Stronger Together: Pursuing Your True North With OthersSample

When Jesus called His first disciples, what future did He promise them? Not fame, wealth, or comfort, but this: "I will make you become fishers of men" (Mark 1:17 ESV).

Notice the focus. Jesus didn't say, "Follow me, and I'll make you massively successful" or "Follow me, and you'll be internationally famous." He said, "Follow me, and I'll teach you to help others find new life."

From the very beginning, Jesus established that the community exists for a purpose beyond self-fulfillment. As Henri Nouwen beautifully puts it, "Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own."

This is perhaps the most counter-cultural aspect of the Christian community. In a world obsessed with self-improvement, self-care, and self-fulfillment, Jesus calls us to an outward-facing community, focused on serving others and bringing them into relationship with God.

The greatest challenge any church faces as it grows is becoming about itself. Unlike other organizations, the church has a unique mission. A business exists to return profit to shareholders. A country club exists to provide services to members. But the church? It exists to serve those who don't yet belong, some of whom don't even want to belong.

The church is broken people loved by God loving other broken people who are loved by God.

I saw this principle in action when our church rallied around a family whose child was diagnosed with cancer. People provided meals, cleaned their house, took their other children to school, and sat with them during hospital stays. None of this benefited the givers directly—it was purely for the benefit of the family in need.

But something beautiful happened along the way. Those serving grew spiritually in ways they never could have through Bible studies alone. They experienced the joy of giving without expectation of return. They developed deeper compassion. The family being served witnessed God's love in tangible ways, which brought several of their extended family members to faith.

This is the power of a community focused on serving others.

If Jesus needed community to accomplish His Father's business, we certainly do too. Consider your approach to community engagement. Are you primarily looking for what you can get? Or are you seeking ways to serve? Do you evaluate the church in terms of how it meets your needs, or do you look for ways to contribute to the needs of others?

Jesus modeled a community that looked outward. Even in His closest relationships with the disciples, the purpose was never just their benefit, but to equip them to serve others.

In my experience, the deepest and most fulfilling community emerges not when we focus on building community for its own sake, but when we serve together. Side-by-side service fosters bonds that face-to-face meetings often fail to achieve.

Tomorrow, we'll explore practical ways to create the kind of community Jesus modeled—one that focuses on commonality, requires intentionality, and embraces vulnerability.