Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ. — Romans 8:1

Find Your People: Stay at the Table

Today's inspiration comes from:

by Jennie Allen

Throughout history, breaking bread together around the table has always represented reconciliation and healing.

Jesus is betrayed by Judas. The events leading to His crucifixion are set in motion. Jesus will be betrayed and hurt by nearly every one of his closest people sitting around the table and later He will die. But in the midst of the hurt and rejection He must have been experiencing, He pulls out bread and breaks it. He pours wine; He and His friends drink it.

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’. — Matthew 26:26-28

The ultimate table of reconciliation had been set. Built on the broken body and spilled blood of our Savior. It’s why we can forgive. It’s why we can come to the table together with other sinners. We can, because He did. We can, because He made a way for us to be right with Him and right with each other.

I have community. My biggest issue with community is usually that I hurt someone or that they hurt me. It is a regular storyline. I mean, weekly the conflict has to be resolved in my life, and it’s because that’s just part of healthy community. The hurt is part of the health — it’s weird to think about, but it’s true.

I’m part of a huge church that has small groups within it. We’re trying to make it so the parts of the Body of Christ all know each other and work together. It’s hard. It’s messy. But we have to keep coming back to the table, because we know that Jesus had a vision for this. He’s redeeming us individually and as a church.

We’re looking toward eternity described in Revelation, and we want to model Heaven here. Pastor Halim pointed out that there is value to gathering as a big church — a massive group of people. That’s the picture of Revelation: a crowd and multitude upon multitude shouting and praising God. It’s a rehearsal of the heavenlies. The kind of worship that we’re going to give to God, and He’s going to call us into from every tongue, tribe, and nation in a number that no one can number (Revelation 7). That’s the whole point.

Then when you sit down with your missional community or your inner circle, or your village, and you’re crying and sharing things, and you really do know each other, that’s the other side of the coin. Big table, little table. We know one another. We carry one another’s burdens. We need both. They’re tastes of Heaven. We are called to set tables of all sizes and return to them again and again. We’re called to stay and enjoy the feast.

Excerpted with permission from Find Your People study guide by Jennie Allen, copyright Jennie Allen.

Ready to dig deeper?

We need our people! God created us for community knowing that people are messy and we’re going to hurt one another and get hurt regularly. We must continue coming to the table!

Find Your People Online Bible Study

by Jennie Allen

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We were never meant to live this lonely.

~ Jennie Allen

Join author & Bible teacher Jennie Allen for the Find Your People Online Bible study this summer! There is a way to live life less lonely & God’s plan for you is to build a culture of community in every part of your life. So, grab your people and let’s reclaim God's vision for community together.

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You Aren't Alone in Feeling Alone

Never in the history of civilization have we been more connected and felt more alone. We are all so lonely. What if the ways we have set up our lives are fundamentally broken?

In the Find Your People video Bible study, bestselling author Jennie Allen looks at the original community in Genesis, the Trinity, and the creation of people to see what God had planned for us all along, Jennie offers practical solutions for creating true community in a world that's both more connected and more isolating than ever before.

Drawing on fascinating insights from science and history, timeless biblical truth, and vulnerable stories from her own life, Jennie helps us discover exactly how to dive into the deep end and experience the full wonder of community. Along the way, we'll discover the five life patterns required to build deep, connected relationships.

You were created to play, engage, adventure, and explore—with others. Because while the ache of loneliness is real, it doesn't have to be your reality.

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