It Must Be Intimate

I came across today the following exerpt from John Eldredge's book Waking the Dead. It is what is what I need now, and must have, in a fellowship and community. I have come far with God, too far to turn around, and to continue on in any authentic way, it is fellowship with others "one in heart" that my wife and I must have...

Of course, small groups have become a part of the programming most churches offer their people. For the most part, they are disappointing and short-lived—by the very admission of those who try them. There are two reasons. One, you can’t just throw a random group of people together for a twelve-week study of some
kind and expect them to become intimate allies. The sort of devotion we want and need takes place within a shared life. Over the years our fellowship has gone camping together. We play together; help one another move; paint a room; find work. We throw great parties. We fight for each other, live in the Four Streams. This is how it was meant to be.

I love this description of the early church: “All the believers were one in heart” (Acts 4:32 ). A camaraderie was being expressed there, a bond, an esprit de corps. It means they all loved the same thing, they all wanted the same thing, and they were bonded together to find it, come hell or high water. And hell or high water will come, friends, and this will be the test of whether or not your band will make it: if you are one in heart. Judas betrayed the brothers because his heart was never really with them, just as Cipher betrays the company on the Nebuchadnezzar and as Boromir betrays the fellowship of the Ring. My goodness— churches split over the size of the parking lot or what instruments to use during worship. Most churches are not “one in heart.” (Waking the Dead , 193)

From The Ransomed Heart, by John Eldredge, reading 270
Ransomed Heart Ministries www.ransomedheart.com