented it.””
Trendy Neighborliness
Neighborliness is trendy, I get it. Everything from yard signs to pub names to children's shows tells us we ought to be neighborly. But why do it? What is the fuel in tank of neighborliness? What motivates neighborliness beyond a desire for social media affirmation? Can our fuel for neighborliness sustain us when loving our neighbor becomes a risky, costly activity? It must, if we are followers of Jesus:
“We should not regard what man is and what he deserves: but we should go higher- that it is God who has placed us in the world for such a purpose that we be united and joined together. He has impressed his image in us and has given us a common nature, which should incite us to providing one for the other. The man who wishes to exempt himself from providing for his neighbors should deface himself and declare that he no longer wishes to be a man, for as long as we are human creatures we must contemplate as in a mirror our face in those who are poor, despised, exhausted, who groan under their burdens... If there comes some barbarian, since he is a man, he brings a mirror in which we are able to contemplate that he is our brother and our neighbor: for we cannot abolish the order of nature which God has established as inviolable.”
Finding True Community
You can't. True community isn't found, its forged.
“This is why the Bible talks about people needing to form and make communities, not just come together as a community or “experience” community. It’s why principles are given – at length – for how to work through conflict. It’s why communication skills are articulated in the Bible and issues such as anger are instructed to be dealt with. It’s why the dynamics of successfully living with someone in the context of a marriage or family are explored in depth. As the author of Hebrews puts it so plainly:
’So don’t sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet… run for it! Work at getting along with each other.’ (Hebrews 12:12-14, The Message)”
Dr. White's whole post is worth reading. Check it out here.