“My problem is their problem.” Behind those simple words, uttered by a mother in distress, is the power of community. Her story, “Unjustly Jailed!,” describes the amazing effect of what happens when the church is the church. Our Western individualism has caused us to lose our grip on such power.

Jesus said that it is through loving community that the world would recognize the authenticity of our relationship to Him. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples” (John 13:35). It is the power of community that lies at the heart of fellowship with God. “Where two or three have gathered in My name, I am there in their midst” (Matthew 18:20). It is community that unleashes the power of corporate prayer. “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken” (Acts 4:31).

Disciple-making is not merely a one-on-one endeavor. It’s also about growing in community. It involves personally and intentionally investing in a few in order to see them come to faith and maturity in Christ. And it also involves connection to the community of faith. An individual member will never achieve his or her fullest potential apart from the body, and the body will never achieve its fullest potential if its members do not work as one. But when they do … what power! Power enough to make the surrounding world sit up and take notice.