15 Best Bible Verses On Community

1. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:42 (ESV)

2. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.  As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:  whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:9-11 (ESV)

3.Let brotherly love continue.  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:1-2 (ESV)

4. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35 (ESV)

5. Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.  Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.  Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.  Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.  Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”  To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:9-21 (ESV)

6. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:4-7 (ESV)

7. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.  See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.  Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18 (ESV)

8. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,  not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)

9. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.  For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Galatians 6:2-3 (ESV)

10. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.  But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?  Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18 (ESV)

11. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:29-32 (ESV)

12. As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.  They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,  thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 (ESV)

13. The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; Psalm 37:21 (ESV)

14. He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.  You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.  For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 2 Corinthians 9:10-12 (ESV)

15. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:7-12 (ESV)

Are We As Loving As We Claim To Be? Love Your Neighbor As Yourself

"He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy" (Proverbs 14:21).

We can commit all kinds of loving acts while not truly loving those we do those acts for. For instance, I could be a politician loving someone for the purely selfish reason of getting their vote. A doctor helping someone because of the money. A family member helping someone out of obligation. Or a rich person giving to the poor to clear my conscience. In cases like these, love can become a legalistic action to either earn our salvation, make us feel good about ourselves, or give us some personal gain.

Genuine love starts in the heart. It overflows from a life of love. If we do not have a heart that wants to love our neighbor, then any discussion that we might have on how to use our possessions and love others will just be an exercise in legalism. It is tough to find authentic love in a world of selfishness, but let's look at the way we love ourselves. That seems pretty authentic.

If we are hungry, we get ourselves a meal to eat. Most often, we feed ourselves something that we really love. If we are cold, we buy a nice coat, gloves, a hat, and a scarf to keep ourselves warm. If we are adventurous, we take a nice vacation to a place that we have never been before. If we like routine, we take a nice vacation to a place we have been many times before. Whatever the case, we spend a lot of money to spend a week or two away from our normal life. If we are bored, we buy new video games, books, music, or whatever our entertainment of choice is. If we need a place to sleep, we usually spend as much money as we can possibly spare on the nicest house available for our budget. Sometimes we even go over our budget and get ourselves in trouble. The same goes for if we need to get from one place to another; we usually do it in the most expensive car that we can possibly afford. If we want a fun evening, we buy tickets for a concert, a play, a movie, a nice restaurant, and an overpriced coffee as we sit and talk about helping the world. If we have kids, we decorate a room in expectation of their arrival, buy them plenty of clothes, toys and other sorts of unnecessities.

We really pamper ourselves.

Jesus taught, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength' and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

It would take a lot of time, energy, and resources to love others as much as we love ourselves because we really do love ourselves. We spend most of our time focused on how to love ourselves better. How can we get that new car, that new house, that next trip, or even smaller things like my next meal, more stylish clothes, or the coolest gadget. We describe our selfishness as personality and style. Our selfishness becomes who we are. Sometimes it broadens from just being selfish about ourselves to being selfish about our family, but it is still focused on how do we make ourselves feel good. I have failed to mentioned the most twisted form of selfishness, which is wallowing on how unhappy we are.

All of this selfishness hardly leaves us with any time or resources to actually be loving to those in need, whether they are next door, across town, or around the world. To reach the point where we are willing to sacrificially to do that, we have to start with a transformed heart. This comes from  surrendering our life to God. Giving our will over to God isn't a one time event and we're done with it. We will have to do it over and over again, every day. Selfishness is like a snake that will keep creeping up and slowly take our life away until we are wrapped up in meaningless busyness.

Jesus is great example of what it means to be selfless. He was focused on getting humanity out of the predicament they were in rather than being focused on finding another moment of pleasure for himself. He did not answer our situation by saying, "They got themselves in that situation; they should get themselves out of it." He saw our need, loved us like he would love himself, and brought us out of our need. We need to do the same for others. Shane Claiborne, in his book Irresistible Revolution, wrote, "Redistribution is what happens when people fall in love with each other across class lines."

Let us be like Christ and fall in love with the rest of humanity.

***

"If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen" (1 John 4:20).

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:14-17).

