The Strength of Communion

Introduction

You live in a time when it is easy to be afraid, to be discouraged, to feel under pressure. But God did not call his church to be a fearful or weak church. "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of self-control." Living a healthy spiritual life does not mean you stop being attacked. Jesus himself said it : "You will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world." Many people today sell a kind of "fast food gospel" : accept Jesus, stay with him, and everything will be fine. Jesus never promised that. What he promises is a solid spiritual life, in favorable times and in unfavorable ones, in sunshine and in storm. In this message, you will discover five biblical principles for strengthening your faith and keeping a healthy spiritual life through every season.

Outline of this message

1. One thing : you are the one who must grow strong

The opening text is Ephesians 6:10 : "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might." A simple question : who has to grow strong? You do. This morning, the Holy Spirit is calling you to your responsibility. We like everything fast, immediate, done for us by someone else. A 30-second internet connection feels slow, a one-year-old car feels old, a microwave that takes 30 seconds feels too long. But with God, it does not work that way. There are things God does, and there are things you must do yourself. It is no accident that this verse sits in the chapter about the armor of God : having a healthy spiritual life means fighting the good fight of faith. You have weapons. Many Christians leave them lying on the ground. It is up to you to pick them up, to put them on, so that the cold winds of unbelief and the anti-Christian culture of this world do not put out the fire in your heart.

2. Principle #1 : Fight the good fight

A believer who fights is a believer who is alive. We get attacked when we do not fight. Many Christians only endure, when God has not called you to endure but to resist, to fight, because victory is yours in the name of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says it : "The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but they are mighty in God for the destruction of strongholds, taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." Your battle is not with your wife, your husband, your brother, or your sister.

The battlefield is your mind. That is where you are attacked, by the system, by the devil, by circumstances, by people. What you must do is what Jesus did in the wilderness : he did not only meditate, he raised his voice and declared, "It is written." In the fight, you do not meditate, you proclaim the Word. When a thought comes and tells you "you'll never make it," "your family will never come to Christ," stop right there. Even in the car, out loud : "In the name of Jesus, it is written that he who is in me is greater than he who is in the world. It is written that he who began a good work in me will complete it." And when you proclaim the truth, that truth (which is not positive thinking but the Bible) shatters a thousand of the devil's lies.

And sometimes, fighting simply means resisting. James 4:7 : "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Do not negotiate with the attack, resist, and the promise is activated, the attack flees far from you.

3. Principle #2 : Communion with the Scriptures

There is no living faith, no healthy spiritual life, without constant exposure to the Word. Psalm 119:105 : "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." If you do not want to walk in darkness, you must light a lamp, and that lamp is the Word. There can be no living faith without love for the Scriptures.

What is sad today is that you hold the Bible literally in your hand, on your phone, everywhere, in the car, at the office, on the bus. And yet, we read it far less than we did 30 or 50 years ago, when believers had one big Bible they could not carry everywhere and had to find a quiet place to read. Today, we spend far more time looking into other people's business than staying with the Word. It is a strange human tendency : the easier something becomes, the less we do it. So take the time, love the Word, expose yourself to it every day.

4. Principle #3 : Communion with God every day

Prayer is the fuel of your faith. Psalm 27:4 : "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after : that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." And another passage says : "A day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere." Just as the deer pants for water, so your soul must pant for the presence of God.

When the pastor of one of the largest churches in the world was asked the secret of its growth, he answered : "The first secret : prayer. The second : prayer. The third : prayer." Without prayer, we accomplish nothing. It is not first a matter of duration but of consistency. Intimacy with the Holy Spirit produces a faith that is alive, stable, strong. The presence of God gives you strength to live, vision for the future, stability to stand firm against any attack.

Be careful : this is not about feelings. It is not "whether I feel it or not." It is a matter of promises. It is written that he is near to all who call on him. It is written that he who seeks finds. The key to intimacy is not feelings, it is faith. If your emotions follow along, glory to God. If you feel nothing, glory to God all the same. You do not move on what you feel, you move on what you believe.

5. Principle #4 : Communion with the church

No one grows well alone. Psalm 133:1 : "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!", and not "each one alone at home watching the service online." Glory to God for technology. It was precious during Covid when everything was closed. But today, barring a serious obstacle, worship is not something you experience at home. The true church is in person. It is there, together, in harmony, that the presence of God is made manifest, and it is there that God can shape you and bless you.

If you are always alone, you can start thinking of yourself as a new Napoleon and no one will tell you otherwise, because you are alone. But in community, a brother can tell you : "watch out, you're starting to drift." No one grows well alone, we all need one another. The church is a spiritual necessity.

