Reflections on The Good and Beautiful Community by James Bryan Smith
God created each of us as a unique person.
We have different personalities, experiences, abilities, spiritual gifts and life stories. No two of us have traveled exactly the same road. God knows us personally, calls us by name and gives each of us a place in His purposes.
But our uniqueness was never intended to become independence.
In The Good and Beautiful Community, James Bryan Smith reminds us that following Jesus is not simply a private relationship between an individual and God. Jesus forms us into a community—a people who follow the Holy Spirit, extend grace and demonstrate love.
Our individual calling finds its fullest expression when it becomes part of what God is doing through the body of Christ.
More Than Attending Church
It is possible to attend church regularly, participate in Bible studies, join several groups and volunteer for worthwhile ministries without experiencing deep Christian community.
We can be surrounded by people and still remain largely unknown.
True Christian community requires more than being in the same room. It involves listening, praying, encouraging, serving, forgiving and sometimes allowing another person to see our weakness.
That last part may be the most difficult.
Some of us are more comfortable helping others than receiving help. We know how to organize, serve, give and solve problems. We may feel useful when we are doing something for another person, but uncomfortable when someone asks what is really happening in our own heart.
Christian community requires both giving and receiving.
The apostle Paul describes the church as a body with many members. Each member has something to contribute, but no member is complete by itself.
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
—1 Corinthians 12:27
I need what God has placed in other people, just as they may need what God has placed in me.
A Peculiar Community
Smith describes the church as a “peculiar community.”
He does not mean that Christ Followers should try to appear strange. He means that our lives should look different because we live according to the values of God’s kingdom.
The world often teaches us to protect our own interests, pursue recognition, retaliate when we are hurt and measure people by their usefulness. Jesus teaches us to serve, forgive, welcome, encourage and love—even when there is no personal advantage.
Jesus said:
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
—John 13:35
The distinguishing mark of a Christ Follower is not simply correct doctrine, church attendance or religious activity. Those things matter, but Jesus said that people would recognize His disciples by their love.
That love must become visible.
It is seen when we listen without rushing to give advice. It is seen when we welcome someone who feels overlooked. It is seen when we encourage a discouraged person, forgive someone who has hurt us or quietly meet a need without expecting recognition.
These may appear to be small actions, but they make the kingdom of God visible.
The Ministry of Encouragement
One of the most meaningful expressions of Christian community is encouragement.
Encouragement is more than offering a compliment. It means helping another person recognize that God is present and still working in his or her life.
A telephone call, a cup of coffee, a shared prayer or a carefully chosen word may accomplish more than a large program.
Someone near us may need to hear:
“I see what God is doing in you.”
“You are not alone.”
“Your life still matters.”
“Keep going.”
This is especially important for people experiencing grief, loneliness, disappointment or an uncertain season of life. We do not always need to solve their problems. Often, we simply need to remain with them and remind them of God’s faithfulness.
The encouragement we offer may seem small to us, but God can use it to give another person the strength to continue.
Following Jesus Together
The good and beautiful community is not a perfect community. Churches are made up of imperfect people, so misunderstandings, disagreements and disappointments will occur.
The test of Christian community is not whether conflict ever happens. The test is whether we are willing to extend grace, speak truth with love, forgive and pursue reconciliation.
Paul wrote:
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
—Colossians 3:13
We extend grace because we have received grace.
We forgive because Christ has forgiven us.
We serve because Jesus served us.
We love because He first loved us.
Christian community is not something we manufacture through our own determination. It is the work of the Holy Spirit among people who are willing to surrender themselves to Jesus and open their lives to one another.
What Snowflakes Teach Us About Community
A snowflake falls from the sky alone, unlike any other snowflake. Each one follows a slightly different path through the clouds and is shaped by different conditions along the way.
But a snowflake does not remain alone.
It joins other snowflakes, and together they form a blanket of snow—a snow-covered field, a snowbank or even a great drift. One snowflake may appear small and fragile. Many snowflakes together can cover the earth, protect the soil and become water that nourishes future growth.
In much the same way, God creates each of us as a unique person, but He never intended our uniqueness to become isolation. We become part of something larger when we join others in the body of Christ.
The snowflake analogy is also deeply personal for me.
Naomi and I were two very different snowflakes, formed through different families, experiences, personalities and callings. Our backgrounds and paths were so different that, by ordinary calculations, it seems unlikely that we ever would have met.
But by God’s providence, our paths crossed.
God joined our lives for 45 years of marriage, family, ministry and service. We remained distinct individuals, but together God created a shared story that neither of us could have lived alone.
Our differences did not disappear. They became part of something larger.
I reflected more fully on our story in When Two Snowflakes Became One.
Naomi is now with Christ, but what God formed through our shared life did not disappear. Her faith, compassion, courage and servant’s heart continue to influence me. The life we shared still bears fruit through our family, the people we served and the lessons God continues to teach me.
That, too, is part of community. God uses the lives of others to shape us, and their influence continues long after a particular season has ended.
Bloom Where You Are Planted—Together
“Bloom Where You Are Planted” has been an important theme in my life.
But flowers seldom grow alone. They grow in gardens, fields and forests, surrounded by other living things. Their roots share the same soil. Together they create something more beautiful than any single flower could create by itself.
Perhaps blooming where we are planted means more than discovering our individual purpose. It also means becoming rooted in the community where God has placed us.
Our next calling may not be to start something large.
It may be to become more deeply present to the people who are already near us.
It may mean encouraging one person, listening without trying to fix anything, praying honestly with a friend or allowing someone else to help carry our burden.
God has made you special and unique. He has given you gifts, experiences and a story that no one else can offer in quite the same way.
But He has not called you to follow Jesus alone.
He has placed you within the body of Christ, where you can give and receive, serve and rest, encourage and be encouraged.
Together, as we follow the Holy Spirit, extend grace and demonstrate love, we become the good and beautiful community through which the world can see Jesus.
Questions for Reflection
- Where have I experienced genuine Christian community rather than merely Christian activity?
- Who truly knows what is happening in my life?
- Am I as willing to receive help as I am to give it?
- What community has God planted me in during this season?
- Who might need a word of hope or encouragement from me today?
- How can I help make the love of Jesus visible within my community?
A Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Thank You for bringing me into Your family and giving me a place in the body of Christ. Forgive me when I try to live the Christian life alone or measure my value only by what I can contribute.
Teach me to follow the Holy Spirit, extend grace and demonstrate Your love. Help me recognize the people You have already placed near me. Show me when to serve, when to listen, when to encourage and when to rest.
Give me the humility to receive from others as well as give to them. Use my gifts, experiences, resources and even my struggles to strengthen Your people.
Thank You for the people You have used to shape my life. Thank You especially for Naomi and for the 45 years You gave us together. Help me carry forward the faith, love and lessons You formed through our shared life.
Help me bloom where You have planted me—not alone, but as part of the good and beautiful community You are creating.
In Jesus’s name, amen.