A Little Love

A few years back, Steve Stone, the pastor at Heartsong Church in Cordova, Tennessee, learned that the lot next to him had been purchased for an Islamic Center.  And what did the Christians in the community do when they heard that an Islamic Center was opening up? Well, they grabbed their picket signs and protested it. 

Unlike the well-intentioned yet misguided Christians who took to protesting the Muslims, Pastor Stone placed a sign out where the lots met that said, "Heartsong Church Welcomes Memphis Islamic Center to the Neighborhood."  Stone’s church even invited the Muslims over to the church to share a meal. In a touching moment, the Muslim women brought flowers to give to their Christians hostesses.  

Instead of protesting against the Muslims, Heartsong Church lived out the life of Christ and started the process of reaching the unreached. Because of this approach, relationships are being built, bridges that Jesus can walk over rather than walls that would obscure one's view of Jesus.  

Somewhere along the road to where we are, many churches have become confused and started to think that being filled with slander, wrath, malice, and anger – characteristics of the old self (Colossians 3:8) – is how we should respond to those different than us.  In many circles it has become improper to even dialogue with those that disagree with you because you wouldn't want to appear accepting of them; that might cause people to think that you are like those you disagree with.  We don’t just do this with other religions, we do it with other denominations and even churches within our own brotherhood.  And on a personal level, we do it with other people. You can't spend time with so-and-so or have others see you talking with him or her because they may think you approve of what they are doing. Too bad that Jesus didn't take that advice when he hung out with tax collectors, sinners, and the forgotten ones of society.

But, we like to keep Jesus at a distance. We like to sing along to Carrie Underwood, and say, "Jesus take the wheel." Yet then we see a road that we want to go down - a road that we know that we shouldn't go down without Jesus. We say, "Jesus, I know you'll understand. I'll pick you up on my way back, but I want to go down this road. Could you just wait here for me? I'll be right back." We drop him off at the corner so he can't influence us in our social interactions. We keep our distance from the least of these because if we didn't, it would hurt our reputation.

The story of Heartsong Church, welcoming the Islamic Center, didn’t just end with a church being Jesus in their community, welcoming their unreached neighbors into the neighborhood.  Across the world in Kashmir, the contested and violent religion between India and Pakistan, the story of Heartsong welcoming the Islamic Center was covered on the news. 

Pastor Stone got a call from a group of Muslims from a small town in Kashmir. The Muslim man said that they had been watching CNN when a segment telling the story of Heartsong Church came on. And the action of a church outside of Memphis touched the hearts of Muslims on the other side of the world. One of the community's leaders said to those who were gathered, "God just spoke to us through this man." Another said, "How can we kill these people?" A third man went straight to the local Christian church and proceeded to clean it, inside and out.

Pastor Stone said that he was just trying to love his neighbors, as he says Jesus instructs him to do. And that love is always contagious. Small actions, when linked to Jesus, can instigate extraordinary things. As a result of loving their neighbors in the Memphis area, some Muslims in Kashmir said, "We are now trying to be good neighbors, too. Tell your congregation we do not hate them, we love them, and for the rest of our lives we are going to take care of that little church."

A little church in Kashmir being taken care of by Muslims. This was possible because a church in Tennessee discarded its selfish impulses that define our old selves and put on the new self of Jesus. Instead of just being saved, they decided to live as Jesus would live. Through little acts of faithfulness that we can do when we actually allow the love of Jesus to penetrate every aspect of our lives, our world can be transformed the world, one loving act a time. Let's start loving.

Opened Eyes - A Call To Help The Least of These

I had a conversation the other day with two good, well-intentioned, Christian friends who I could not convince that the needs of the poorest in our community are nothing compared to the needs of the poor in other places around the world.

I remember when we did the Rock 4 Water concert to raise money to provide clean drinking water to Liberians. The people from Hope 2 Liberia had a booth set up. Someone from Antwerp expressed to them, "I just don't get it. Look at all the people around here that need help. Why aren't we helping everybody around here?"

