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Relationship

Yesterday at church the sermon was on the moment in Acts when the Holy Spirit descends. And the focus was not so much on that amazing arrival, but on what the first act was. Instead of the parting of a river, or the healing of diseases, the first act the Holy Spirit brought about was having people understand each other. The very first act of the Holy Spirit was to bring about community for those who were otherwise separated into groups based on language.

Friends. If this is the very first thing the Holy Spirit did; don't you think we should learn from it? We live in a time when separation and division in the church are all I see. And that division hurts my heart. Because if the Holy Spirit meant for us to simply be able to be with each other and understand each other's words; the hope of the Father is that in that understanding, we love each other. I like to live and breathe in 1 John. And there, we learn, "And he has given us this command: if anyone loves God he must also love his brother." There isn't a qualifier there, no, "he must also love his brother, if." It's an imperative command we simply must follow.

Do we do that? Do we love our brother and sisters in Christ? What does our search for community look like? Do we want like-minded believers who are our age, or of similar occupations, or life phases, or share our marital status or interests? What if instead of searching for a small group that met 12 different requirements, you showed up said, "I'm free on Wednesdays." Anything available then? Do we only want to love the easily lovable (and on that note, are you easily lovable yourself, or are you so protected by walls that the love can't get in)? It seems we (myself included) get so focused on checking multiple boxes we forget we really only have one box that needs to be ticked. Jesus. He is our common link. And He is enough.

Friends, we are meant to go through our this journey on earth with other people. From the beginning of the world (and even before then), God existed in community. Humans were created to be together. The Holy Spirit's first act was to bring people together. Relationship is important!



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