Community | Marketing the Royal Priesthood

It's all about community.
From the very beginning, God's plan was to set apart a people for Himself. We see this when God promises Moses that He will deliver the Hebrew people from Egypt:

I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God (Ex. 6:7).

This theme, this phrase, is repeated throughout the Old Testament and into the New... "You will be my people, and I will be your God". When John is shown the New Jerusalem in his vision, he hears a voice announce this:

Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God (Revelation 21:3).

God has a plan to create a community, God has a plan to preserve His community, and God has a purpose for His community. Consider Jesus' words in John 13:35:

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Our behaviour in community demonstrates our witness to the world.
The best illustration of God's purpose for His community was written by Peter. He wrote to encourage Christians, scattered in their little communities throughout the Roman empire, and in it he reminded them of God's plan:

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God (1 Peter 2:9-10).

God chose His people, set them apart as a Holy Nation for His use, and gave them the role of intercession and minstry as a Royal Priesthood.
Why? So that they would declare His praises. Peter goes on to urge believers to

live such good lives... that they [non-Christians] will see your good deeds and glorify God (vs. 12).

Community declares praise for God. Community proclaims the goodness of God. Community does good for God, by doing good for others.

Shine:

Maybe you're a member of a small group, a small community. How can you, together, demonstrate God's goodness to others? Here's just a few ideas. You can probably come up with a few more...

• Visit an extended care facility, and share some love with the residents and staff;
• Serve for just a few hours once per month at the Out of the Cold program;
• Adopt a park or school playground, and spend a Saturday morning picking up litter;
• Join a Cause, like the walk for a cure;
• Serve breakfast or lunch at the downtown shelter one Saturday morning every five or six weeks;
• Purchase supplies and deliver them to that same shelter (demand is way up, and donations are down);
• Deliver some treats and coffee to your local fire department, police, or Hospital Emergency Room (like on the midnight shift!);
• Buy some nutritional items, and give them out randomly to students on the college campus.

In our city, servolution can even connect your group with some opportunities, and outfit you with t-shirts and cards that point people to the gospel at servolution.ca!

How are you expressing God's goodness with your community?