If I asked you to list the 15 people with whom you share your life in a deep personal way, could you list 15 people? I'm not talking about carpool friends or people at the golf course. I talking about people whom you would call from the emergency room at midnight after you've had a car accident and you need a ride home. I'm not talking about the 200 friends you have on Facebook. I'm talking about the 3 people who know you are pregnant, even though it is a secret; the friends you know would catch you if you are falling, the ones who would walk through the darkest valleys with you.
A circle of friends like that is the Biblical
principle of "oikos." Relationships of "oikos" are what the church is
to be made up of. Admittedly, we don't always live up to that, but that
doesn't mean we stop trying. Now, you can't have oikos with 200
people. I'm told you can only have oikos with a group of 8 to 15
people. That's why being part of a small group, Bible study or
fellowship group is so important.
No one should have to walk through the valleys of
life on their own. No matter who you are, you need oikos; whether you
need someone to lean on or you are someone on whom others can
lean. Authentic Christian community is built on loving relationships.
That's where you know you belong! That's where you will fully become!
Dr. Jay D. Carr