One of my friends told me about a poor person in our community who lives in a rundown house and has to live off of his meager social security check for the month. Imagine fifteen people living in that small, rundown house without a job anywhere in sight, no social security, no running water, and no electricity, then you will see how wealthy even the American poor are. Imagine that one in four of the kids born in that house won't live to the age of five, none of the kids will have an opportunity to reach their full potential because they have no access to education. That's the difference. American poor have needs, but some poor have greater needs.

My friends tried to convince me that it was the world's poorest's choice to live like that. That's a common idea in American because poverty in America is typically a result of the choices that individual has made in their past. It might be a choice hampered with addictions, but it's still a choice. But it's no choice to be born in a poor society, to not have access to clean drinking water, to feel fortunate to have only one meal a day, and to not receive an education. It's no choice to be born under a totally corrupt government. That's not a choice. It would be a choice if, like us, they have access to clean drinking water, yet choose to drink dirty water. We could all go down to the Maumee and drink straight from the river, but we are all blessed to have convenient and safe water from our taps. That's a choice that the least of these around the world don't have.

We deemphasize how blessed we are because of the faithfulness of those who have gone before us. The American "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" mentality is only available because of the great society we live in. The schools in our communities. The families we grew up in. The clean water we have available. The food on the table. The spiritual foundation of our society.  All things we take for granted, yet we barely have anything to do with. Things that aren't there for the poor around the world.

It's not their choice to live like they do. They can't choose to go to rehab or a counselor and get their life straightened. They can't choose to work hard in a fair society to have all of the nice amenities that we take for granted. They can't choose to load up in the car they don't have and travel with the money they don't have to a better place. They dream of the paradise we take for granted and know as normal life.

We are blessed. They may not have a choice, but you do. It's your choice if you will help give them a hand up. Jesus said, "What you do for the least of these you do to me." Are you going to do anything for the least of these?

I have a little exercise for us. This may seem strange but work with me here.

Say these things out loud as if they were true.

There is a little boy who will die if I don't give him clean drinking water.

There is a little girl who will not reach her potential if I don't provide her with an education.

There is a family who will lose a child to hunger if I don't feed them.

If you really believed these statements you just said, would you do something about them?

Now, I'm not asking you to stop loving your neighbor in the town you live in. We have people in our community in need. People we can help. These needs are different and, typically, not as fatal, but God has placed us where we are for a reason. To love our neighbors. But it's not an either/or situation. I am not asking you to stop loving people in our community, but to also love your neighbor just across the ocean. A neighbor you could send money to tomorrow if you wanted. A neighbor who can receive help from organizations that are just a phone call away. We're so blessed that we don't even have to go overseas to help.

When Jesus gave his tough teaching about loving our neighbors, one of the guys asked, "Who is my neighbor?" He didn't ask to know who to love; he asked to get out of loving. What's the bare minimum that I have to do to follow Jesus' teachings? That's not the question we should ask. Jesus replied with the story of the Good Samaritan teaching that our neighbors are anyone who we see in need. A better question is, "What opportunities do I have to be the hands and feet of Jesus?"

William Wilberforce once said, "You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know."

Those of us who have been blessed are blessed to be a blessing. Not to selfishly indulge in our blessings. Our communities suffer from selfishness of all sorts. I suffer from selfishness of all sorts. But God calls each one of us to something greater. The least of these around the world need something greater. Jesus is waiting to be loved.

**

Below are a few videos that emphasize the same point, albeit in a sarcastic, comedic way.

Mourning The Celebration Of Our Christian Victory Of Collective Might

On Wednesday, many people flocked to eat more chicken in a groundswell of support for Chick-fil-a, who if you have been living in a shell, is facing protests from the LGBT community for statements made by Chik-Fil-A’s President and COO Dan Cathy on biblical marriage.

First, I think the groundswell of support is a good thing. A business who faces societal ramifications for taking a biblical stance on an issue should receive our support. Due to the support, Chick-fil-a saw record sales.

Second, the outpouring of support is encouraging. A lot of times we feel alone in this world standing up for biblical principles in a society that treats us like we are growing a second head. It’s nice to see that we are not alone. That there are others out there who share our convictions.

