The Christian community is wonderful\u2013 until it\u2019s not. It is profoundly fulfilling to be part of a healthy church or Christian organization. Conversely, when churches and ministries become toxic, it\u2019s miserable.<\/p>\n
When Christians do community, there are certain expectations. We want to be welcomed, appreciated, respected, and trusted. In short, we want to be able to give and receive love and feel as if we are among family.<\/p>\n
Throughout scripture, there is evidence that God values community. Before the earth was formed, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit existed in perfect harmony. So, when God formed humans, he said, \u201cLet US make mankind in OUR image; in OUR likeness – male and female,\u201d (Gen. 1:26-27) It seems that God intended for humans to enjoy the same kind of loving fellowship that the Godhead experienced.\u00a0 The ten commandments teach us to treat others well. Likewise, when Jesus was asked to name the greatest commandment, He answered, \u201cLove the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.\u201d \u00a0Then he went further, \u201cAnd the second command is like the first, \u2018Love your neighbor as yourself.\u2019\u201d (Matthew 22:37, 39) Also, before his crucifixion, Jesus said to the twelve, \u201cAs I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples.\u201d (John 13:34-35)<\/p>\n
The scriptures make it plain. To please God, we must love each other. Healthy Christian communities are evidence of the transformative power of God. \u00a0They bring strength to believers and are a testimony to unbelievers. However, building and sustaining healthy Christian communities are often more challenging than we imagine. Misunderstandings come. Jealousy and pride surface. People get hurt and burned out. \u00a0When this happens, it may seem that our dreams of beautiful Christian fellowship are being bashed upon the jagged rocks of disappointment.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, there is always hope. Dr. Christine D. Pohl\u2019s 2014 book, \u201cLiving into Community: Cultivating Practices That Sustain Us,\u201d explores four practices that have consistently helped Christians build and maintain healthy communities of faith.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n 1) \u00a0\u00a0Embracing gratitude as a way of life<\/p>\n 2) \u00a0\u00a0Making and keeping promises<\/p>\n 3) \u00a0\u00a0Living truthfully<\/p>\n 4) \u00a0\u00a0Practicing hospitality<\/p>\n For the remainder of this article, we will consider gratitude and promises.<\/p>\n The word \u201cgratitude\u201d stems from a Latin word that means \u201cgrace.\u201d In Greek, grace is charis<\/em>, a word that is also contained in the term eucharistia<\/em>, which means thankfulness. It may be worth noting that the Greek word for Holy Communion is \u201cEucharist<\/em>.\u201d The early Church regularly gave thanks and took Holy Communion together, understanding it as partaking of the nature of Christ.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n When we gratefully receive from God, we are made like Him, and God is gracious. He loves to bring wholeness. So, it should not surprise us that, in recent years, scientific research shows a correlation between gratitude and well-being.[3]<\/a> \u00a0Communities of faith can embrace gratitude as a way of life, by noticing what others do and thanking them for it.<\/p>\n Making and keeping promises is central to the Christian community because it is related to trust, and trust is associated with faith. As the body of Christ, we represent God to each other and the world. \u00a0So, when we break promises, we may send a message that we are not trustworthy. Some people will then wonder if God or the church is untrustworthy.<\/p>\n For some, making promises comes more easily than promise-keeping. Some people avoid making promises, altogether. Both issues breed stress. \u00a0In church settings, promises often come in the form of commitments. Let us learn to let our yes be yes and our no be no and follow through on commitments. To do that well, we must develop self-awareness and learn to engage in truth-telling. That will be addressed in a second article.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Christine D. Pohl, Living into Community: Cultivating Practices that Sustain Us, <\/em>(Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2012).<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Justin Martyr, \u201cThe First Apology,\u201d New Advent: CHURCH FATHERS, accessed March 18, 2019,\u00a0http:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/0126.htm<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Harvard Health Publishing, “Giving Thanks can make You Happier,” https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/healthbeat\/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier (accessed Mar 16, 2019).