The preacher shares a memory : as a young man, in his church in Italy, there was a sister he was not comfortable around. He would pray : "Lord, today I'm going to praise you, but please make that sister sit far away." Guess where she would sit? Right next to him. And on the Sunday when the pastor invited everyone to embrace, to take the hand of the person next to them... Honestly, he says, it is those very brothers and sisters I did not get along with who shaped me the most. Because when you ask God for self-control, he will send you someone who tempts you to lose it. Iron sharpens iron, and that is how God builds the fruit of the Spirit in you. No one can bear the fruit of the Spirit while living alone. So bless that brother, bless that sister, the very one you would rather not have sitting next to you, who sits next to you anyway. We all need those brothers and sisters.

6. Principle #5 : Sharing your testimony

God did not call you to keep silent. It is the devil who wants you silent. This idea so fashionable in Europe ("faith is a private matter") is a lie. Today we can say anything, but talking about our faith would be inappropriate? Something is off. Faith must be shared, because there is no living faith without serving others.

What strengthens your spiritual life is giving to others, in other words, loving your neighbor concretely and spiritually. Acts 20:35 : "It is more blessed to give than to receive." There is more joy in sharing with others that Christ is alive than in keeping that truth to yourself. Speak of Christ with gentleness, without lecturing anyone, but speak of him. And if you cannot do it with words, speak through your actions, through your attitude. Be the best at your job. Be the most peaceful, the most joyful person around.

You cannot be a Christian with a face like a funeral. Remember : children ran toward Jesus. Does a child approach someone with a sour face? If Jesus was surrounded by children, what must his face have looked like? What kind of smile? What gentleness radiated from him? If you truly believe he is the Son of God and that he is the one who will write the last line of the book of your life, then, whatever storm you are going through, you must have peace, joy, gladness, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Key takeaways

• Growing strong is your responsibility. God does his part; it is up to you to take up the armor and fight.
• In the fight, you proclaim the Word, you do not just meditate. "It is written," like Jesus in the wilderness. Resist the devil, and he will flee.
• Love the Scriptures. You literally have the Bible in your hand : actually open it, every day. Without a lamp, you walk in the dark.
• Prayer is the fuel of your faith. It is not a matter of duration or emotion, but of consistency and promises.
• No one grows well alone. Watching from home is not the real church. It is in community that God shapes you, often through the brothers and sisters who unsettle you.
• Faith is not private, it is meant to be shared. Through words, but also through your peace, your joy, your attitude at work and at home.

Personal application

Take a moment to ask yourself these questions honestly before you close this article.

1. In which area of your spiritual life are you waiting for God to do everything for you, when the Bible asks you to grow strong yourself? What could you start doing today, as a first concrete step?
2. When a thought of unbelief, fear, or discouragement hits you, do you endure it in silence, or do you proclaim the Word out loud? Prepare two or three verses right now to draw on in those moments.
3. How much time did you spend this week reading your Bible, compared to time spent on your phone watching other people's lives? What do you want to change, in a simple, sustainable way?
4. Is your prayer life a matter of emotion or of consistency? What concrete space can you give it every day, even ten minutes, but kept faithfully?
5. Are you fully living out your church life in person, or have you gotten used to watching online? Is there a brother or sister you are not comfortable with, whom God might want to use to shape you?
6. When was the last time you shared, in words or in deeds, that Christ is alive? Who is the first person the Spirit is putting on your heart this week?

Verses to meditate on

• Ephesians 6:10 · "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might."
• 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 · The weapons of our warfare are mighty in God for the destruction of strongholds.
• James 4:7 · "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
• Psalm 119:105 · "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
• Psalm 27:4 · "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after : that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life."
• Psalm 133:1 · "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!"
• Acts 20:35 · "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
• John 16:33 · "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world."
• 2 Timothy 1:7 · "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind."

Frequently asked questions

What does it actually mean to "fight the good fight" of faith?

Fighting is not fighting against your spouse, your family, or people at church. It means recognizing that the real battlefield is your mind, and taking up the Word as an active weapon. Following the example of Jesus in the wilderness, you proclaim out loud "it is written..." right where the attack wants you to simply endure. And sometimes, fighting is simply resisting without negotiating with the lie, and according to James 4:7, the devil flees.

Is it a problem if I "feel nothing" when I pray?

No. The message insists : the key to intimacy with God is not feelings, it is faith. God has promised that he is near to those who call on him, that he who seeks finds. If emotions come along, glory to God; if not, glory to God all the same. You do not move on what you feel, you move on what you believe.

Isn't watching the service online enough if I do it every Sunday?

No, barring a serious obstacle. Technology was useful during Covid, but it does not replace the church gathered in person. The true church is together, in harmony, where the presence of God is made manifest, where you are shaped and corrected, where iron sharpens iron, often through the brothers and sisters you do not naturally get along with, who grow the fruit of the Holy Spirit in you.

Why share your faith, when many think it is private?

Because there is no living faith without serving others, and because what strengthens your spiritual life is giving. Acts 20:35 says there is more joy in giving than in receiving. You can share with words (with gentleness, without lecturing), and when you cannot speak, you share through your attitude : peace, joy, kindness at work and at home.