Did you almost read the title and skip over this one? Let me tell you. This might be in my favorite book of all time list. It has radically changed the way that I view Christian community. I would recommend that you dig into it for yourself as Bonhoeffer is far more profound than I will ever be.
During my time in The Fellowship Residency Program, I will be reading a long list of powerful books. To read more about my residency experience click here. One aspect of my assignments is to summarize and write key takeaways from each of the books. This is a summary over "Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian in Community" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
The book ultimately discusses and teaches what it means to live day in and day out in Christian community. He challenges the pitfalls that many Christians find themselves in with regards to community, and he consistently points to Jesus as our model for living in community with one another. The chapter on community points out how we as believers are privileged to live in free community with other Christians as many in our world today do not experience this same privilege. Community in Christ meets people where they are, brings them closer to our Lord, and offers incomparable joy and strength to the body. Bonhoeffer goes on to say that we do not express the gratitude to God that He deserves for gifting us this blessing of grace. He continues by saying, “He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial.” He makes it clear that our expectations for community are not best and reminds us that Christian community is in the hands of God and bound together through faith. Finally, he spells up the differences in human vs. spiritual love and community.
Bonhoeffer then moves into discussing what a day in the life with others should entail. He emphasizes that our days do not belong to us but to the Lord. He stresses that the first of the morning belongs to Christ. We read about practical tips on how to pray through the psalms and pray as Jesus himself prayed. He reminds us that prayer is not a one time pouring out and asking for our needs to be met, but a consistent yearning, accepting, and impressing upon God’s will for our life. We then explore reading scriptures and the importance of reading them in their entirety (both Old Testament and New Testament). We are cautioned to avoid pulling individual verses without understanding the context of the scripture and are walked through God’s intention for scripture in our lives and in community. He explains in depth worship, corporate prayer, and table fellowship. Interestingly, he discusses how work is part of our duty as one in the body of Christian community. Finally, he expresses that noon lunch is to recenter ourselves with Christ and evening is best effective when utilized as a time of gratitude, confession, and prayer for protection. For even when sleeping we are under the influence of either God or evil.
The chapter on the day alone emphasizes the importance of being alone alongside Christian community. He says, “Right speech comes out of silence, and right silence comes out of speech.” One cannot exist without the other and therefore both are important. Humbled and listening silence is most valuable as it patiently awaits to hear from God and be alone in his word. He reminds us that the discipline of meditation, silence, and solitude require practice to keep our minds from wondering, but we should not become discouraged in the waiting for that will just increase complacency. It discusses the value of intercession on behalf of others and tells us that, “[we] can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me.” Finally, it discussed that there will be times when we are not in Christian community that will be our times of “testing.” After the testing in the alone, we can return to fellowship to be renewed in strength.
He them moves to discussing ministry. One of the best quotes was that “self-justification and judging others go together, as justification by grace and serving others go together.” He discusses the ministry of holding one’s tongue, an area that I need a significant amount of development in. He then moves toward discussing the ministry of meekness and asks the question, “Is it not better to serve our neighbor than to have our own way?” He emphasizes the need to recognize our sins as the absolute worst so that we are able to extend copious amounts of grace to our fellow sinners.
The next area discussed is the ministry of listening. This was the area of ministry that I feel most equipped in, but I rarely see it in other people. He reminds us that just as God calls us to listen to His word, we are to listen to best love others. Then there is the ministry of bearing one another’s burdens as Christ did for us. Once these ministries are offered, then other ministries of the Word of God can be maximized like the ministry of proclaiming. With that, the more we allow others to speak the Word to us, the more comfortable we will become at spreading the Word ourselves.
Finally, the ministry of authority is discussed. The quote that sums it up best is, “The Church does not need brilliant personalities but faithful servants of Jesus and the brethren.” The authority is in the work of the ministry and not in the man himself. This chapter should shape the way churches, ministries, and individuals serve Christ and His creation.
The final chapter was on confession and communion. It argues that when we go to a fellow Christian to confess, it is as if we are going to Christ to receive his grace. Sin desires to remain hidden in darkness, but when we humble ourselves and expose it to light, we are able to feel true freedom in our confessions. It is also important for me in particular to remember that the root of ALL sin is pride as there is a deep desire to be our own laws. Confession should not be given to one designated person, for they will become puffed up and overwhelmed. Instead, we are to confess to our community and soak in the forgiveness and grace as it falls upon us.
Overall, there are three major takeaways from the book. The first major takeaway for me personally was understanding that human love and spiritual love are different. Human love has a desire to be irresistible yet little consideration for truth. Additionally, while human love desires the other person’s company, it does not serve them as Christ calls us to serve one another. Therefore, when human love’s desire is no longer filled, it will quickly turn to resentment and hatred. Conversely, spiritual love comes from Jesus and is not self-serving or pious. Instead, it “meet[s] the other person with the clear Word of God and [is] ready to leave him alone with this Word for a long time, willing to release him again in order that Christ may deal with him.” Many in our world have mastered human love, but few truly understand the extent to which spiritual love is needed and valued. It Is my mission to grow in my spiritual love for others.
The second takeaway has been stirring in my heart for a while now, but it jumped off the page when I read it. It is that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel is the SAME God as the God of Jesus Christ and the SAME God that reigns over my life today. So, what does this mean for us? It means that as Christians we MUST know the Bible from the Old Testament through to the New Testament. So often we seek to know about us through reading scriptures when we should be striving to learn about God. It is only through learning who God is that we can begin to become his image bearers. For when we read the scriptures, “We are torn out of our own existence and set down in the midst of the holy history of God on Earth. There God dealt with us, and there He still deals with us, our needs and our sin, in judgment and grace.” It is vital to know the God of the past, present, and future. He has not changed, and he will not change.
Finally, my biggest takeaway came from the idea that we as part of the Christian community should be asking ourselves if we have properly equipped our brothers and sisters for the testing that they will inevitably endure. My mission for the Fellowship’s Care Ministry is not simply to heal the heart of one wound, but to transform the way they walk through suffering so that when the next season of testing arrives, they are equipped to seek Christ to provide the healing, teaching, and encouragement to persevere. The book asks this question about care, “Has it transported him for a moment into a spiritual ecstasy that vanishes when everyday life returns, or has it lodged the Word of God so securely and deeply in his heart that it holds and fortifies him, impelling him to active love, to obedience, to good works?” This is my deepest desire for our care ministry. That we not only heal the hurts, but that we have filled them with the Spirit so that the troubles of this world will no longer have their hold on the person’s heart.