Finally, I don’t think we should be celebrating. In our effort to stand up for ourselves, we hurt the cause of Jesus and brought about more hatred rather than peace. True, it made those of us who are frustrated with being attacked on our belief that homosexuality is a sin feel better, but the chasm between the two sides widened rather than us building bridges that the Gospel can go across.

Jesus taught us to love our enemies and turn the other cheek. Instead, we flexed our muscles and showed our collective Christian might. We can choose to keep fighting. What will our response be to the kissing day on Friday? How do we one up that one?

Or we can do something else. Something Christian. Chick-fil-a needed encouragement. In the future, we should figure out a solution, if possible, that is loving to both sides, even if we are one of the sides. All the while, keeping the priorities of Jesus as our priorities – love, peace, and turning the other cheek. Instead of flexing our muscles, we need to ask how we can be servants to all in such a situation.

Next time, let’s reach out and love all people. We need to always put others first, even those we disagree with.

In the end, we must realize that eating more chicken and taking public stances on biblical issues is not what will make us Christians.

Jesus taught, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35 ESV).

You Shall Love Your Neighbor As...

Some of our neighbors in Liberia.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39 ESV).

Love your neighbor as you love yourself? Couldn’t he have said, “Everyone fend for themselves?” Or maybe, “Love your neighbor so that they have all their needs?”

But that isn’t how Jesus taught we are to love. He said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

How much do I love myself? What kind of clothes do I give myself? What kind of food do I feed myself? Where do I sleep at night? What is the water like that I drink? Am I really supposed to love my neighbor as I love myself?

Too often we are led astray by our pride. We think we deserve more than our neighbor because we work harder than our neighbor or we work smarter than our neighbor. We think we are allowed to live more blessed than our neighbor because of who we are and what we have done. Oh, the pride.

Palm is a source of life for the Liberian people.
Sadly, you can see a bloated stomach one of the
kids in the background.

Love your neighbor as yourself. That's tough when you think about it.

Are we living in a way that everyone can live? Or are we living in a way that only a few can live?

We have been greatly blessed here in America. But that blessing comes with a  great responsibility. With great blessings comes great responsibility. With our blessings, we are to be a blessing. We have been blessed, not for self-indulgent enjoyment, but to be a blessing to those who need blessed.

Are we a blessing? Or are we just blessed? Do we live in opulence while allowing others to wallow in their plight? How long do you think that blessing will last if we are not using it to bless others?

Now I understand that we don’t want to just give handouts. But how about handups? How about we help in such a way that we can actually bring about a better world for those less fortunate? Instead of watching television, saving for another vacation, spending countless hours on the internet, or reading another book, maybe we could invest in making the lives of others better.

A neighbor of ours standing by a tree in the
city of Buchanan, Liberia.

But where would we find the time? We are so busy running our children here and there. Another sporting event. Another activity. We have to get to the gym. We have to watch our favorite show. We have to do this and do that. While we are so busy in our own little world, people around the world are crying for help.

God hears the cry of the afflicted. And He is prompting His people to go help. Are we listening? Or are we just too busy. What happens if we don't listen?

Love your neighbor as yourself.

This is part of a series that I wrote showing the mission trip I took to Liberia.

I divided the subjects into individual pages, for ease of use.

2012 - Liberian Mission Trip - Economy

2012 - Liberian Mission Trip - Wilfred

2012 - Liberian Mission Trip - A Few Notable Places

2012 - Liberian Mission Trip - Food

2012 - Liberian Mission Trip - Heart of Grace Elementary School

2012 - Liberian Mission Trip - The Children

2012 - Liberian Mission Trip - Water

2012 - Liberian Mission Trip - Monrovia Hope Center

2012 - Liberian Mission Trip - Marshall Hope Center

2012 - Liberian Mission Trip - Leadership Training Institute

2012 - Liberian Mission Trip - Gifts

2012 - Liberian Mission Trip - Our Brothers and Sisters

Here are a few articles that I wrote upon my return:
One Drop

You Shall Love Your Neighbor As...

Sunrise in the Clouds over Europe

Who Will Be God's Ambassadors?

FAQ on Liberia trip from questions asked at an Indiana Tech Sociology class

Hands and Feet