Impact of Biblical Community

Year In God’s Hands

A dear Patheos friend sent me the information on National Quitters Day on January 10, 2025. Yes, it is a thing! According to Bloder, National Quitters Day is when experts have determined that most people who have made resolutions for the new year typically abandon them.  In the last post (The Sumurai Way), we started out with the guidance not to get into resolutions. Rather to place the new year into God’s hands and make His Words a priority than ever before. For believers in Christ, Joshua 1:8  is our compass, “This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” 

Effects of Daily Study

By now, you have selected a Bible reading plan that works well for you to ensure you spend both quality and quantity time with God daily. At this point, you are noticing some of the effects of daily study of God’s Word in your life. Such as increased inner peace, clarity, inner strength, strong sense of guidance, and exhilarating joy not related to outside circumstances. These are just a few of the many benefits of studying God’s Word daily. One of the best benefits being, an increased intimacy in your relationship with the Trinity that loves you dearly, sweetly and kindly ((God- The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

Prayer Time

Now imagine what your walk with God would be by the end of the year. This is what it takes for any believer in Christ to become a skillful warrior adept in completion and thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). Once you have established a consistent study time, it is time to add some prayer time to your daily study time if yet to do so. This post we will take the next step in this discipleship journey. It is time to commit to a Biblical community of believers so you can walk with    God in the light with other believers in Christ on a similar journey.

Biblical Community

One of the benefits of Biblical community is the obedience and personal responsibility to live in the light as commanded by the scriptures: “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin”     (1 John 1: 7). The reality of scripture in Proverbs 27:17, will also be an anchor in your discipleship journey as you sharpen your iron with other irons in Biblical community.

Question To Address For New Believers

For our new believers in Christ, the question to address is the criteria of selecting a Biblical community that will spur your spiritual growth and ensure you are grounded in your walk with God. Here are three simple things to consider as you look for a Biblical community: (1) Priority of Bible- this is important in a time of high Biblical illiteracy here in America. (2) Priority of Service – a place where serving people is organic (especially in accordance with the Biblical mandate of the least of these in Matthew 25: 40-45). (3) Priority of Fellowship – a place where there is a high understanding of bringing people together as the scripture states in Hebrews 10: 24-25. Remember, be kind to yourself and know that all Biblical communities are filled with imperfect beings just like you.