We’re going to spend a bit of time this morning thinking about community.
It’s a word that gets used in lots of ways: There’s the Bromborough community (or any locality). And things like the LGBT community, the creative or artistic community, the farming community, and so on.
There seem to be so many communities. And yet, the WGP online survey over recent weeks raised something interesting. It asked the question, “What is missing from your life right now?” And “Community / belonging” was one of the top answers.
So we’re going to think about why that might be the case, and what the Bible has to say in response.
These notes accompany a sermon on YouTube delivered at Bromborough Evangelical Church in March 2026. You can find more in the series in our sermon index.
We’re glad you came
In the 1980’s there was a sitcom set in a bar called Cheers. It was all about the people who met in that bar, and about what was going on in their lives and relationships.
What was especially notable was the theme tune. It said:
Sometimes you wanna go
Where everybody knows your name
And they’re always glad you came.
It’s a lovely image of what community feels like. That sense of entering a group of people and you don’t need smalltalk or introductions. There’s no need to explain your weirdnesses – you’re known and loved for them. You’re one of us. Everybody knows your name and they’re glad you came.
One of the many things we learned through the Covid pandemic was that lockdowns are awful. We need community. We craved just being with other people.
And yet our society and culture is less community-oriented than it used to be. We have increased individualism all over the place.
- Simple things like shopping have been transformed in my lifetime: As a child, we’d walk to the local shop for things pretty much daily. Now, it’s either delivered or you go to an impersonal supermarket or shopping centre. Then self-scan!
- In company with friends, people will often pick up their mobile phones and scan their social media apps.
- And home entertainment and gaming has people choosing to be at home rather than engaging in community activity.
There are loads of exceptions, obviously, but these trends are unmistakable.
And still, we all want to be where everybody knows your name. And so, when asked the question, “What’s missing?” it’s not a surprise to see “Community / belonging.”
What does the Bible have to say about community?
Gathering and Separating
A quick survey in the Bible shows how gathering together into community is both natural for us and goes hand-in-hand with God’s blessing.
But in Genesis 11, people gathered together to build a tower to the heavens – in opposition to God. God then separated them from each other geographically and in language: A lack of community is a loss of blessing.
After the exodus from Egypt, God gathered the people of Israel into a single nation in Exodus 19. They were his special possession, a holy nation, a royal priesthood. This holy community was under God’s blessing, gathered together under God.
The nation of Israel enjoyed peak blessing when fully united under King David and his son, King Solomon. The kingdom was divided and disintegrated as a result of sin.
Again, blessing ⇒ community, but judgment ⇒ separation.
Hebrews 10:25 firmly encouraged Christians to gather together for worship and encouragement; failure to gather in Christian community leads to discouragement for everyone.
Jesus himself gathered his apostles to himself in huge blessing; and they scattered in confusion when Jesus was arrested.
And what will happen when Jesus returns? He will gather all his holy people together to be with him forever.
Built for community
That perfect community will dwell with him forever in his eternal blessing. There will only be community in him. He will know your name; he’ll be glad you came! And so will everyone else, delighted in Christ, loving you.
You crave community because it’s what you were created to experience God’s blessings in.
Research has shown that your brain is physically wired for community and relationship. When you’re not actually thinking about anything, the part of your brain associated with community and relationship kicks in. Immediately and automatically. Even in babies.
It’s one of the reasons that mobile phone usage makes people feel stressed and lonely – it doesn’t trigger those parts of your brain that actually do you good. You need social interaction with real people, not social media. It’s how God made you.
But we need to think more about biblical community:
Contemplate Church community
What is community? You can get various definitions online, with the same ingredients:
- A group of people with certain commonalities: Location, norms, religion, values, identity. Often fostering a sense of belonging or interaction.
- A focus on shared identity, mutual support, joint action.
Core characteristics are often a shared identity, regular personal interactions, and a sense of belonging.
So we come to Romans 16, and think a bit about the community we see happening there. It’s lovely.
- There are Greek names, Roman names, Jewish names.
- We read loads of really warm greetings to individuals and households, and even to churches meeting in homes (Romans 16:5).
- A lovely example of the warmth of friendships here is Romans 16:13.
- Then in Romans 16:16 we read, “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” What does that mean? In that culture a kiss was a normal, friendly greeting (as it still is in many countries). It doesn’t matter if it’s a handshake or a bear hug! I’ve spent a bit of time at airports this past year, and the arrivals areas are always full of profound happiness. Sometimes you want to go where others are glad you came. There’s something of that warmth, friendliness, happiness among the relationships we see in Romans 16.
Shared identity is Christ
But if that’s the community, what is the shared identity?
You can see that in the language Paul uses throughout: 10 times he uses the words “in Christ”, “in the Lord” or “convert to Christ”. If the church were a bicycle wheel, Christ is the centre. Everyone is connected to him. He’s the core identity.
