We Need Each Other

“Lone wolf”. Eight letters to perfectly fit my often clenched fists and remind me of who I thought I was. My then friend snorted as he told me how dumb it was after I casually slid the idea past him during our night drive. In subtle ways, I’d attempt alert the people I loved of what noxious heaviness was slowly drowning me from the inside just aching for someone to see it and save me, but often times I was met with laughter. He could howl all he wanted, but he couldn’t convince me that I wasn’t deeply and desperately solitary. Oh, to be alone surrounded by people, I wish that no one be encompassed by this specific and merciless pain. Tears often saturated the pillow as I listened to musings of death and anguish, closing my eyes and wishing that my bed would swallow me into depths of darkness that I wouldn’t be able to wake from. To be alone for eternity, or so I thought.

Months after Jesus called me back to Himself, I couldn’t shake the habit of self-isolation. Because of prior instances of reaching out for help and receiving a negative result, just like Pavlov’s dogs I was conditioned to lock it all away whenever I started to feel the dark, gloomy cloud come over me and spend whatever amount of time confined to my room, drawing gory depictions of all the many sentiments I couldn’t verbally express. However, the difference was at that particular time, I quit drawing demonic imagery and art altogether not knowing if it was even in God’s will for me. I gave up my pipe dream of being this rock star tattoo artist to follow the Lord and as a result lost just about every material gain that I had amassed over several years. I didn’t trust that anyone could comfort me and honestly, I hadn’t learned what it was like to be truly comforted in the way that I felt I needed by anyone other than God at this point. Right as I was comfortably wallowing in my wounds, sitting in the dark on an oversized bean bag under a heated blanket, I felt a buzz, buuuuuuuzzzz in my pocket.

One of my new sisters in Christ, the woman that led me into a prayer of salvation was on the other end of the line. I almost had the mind to pretend that I never got her call, but something (or Someone) compelled me to answer. She extended an invitation to her place for a gathering where we’d be discussing Biblical topics and applying the truth of God’s Word to our lives. For once I was honest with someone. Typically, I’d take a big breath in through my nostrils as to vacuum my tears back into their ducts and say, “I’m doing well! And you?” That night I responded that I wasn’t feeling too well and I would rather stay in and be alone. What she said next really stuck with me. She told me that sometimes when we are feeling low and want to be alone it is usually the time that we need people the most. My heart panged inside of my chest. I never knew just how badly I needed people.

When thinking about our need for one another, the book of Acts comes to mind. Believers were always amongst one another. When God’s Spirit descended upon them, the room was packed with brothers and sisters that were of one heart and one hope. This was a time where Christians were killed for sport. I want you to imagine that reality of starving in a prison cell for a time and then being manhandled by guards, dragging you to your brutal death by mauling or beheading as hundreds of people (if not more) roared cheerfully. They were excommunicated from their families and all that they knew. Cast out from their homes. But as it were, they were born into a new clan. When we are given new life in Christ, we are at the same time inducted into “a royal priesthood, a holy nation” according to 1 Peter 2:9. We are born again into a new family.

At this time, all the people had was one another. Think about how counter-cultural this was. How revolutionary. Unless you had experienced what these people had experienced, it would sound like mad ramblings. 1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Acts 4:32 paints us this picture of this Godly unity for us in saying: “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.” The love that they shared for one another was not only in word, but in action. This was a time where believers dropped EVERYTHING to follow Jesus. They sold land to provide for the needs of their newfound brothers and sisters that were in need and were pure of heart, brimming with the love of Jesus for one another (with some exceptions blink, blink Ananias and Sapphira).

The disciples, even before Paul got knocked off his high horse on the road to Damascus, were instructed to go out two by two. The twelve were always with one another following Jesus and He even picked a select three to follow Him ever closer. Never were they alone. What does this tell us as believers? The Lord was showing us through these examples that we need one another. Jesus Himself prayed for our unity in John 17:20-23 saying: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” Had a community of God-fearing believers not embraced, discipled, and encouraged us, many would not be sitting here today or walking with the Lord as faithfully as we are now. There are stories upon stories of brothers and sisters in Christ that have been led by Holy Spirit to speak to even the depths of ourselves that we didn’t have the strength to utter. We absolutely cannot walk this road alone.

