Life is difficult. There’s no two ways around it. Between drama with friends, flippant relationships, struggles with insecurities, and on top of all of that, the expectation of a minimum of 2-3 hours of homework a night coupled with the unrealistic expectation that you need to have your life figured out and planned by the age of 18!

There is no doubt that being in middle school and high school nowadays is more demanding than it has ever been, but the staggering truth is that within these demands and expectations, being a middle or high schooler today is also lonelier than it has ever been. By many sociologists, this generation of students is considered to be the loneliest generation ever, with nearly 40% of people ages 16-24 reporting that they feel “lonely very often” (Liebhaber, 2022).

And with a world telling students to do what makes them happy and indulge in what pleasures come their way, they are not only being pushed into the loneliest world ever but are being fed the most bankrupt worldview ever. It is my conviction as a Christian student, that the Christian community is not only instructed to us, but it is necessary for us.

If you haven’t been convinced of this already, here are three reasons why I believe this to be the truth. 

1. The Bible Instructs Us

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” - Hebrews 10:24-25

A key assumption that the author of Hebrews makes here is the fact that the believers he is writing to are already meeting together. For the early church, Christian life was something that was never siloed or lived individually, however, it was assumed that if you were a believer, you were partaking in not only corporate worship together, but you were participating in life together. Acts 2 shows us this when we learn that the early church met.

“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” - Acts 2:42-47

The Christian walk as described in the New Testament was never thought of as something that could be done alone, but it is something that must be done in community with those who can spur one another on towards love and good deeds. When we lack a Christian community, we are depleting ourselves of those who might push us and encourage us to better follow the Lord and glorify Him. Scripture is incredibly evident that having a Christian community is not something that is optional or up to our discretion, but it is something that is absolutely vital in our walk with Christ. 

2. Following Christ was Never Meant to be Done Alone

Think back on your high school days, or if you are currently in them, answer these questions: What are the types of assignments that you liked the least? What did you like the most? Now, I’m assuming for varying reasons, that at least some people answered group projects for one of those questions. Depending on the type of students you were/are, group projects can be the worst or best thing ever.

Some people despise relying on others for group projects and would prefer to do everything themselves, others love relying on others and would prefer to keep their workload to a minimum. For whatever reason, group projects are either hated or loved. But what I think most people don’t realize, is that Christianity is a group project.

Following Christ is something that was never meant to be done alone. And just like group projects in school, this idea could either be exciting to some or disheartening to others. Because as Americans in the 21st century, the virtuous thing for us to do is to make something out of ourselves. Put our heads down and grind and make for us and our future families the lives that we want. But this siloed individual lifestyle has never been a part of God’s plan for humanity.

At the very beginning of creation at the end of Genesis chapter 1, we see God examining His creation and describing that His finished creation was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). However, in the next chapter of Genesis 2, we see God’s words about the first man Adam being by himself in which He says, “it is not good for man to be alone, I will make him a helper suitable for Him” (Gen. 2:18).

You see, since the beginning of time, humans have always been inherently relational beings. In our core of cores, we are beings that need relationships to survive. Human beings were never created to do life and pursue God by themselves, but it has always been intended to be done within the context of community.

3. We Need Community Because of the “One Another” 

Throughout the New Testament, there are 59 “one another” statements. (Mason, n.d.) Statements such as:  “Love one another…” (John 13:35) “…Love one another…” (John 15:12) “…Love one another” (John 15:17) “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love…” (Romans 12:10) “…Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10) “Live in harmony with one another…” (Romans 12:16)“…Love one another…” (Romans 13:8).

These are just to name a few. You see, without a Christian community, it is impossible for anyone to fulfill what the Lord has called us to do. The callings and commands that the Lord has placed on the lives of Christians were always with the assumption that one is steeped and deeply involved with one another. The life of a person has its struggle, and the call of a Christian is high, but this call was never meant to be done individually, but always to be done with one another, through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

The world wishes for us to fail. The devil wants us to be alone. He wants us to not have believers around us to encourage us, love us, and hold us accountable because when we are alone, is when we are most susceptible. Having a Christian community around us in which we are loved and encouraged does not make following Christ a piece of cake, but it does make it more bearable. Because following Jesus was never meant to be done alone, but it was always meant to be done with one another, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

If you are reading this today and don’t have a community around you, seek one out and get attached to a group of believers as soon as you can. And if you feel as if one is inaccessible, ask God and He will answer that prayer! Wherever you’re at, or whoever you are, know that following God is not a solo assignment, but it is a group project.