The whole letter to the Romans spells it out in stages:
- Chapters 1-3 describe how everyone is equally sinful before God. Whether religious or not, you’ve sinned and are accountable to God.
- Every time you go your way instead of his, every grubby thought, word, or action – you’re storing up his wrath against you.
- But chapter 3 is key: It says that because of have sinned, all can be saved the same way – through faith in Jesus Christ. God’s wrath poured on him as a substitute.
- Jesus is the sacrifice who atones for your sin.
- Trust in him, not in your own works, and you will be saved.
- If you’ve never done that, do it now, today.
- In case you thought it was by keeping the Old Testament laws, Romans 4 tells you how people were only ever saved by faith, by sins forgiven – using Abraham and King David as key examples!
Romans 5 to 8 spell out what that faith means for you as a new identity: You’re in Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, adopted by God the Father.
- He loves you, and will keep you and treasure you always.
- That is the identity that binds Christians to one another.
- Everything else flows out from that identity of union with Christ.
Chapters 9 to 11 discuss the promises to Old Testament Israel and how they are fulfilled in Christ.
Union and belonging
Then, Romans 12-15 is about relationships within this community, the church, rooted and established in Christ by faith:
- The church is one body.
- Love and goodness flow out of your union with Christ and your identity in Christ.
- You’ll be a good citizen of the UK because you’re in Christ.
- You’ll love and serve your brothers and sisters in Christ because we all have union with him.
Community is often about a sense of belonging. Your union with Christ means that you belong to one another.
Read Romans 12:4-5.
And this is true, eternal community, with Christ at its heart. If you want to know where everybody knows your name and where they’re always glad you came, you need to belong to the church of Jesus Christ.
Beware dangers!
Briefly, here are three dangers to watch out for in churches.
First, beware clubs.
- It’s possible to be part of a church that’s not a church. Jesus said to the church at Sardis (Revelation 3:1), “I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.”
- A church can have many good works and exhibit real care for one another.
- But if life is social, not spiritual, it’s a club, not a church.
- Catholicism breeds this kind of thinking because most of the spiritual stuff is outsourced to the priest and hierarchy.
Second, beware cliques.
- In any church, it’s natural and healthy to have close friendships. No problem with that.
- Life Groups actually encourage close relationships with a smaller group – really useful in larger churches.
- But a church can be friendly without being welcoming. If you think we’re friendly but you don’t know everyone’s name, you need to question how welcoming you are.
- Don’t make it hard for newcomers to feel at home.
- We’re an open community, not a closed one.
Lastly, beware wolves.
- Read Romans 16:17-18.
- It can take a while to spot a wolf. They don’t howl, they baa
- They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.
- One of the jobs of elders is to refute error and deal with wolves. As a church grows, so does the risk, so a plurality of elders is wise and biblical.
These dangers are offset by the opportunities to create community where it doesn’t exist:
- Tots, Connections, Knit2tog are all communities doing good to our local community.
- And Life Groups are a deliberate way for this church to engage meaningfully in community around Christ in a way that’s different (and often deeper) than possible on Sunday.
Don’t just go to church; be the church
Finally, some thoughts about being community rooted in a living faith in Jesus Christ:
First and foremost, enter God’s holy family.
- If you have never come to faith in Jesus for eternal life, do it now. The risen Jesus himself invites you; the Father commands you.
- Repent of your sin; turn for forgiveness; receive life eternal!
- You’ll be united to Jesus, indwelt by the Spirit, adopted by the Father. Eternally secure, loved in God’s community.
Then enjoy the sense of belonging.
- If you’re a Christian, you belong here. You belong to one another as members of Christ’s body.
- Enjoy the fact that you’re united to Jesus in the same way as everyone else; there are no Premier League Christians.
- You belong, so engage and love one another.
Following on, give yourself as a living sacrifice.
- If you feel you didn’t get much out of church this week (and who hasn’t said that?), ask first what you gave.
- Get this: You need other Christians to live a full Christian life – and they need you too.
- Our gatherings are not spectator events; participate.
- Build one another up in Christ.
- Be here. Worship. Sing heartily to Jesus. Serve one another. Speak about Jesus.
- Over coffee, ask “What are you reading at the moment? What’s encouraged you lately? Can I pray for you?”
And be ready to greet one another with a holy kiss!
- That means you will need to confess your sins to God and be ready to forgive the sins of others against you.
- ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you,’ says Jesus, so be sure that you’re so fully reconciled to everyone here that you know everybody’s name and you’re always glad they came.
In Christ
You won’t be able to live like this in your own steam.
It’s the fruit of a vital, living relationship of faith and love with God in Christ.
So know him deeply, and learn to love what he loves.
And Jesus loves his church.
In Christ, be and do community to his glory.