The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Genesis 2:18
God created the entire world in a few days and scripture says “and God saw that it was good” over and over again. The first recorded time in the history of the world God said, “It is not good,” was when man was alone in the garden. This is not a blog about marriage, it’s a blog about the importance of being together and the “not good” of being alone.
“God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God has never been alone.”
Why is alone not good? God made man (male and female) in His image. God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God has never been alone. God in Himself is a community. No one, in their right mind, would have made something like that up. Religions that make sense are man made. God, on the other hand, just tells us what is and leaves our minds blown trying to figure it all out.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness….
Genesis 1:26a
Right there in the first book of the Bible, God shows us that He is “us” not “me.” Wow! In the book of Isaiah, we see the Godhead having a discussion as Isaiah listens in.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
Isaiah 6:8a
“God says both “I” and “us” in the same sentence about Himself. Both are true.”
God says both “I” and “us” in the same sentence about Himself. Both are true. He is one and He is three. This was veiled in the Old Testament. In the New Testament the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we understood (as best we can).
“When Jesus came to the earth, He needed His people.”
God created us to need each other. When Jesus came to the earth, He needed His people. He was raised in a family and then when He became a man. He had people He was close to and lived life with. He had His disciples. He had Peter, James, and John (who were even closer to Him than the others). Then we read about His very close friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. He hung out with them too. He lived as a human and wasn’t exempt from human needs. Besides time alone to pray, Jesus was with other humans…a lot.
He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Matthew 26:37-38
“Jesus was overwhelmed with sorrow and what did He want? He wanted His closest friends with Him.”
Jesus was overwhelmed with sorrow and what did He want? He wanted His closest friends with Him. He didn’t want to be alone.
He was the perfect man who lived in an imperfect world. As we follow His life, we see how we should live. After He went to the Father and sent the Holy Spirit to live in His people, the immediate byproduct was their desire to be together.
All the believers were together and had everything in common. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts….
Acts 2:44, 46
We are in a time without precedent in our lifetime. Many people are alone for their own safety. It makes so much sense and even seems the best way to love our neighbor, but is it? Did God mean it when He said, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
“God calls His church a Body for a reason. We are not meant to function without each other.”
God calls His church a Body for a reason. We are not meant to function without each other. When Jesus sent disciples out, He even sent them two by two. Alone is hard, together is so much easier. Let’s face it, we get weird when we are alone too much. Our own minds will take us down some strange roads. People help keep us sane as much as they can drive us crazy sometimes. There is such power in opening up to others and sharing what we’re thinking and feeling.
One of the main things is, “You too?” We all have irrational fears, deep insecurities, and a little crazy that’s probably been handed down for many generations. When we start to share with people and they say, “You struggle with that too?” we find out we are alike way more than we are different. When we start to share what we feel like God is saying to us, other Spirit-filled believers can say, “Yes and amen,” or “Sister, you need to slow your roll, that’s crazy.”
“We all have a tendency to stay in our own heads instead of letting people into where we live and help us.”
We all have a tendency to stay in our own heads instead of letting people into where we live and help us. With a pandemic, this has heightened greatly. People are isolated and are slowly being brainwashed through social media. We don’t have that many sane voices in our lives, and we are all watching screens. Never underestimate the power of this.
“When God’s people can’t gather to encourage and spur each other on to love and good deeds, we start to wither.”
When God’s people can’t gather to encourage and spur each other on to love and good deeds, we start to wither. It’s inevitable. Divided, we are easy to conquer. Together, we are a Body that Jesus Himself said the gates of hell would not prevail against.
When we are apart, the individual members can’t function and move as the Head directs. Am I saying everyone should go back to a church building? Absolutely not. In the early church, people met in homes as persecution spread. In countries all over the world people still meet in small groups (risking their lives) to study the Bible, sing, and pray. That means gathering is so important that they do it knowing it could cost them everything.
The church is usually powerful and flourishing in those places. God never said we had to assemble with hundreds of people. He said He would be in the midst of even two. Where the Spirit of God is strong and powerful in people, the natural outcome is to tell everyone around us, even if it costs our life. Our lives become secondary to the call to follow Jesus.
“American Christianity is showing its true colors now that “church” as we know it has been taken away.”
American Christianity is showing its true colors now that “church” as we know it has been taken away. Our goal has largely become to stay alive instead of lay down our lives for the gospel. Fear has gripped the world and I don’t blame them for that. They should fear death above all things. A child of God knows that death is only a gateway to real life.
Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far….
Philippians 1:22-23
In the early church, the unity and strength the believers had among each other amazed everyone. In the fourth chapter of Acts, the Holy Spirit shook the place where they were praying! God did not keep them safe, He filled them with power. Spirit-filled people do not fear death more than anything; they fear losing the presence and power of God more than anything.
When a coal is taken out of fire, it loses its heat. We are the same way. The fire in other believers helps keep our fire burning strong. Plus, we can all have a very lazy (comfort seeking) bone in us when it comes right down to it. Why do we think scripture says to spur each other on.
“We need each other.”
We need each other. We need to pray together, fast together, eat together, cry together, and bear one another’s burdens…together. God cannot change. As we study scripture, we see how He operates. He came in power to people all through the New Testament as they met together.
“The book of Revelation is literally being unfolded before our eyes.”
The book of Revelation is literally being unfolded before our eyes. Someone I know started having church on Sundays in their home when church shut down. We simulcast our services and have encouraged people to do this. I talked with her the other day and she said she couldn’t believe how many people said, “yes,” to her invitation. She said people are hungry for God all around her and she didn’t even realize it.
In a documentary called, Sheep Among Wolves, I learned about an underground persecuted Christian movement in Iran. The Iranian awakening is rapidly reproducing a discipleship movement that has grown into the largest church in the world. It owns no property, no buildings, no central leadership, and is predominantly led by women. It is very rare for an Iranian woman to reach adulthood without being silenced and traumatized by extreme abuse of every kind. The women find solace and hope in Christ and the community of believers.
“Each of them said they are not afraid to die if needed for their faith.”
Each of them said they are not afraid to die if needed for their faith. The Disciple Making Movement sweeping across Iran is multiplying through home groups, also called study groups. When they get too big, they split and multiply. God is using small groups of believers to take over a Muslim country for Himself.
As I was getting ready this morning a thought came into my head. “I would rather die while living, than live while dying.”
Let me explain. I would prefer to die doing the will of God than die a spiritual death while trying to stay alive.
People think Covid shut down the American church. What if God did?
