God Is with Us: Building Community Among Fellow Christians

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Building a relationship with God is a personal journey, but it is not meant to be a lonely one.

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20).

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God designed us to grow and thrive among fellow Christians, for the Christian life is meant to be shared. When we come together, we experience God’s presence in powerful ways.

We see His love through others and hear His voice through their encouragement, finding strength in unity, primarily through the fellowship of the Son, which forms the foundation of our Christian community.

The Bible tells us that we are one body in Christ.

Each person has a role to play. Our faith is strengthened when we walk together. As we join this community, we are born into a new life in Christ, experiencing spiritual rebirth.

Virginia Metzler’s book, Our God Still Speaks, is filled with true stories that show how God builds His church. Her stories deeply resonate with readers, touching hearts and inspiring faith.

This is the beauty of Christian community life. It is where we learn to love, serve, and depend on one another.

We Are One Body in Jesus Christ

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12).

A body has many parts, and each part has a purpose. The same is true for the church. We are all different, but we belong to each other.

Virginia Metzler saw this when she and her husband, Les, went to the Philippines. They were part of a group of twelve people from different backgrounds, who were all learning to be Bible translators. In a distant country, they had to rely entirely on each other.

Some group members struggled with adapting to new cultures and languages, facing challenges that tested their faith and perseverance.

This group showed the meaning of fellowship in the body of Christ. They were not just classmates; they were a family.

God Provides Through His People

22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Sometimes God answers our prayers through the kindness of others, creating powerful shared faith experiences. We see God’s hand at work when a friend meets our need.

Virginia and Les experienced this powerfully. While living in a remote village, they ran out of food. They had little more than rice and prayed and asked God for help.

Before God provided, Virginia and Les struggled with uncertainty, wondering how their needs would be met.

That very evening, their language helper, Marie, showed up with a gift.

“I killed a chicken and I wanted to share it with you,” she had said. Later, a friend named Don hiked up the mountain to visit, bringing a box filled with food from his wife.

It was exactly what they needed.

“Les and I both wept together at the incredible way God had answered our prayers. God’s provision deeply moved us. God had provided more than enough food… He sent one of His own precious children, Don, to deliver it.”

This is how God often works among fellow Christians, putting a need on one person’s heart and uses them to bless another to build our faith, showing us that God hears us and cares for us.

It reminds us that we are part of a loving family.

Finding Strength and Joy in Fellowship

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

Life can be hard, and challenges and obstacles can feel overwhelming when we face them alone. But among fellow Christians, we find strength and encouragement.

Virginia learned this after her former husband, Tommy, died in a plane crash. She was only twenty years old with two small children when it happened. After, she felt lost and alone, and she struggled deeply with grief and loneliness after her loss, unsure how to move forward.

But God did not leave her alone.

Her friend Walt, a former pastor, was in the city on business. He rarely traveled, but God had him there precisely when Virginia needed him.

“Walt sat down with me and walked me through scriptures and events. He was able to comfort me, helping me to see God’s faithfulness to me even in Tommy’s death.”

Later, another couple, the Wallens, gave up their own airline tickets so Virginia and her children could fly home to the States.

This act of love required them to stay in Africa for several more weeks.

This is the unity among believers that God desires: a practical love that puts others first.

Christian love is a love that says, “Your problem is my problem.” It is a love that reflects the heart of Jesus.

In our darkest moments, God often sends someone to shine His light.

Worship and Service Together

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad. (Psalm 126:3).

A key part of Christian community life is worshiping and serving together. This gathering of the faithful is where we celebrate what God has done. It is where we offer our gifts to help others. Even without a church building, we can worship.

When Virginia and Les were not allowed to leave their village, they had a small church in their small hut, where they read Psalms, sang, and prayed.

“Worshiping God does not require buildings, stained glass windows, pipe organs, pianos, choirs, or graduate seminary pastors. It was Les and me alone with GOD!”

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Serving together is also essential.

In the orphanage where Virginia volunteered, she saw a beautiful example of service. At that time, a three-year-old girl named Josephine saw another little girl, Jasmine, crying uncontrollably after being abandoned. Josephine, who had been through the same pain, crawled over and began patting Jasmine’s back. She comforted her without saying a word.

Virginia called this “the best sermon I ever saw.”

This is the body of Christ in action—showing love and compassion to those who are hurting.

If these stories of faith and community have encouraged you, you can read many more in Virginia Stewart Metzler’s book, Our God Still Speaks: Real-Life Stories of How God Answers Prayers.