This unity didn’t come without opposition which even today we are facing in the church. The moment God’s Holy Spirit fell, the enemy sounded the alarm and was on the move concocting any and all efforts in the Body to cause division. The devil is a stubborn and persistent beast and until this day hasn’t relented in this effort. Paul caught wind of this and warned against sectarianism. 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 reads: “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”

From that time to now, there are roughly 45,000 different denominations of Christianity around the world. Can you imagine that? 45,000. One person couldn’t agree with the other and defected, started his own church and then someone didn’t agree with him and so on down the line. At times even in the Body of Christ, believers argue amongst one another not being able to come to a common level ground. Brothers and sisters warring against one another. Watering down the Word of God to fit their flesh. Implementing occultic and heretical practices in the church. Drawing away from holiness. Can you imagine what it would be like if we all took the Word as the Word and simply listened to God breathed revelation regarding the passages rather than convoluting it in the name of offense or our own comfort, ideas, or opinion? A once tight knit community of strong believers that relied on one another now turned strangers, even turning their noses up to one another.

We don’t just need one another only for the sake of community or so we aren’t lonely, we need others to hold us accountable “speaking the truth in love” (referenced from Ephesians 4:15). There are things about ourselves that we cannot see that others can and when they tell us (you will know whether or not it’s lovingly) it can revolutionize our walk, the way we carry ourselves, and even the way that we relate to our Heavenly Father. “As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” –Proverbs 27:17. There are things that brothers and sisters in Christ have shared with me by way of Holy Spirit’s leading not knowing the freedom and deliverance that it brought along. Even an open rebuke! Proverbs 27:6: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” If you want to know how much someone loves you, tell them a dumb idea and see how they react. I’m being a bit facetious, but really. You’ll know that someone truly loves you when they are not afraid to tell you the truth, so you don’t fall flat on your face or are diverted from the narrow way. I don’t mean their truth, mind you…The truth according to the Word of God or by the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit.

Another great strength of togetherness, as I mentioned earlier is that others at times can see things that we cannot see even when it comes to spiritual matters. In 1 Peter 5:8 it reads: “Be sober be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Have you ever seen a BBC Earth documentary where a poor antelope gets separated from the group while being chased by a pack of lions. Man, all you can do is drop to your knees in slow motion and weep for the poor thing, knowing it has a one in a billion chance that it’s going to make it out alive. You see, when we are self-isolated perhaps because we feel like we are going through something that no one else can understand, offense, or whatever pain we may be experiencing, ten out of ten times, the enemy will come and bombard our minds with thoughts of defeat, death, self-pity, resentment, and the list goes on. He will send his demons on over to kick you while you are down. There is a huge difference in facing a hard thing when isolated verses having the right brother or sister by your side, interceding on your behalf and providing Godly encouragement. We as believers are instructed in Romans 12:15 to “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”

Even biologically, we are not meant to be alone. There are many psychological effects that can take place when we choose prolonged seclusion. Some such effects can be a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, depression, anxiety, type two diabetes, suicidal ideation, self-harm, dementia, and even an early demise. It goes without saying that even when we are by ourselves we have the Lord with us, He doesn’t wish that we’d be in isolation (unless of course He calls us into that season to deepen our intimacy and dependence on Him)! There are some that arrogantly say, “The temple is within us and our relationship with God is personal, there’s no need to go to church.” The devil always tells lies that contain a measure of truth. While it is vital that we have personal intimacy with the Lord and yes we “are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16), the Bible also says to not forsake “the assembling of ourselves together, as in the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the Day approaching.” in Hebrews 10:25. To get a better picture of the word ‘exhorting’ I went to bibledictionarytoday.com and it reads: “Exhorting comes from the Greek word "parakaleo," which translates to "to call alongside" or "to encourage." In the biblical sense, exhorting is not merely about giving advice; it involves a deep sense of urging, comforting, and strengthening others in their faith journey. It embodies the essence of community within the body of Christ, promoting growth, perseverance, and spiritual maturity among believers.” Alone, we are not getting the fullness of what this walk is. Alone, we remain stiff-necked and can easily fall into old patterns, ungodly friend groups, addictions, you name it.

Make no mistake, the Day is approaching. We see more and more on the news that brothers and sisters being gruesomely persecuted left and right on a large scale for their faith. People being jailed in Europe for preaching the gospel. Even in America land of the free, home of the brave we are seeing it happen. Please be aware that these are signs of the times. Tragedy, governmental shutdowns and uncertainty, wars and rumors of wars, unfathomable darkness walking pridefully into the light and a blinded generation praising it, cruel slave labor done by small, innocent children whose lives are very well cut short so that we can have the latest iPhone, and so much more. There is no better time to come together as the Body of Christ and exhort one another as they did in the book of Acts. To build a community that not only supports one another, but our sphere of influence and even more than that by God's grace. It may sound a bit utopian, but Jesus Himself said in Matthew 19:26, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” There is no limit, physical or spiritual to what God can do, but we must first be willing and humble vessels. With the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as the focus of our love, we can rise above the darkness and share the hope of Jesus boldly to a lost and dying world. Together. After all, we need each other.