Revelation Love

What does community mean to us really? We can picture community as a group of people gathering together from time to time to discuss some common interest: a club or a society, a chat room or forum, a political party or special interest group, even a church.

But we could also picture a "commune", such as the hippies had during their days of revolution against the establishment ("the establishment" meaning pretty much anything that had rules and regulations). In that case, the commune was where people lived out their philosophy of life, the common attitude that bound them all together. The common attitude amongst the hippies was to "make love, not war." It was a "love revolution;" just one more of man's attempt to bring "peace, baby, peace."

All of these communities, including a church, can be formed by man, driven by man, glorifying man – and have nothing at all to do with God.

But a community founded by God, led by God, and glorifying God is unique. There is nothing else like it. Man cannot build it, drive it or take credit for it; for the doing of any of those things by man only proves that it is not of God.

The early church was a community founded by God. The common interest of the people who became part of that community was the divine revelation from God of His love for mankind (Romans 5:8). It was love unlike anything man had ever experienced before. The revelation of God's perfect love to a man or a woman, translated them instantly from the land of the dying and dead to the land of the living and alive (Romans 6:4). Overnight their citizenship changed from the kingdoms of this world to the kingdom of God (John 18:36). They spoke a new language, and the only ones who could understand what they were speaking were the ones who belonged to that same kingdom of God (John 3:5). They no longer spoke the language of the world around them. They spoke the language of angels (1 Corinthians 13:1). They no longer had the same interests of the world around them. Suddenly they had nothing in common with the world around them (John 17:16)). Nothing! Everything was changed! Everything was new! (2 Corinthians 5:17) They had a passion and joy for this new life that only those who were of the same kingdom could understand (Acts 28:26-27).

Under those circumstances, how could they NOT form a community? The alternative? Well, how would you feel if you had just met GOD and found that you were completely unable to tell ANYONE about it because you couldn't communicate in the common language? How would you feel if you had to remain completely silent about the most incredible thing that had ever happened to you….all because there was no way to communicate it to others?

So God blessed them with community….one that was marked as being "different" because it no longer had any similarity to the world around it. They were foreigners in a strange land, for the citizenry around them couldn't comprehend what they were talking about, at least not until they themselves also received the same divine revelation. And so to their neighbors they were indeed strange! But eventually those who were on the outskirts of this new community, observing all that went on within the community, began to see that revelation love in action. And it was something marvelous to see! So marvelous that they had to inquire about the source of that love, for they wanted to experience it for themselves!

And "God so loved the world" that those who honestly and truly sought Him were able to find Him; He did not hide Himself from them. And they then became part of that community (Acts 2:47); citizens of the kingdom of God, no longer fearing death in the world of the dead and dying, but looking forward to that hope of everlasting life that Jesus Christ, the love of God, provided to each and every one of them that had received that revelation love and believed (John 6:40), no not just believed, but KNEW, that GOD IS GOOD! (Romans 2:4)

And thus was God glorified in the community that HE built on revelation love (John 17:23).