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To read part two of this article, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[1240,866,1031,1034,1054,1045],"class_list":{"0":"post-4641","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-discipleship-ministries","8":"category-general","9":"tag-4-key-practices","10":"tag-community","11":"tag-discipleship-ministries","12":"tag-iphc-discipleship","13":"tag-karen-lucas","14":"tag-strong-in-fellowship","15":"entry"},"title_es":"4 pr\u00e1cticas clave para comunidades cristianas saludables","content_es":"4 Pr\u00e1cticas clave para comunidades cristianas saludables<\/strong> La comunidad cristiana es maravillosa, hasta que no lo es. Es profundamente satisfactorio ser parte de una iglesia u organizaci\u00f3n cristiana saludable. Por el contrario, cuando las iglesias y los ministerios se vuelven t\u00f3xicos, es miserable. Cuando los cristianos hacen comunidad, hay ciertas expectativas. Queremos ser bienvenidos, apreciados, respetados y confiados. En resumen, queremos poder dar y recibir amor y sentirnos como si estuvi\u00e9ramos entre la familia. A lo largo de las Escrituras, hay evidencia de que Dios valora la comunidad. Antes de que se formara la tierra, Dios el Padre, Dios el Hijo y Dios el Esp\u00edritu Santo exist\u00edan en perfecta armon\u00eda. Entonces, cuando Dios form\u00f3 a los humanos, dijo: \u201cDejemos a los hombres en nuestra imagen a NUESTRA; a NUESTRA semejanza, hombre y mujer, \u201d(Gen. 1: 26-27) Parece que Dios pretend\u00eda que los humanos disfrutaran del mismo tipo de compa\u00f1erismo amoroso que experiment\u00f3 la Deidad. Los diez mandamientos nos ense\u00f1an a tratar bien a los dem\u00e1s. Del mismo modo, cuando se le pidi\u00f3 a Jes\u00fas que nombrara el mandamiento m\u00e1s grande, respondi\u00f3: \"Ama al Se\u00f1or tu Dios con todo tu coraz\u00f3n, con toda tu alma, con toda tu mente y con todas tus fuerzas\". Luego fue m\u00e1s all\u00e1, \"Y el segundo mandamiento es como el primero: \"Ama a tu pr\u00f3jimo como a ti mismo\". (Mateo 22:37, 39) Adem\u00e1s, antes de su crucifixi\u00f3n, Jes\u00fas dijo a los doce: \"Como te he amado, debes amarte los unos a los otros\". . Por esto, todos sabr\u00e1n que ustedes son mis disc\u00edpulos. \u201d(Juan 13: 34-35) Las Escrituras lo dejan claro. Para agradar a Dios, debemos amarnos unos a otros. Las comunidades cristianas sanas son evidencia del poder transformador de Dios. Traen fortaleza a los creyentes y son un testimonio para los incr\u00e9dulos. Sin embargo, construir y sostener comunidades cristianas saludables a menudo es m\u00e1s desafiante de lo que imaginamos. Los malentendidos vienen. Los celos y el orgullo afloran. La gente se lastima y se quema. Cuando esto sucede, puede parecer que nuestros sue\u00f1os de hermandad cristiana hermosa se est\u00e1n derrumbando en las rocas dentadas de la decepci\u00f3n. Afortunadamente, siempre hay esperanza. El libro de 2014 de la Dra. Christine D. Pohl, \u201cVivir en comunidad: cultivar pr\u00e1cticas que nos sostienen\u201d, explora cuatro pr\u00e1cticas que han ayudado a los cristianos a construir y mantener comunidades de fe saludables. [1]<\/a> 1) Abrazar la gratitud como una forma de vida 2) Hacer y cumplir promesas 3) Vivir con sinceridad 4) Practicar la hospitalidad Durante el resto de este art\u00edculo, consideraremos la gratitud y las promesas. La palabra \"gratitud\" proviene de una palabra latina que significa \"gracia\". En griego, gracia es charis<\/em> , una palabra que tambi\u00e9n est\u00e1 contenida en el t\u00e9rmino eucharistia<\/em> , que significa agradecimiento. Puede que valga la pena se\u00f1alar que la palabra griega para la Sagrada Comuni\u00f3n es \u201c Eucarist\u00eda<\/em> \u201d. La Iglesia primitiva regularmente dio gracias y tom\u00f3 la Sagrada Comuni\u00f3n juntas, entendi\u00e9ndola como parte de la naturaleza de Cristo. [2]<\/a> Cuando recibimos gratamente de Dios, somos hechos como \u00c9l, y Dios es amable. Le encanta traer plenitud. Por lo tanto, no deber\u00eda sorprendernos que, en los \u00faltimos a\u00f1os, la investigaci\u00f3n cient\u00edfica muestre una correlaci\u00f3n entre gratitud y bienestar. [3] Las<\/a> comunidades de fe pueden abrazar la gratitud como una forma de vida, al darse cuenta de lo que hacen los dem\u00e1s y agradecerles por ello. Hacer y mantener promesas es fundamental para la comunidad cristiana porque est\u00e1 relacionado con la confianza, y la confianza est\u00e1 asociada con la fe. Como cuerpo de Cristo, representamos a Dios unos a otros y al mundo. Entonces, cuando rompemos las promesas, podemos enviar un mensaje de que no somos dignos de confianza. Algunas personas se preguntar\u00e1n si Dios o la iglesia no son dignos de confianza. Para algunos, hacer promesas es m\u00e1s f\u00e1cil que cumplir las promesas. Algunas personas evitan hacer promesas, en total. Ambas cuestiones generan estr\u00e9s. En los entornos de la iglesia, las promesas a menudo vienen en forma de compromisos. Aprendamos a dejar que nuestro s\u00ed sea s\u00ed y nuestro no sea no y cumplamos con los compromisos. Para hacerlo bien, debemos desarrollar la autoconciencia y aprender a participar en la narraci\u00f3n de la verdad. Eso ser\u00e1 abordado en un segundo art\u00edculo. [1]<\/a> Christine D. Pohl, Viviendo en comunidad: Cultivando pr\u00e1cticas que nos sostienen<\/em> (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2012). [2]<\/a> Justin Martyr, \"The First Apology\", New Advent: CHURCH FATHERS, consultado el 18 de marzo de 2019, http:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/0126.htm<\/a><\/u> [3]<\/a> Harvard Health Publishing, \"Giving Thanks can te hace m\u00e1s feliz \", https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/healthbeat\/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier (consultado el 16 de marzo de 2019).","author_name":"Karen Lucas","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/Untitled-1.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4T9u2-1cR","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}