FOOD FOR THOUGHT

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit function in relationship. Therefore, relationship and community is dear to the heart of God. That is why He said, “Let us make Man in our own image” (Triune-God) (Genesis 1:26). In chapter 2 of Genesis God said, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18). Therefore, if Christians are not building relationships with others and promoting community then we have deviated from the divine initiative. If a church is not growing because the membership are not reaching out to others then the church has deviated from God’s plan of relationships and community. Many churches are dying today because they have neglected God’s original plan of relationship and community.

I believe that our horizontal relationships (human relations) are often times fragmented because we have neglected or rejected the vertical relationship (our relation with God). However, if we understand what our vertical relationship means then we cannot neglect our relationship to others who are outside the covenant relationship with God. That is why the Apostle Paul felt divine conviction and compulsion to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. Therefore, we are under divine imperative to reach out to the lost and build meaningful relationship with them with the view of presenting the gospel to them.