There’s No Place Like Home: Why Christian Community Matters

 “From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. . . . And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.”

Acts 14:26, 28

Dear Friends,

There is something warm and comforting about home. John Howard Payne captured the sentiment well in the lyrics to his song, Home Sweet Home:

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.

As God’s children, we know this world is not our final home. But while here on earth, God often places us within a Christian community—people who provide a secure base of encouragement and prayer as we live for Him.

The Comfort of Home

I remember my own experience of home as a child. I was blessed to grow up with parents who loved me and taught me about God. I felt safe when I was with them. But as I grew older, I had to spread my wings and fly farther from the nest.

My first big experience came when I started school. Although the local elementary school was only a few blocks away, it was a little scary to walk there and spend the bulk of my weekday hours in an environment different from the one I was used to.

As I grew older, my parents sent me to a private Christian school when I was in eighth grade. I was about 25 minutes away from home, and sometimes my dad couldn’t drive me. I would then have to take the bus—not a school bus, but the public bus. It was uncomfortable to ride with people I didn’t know, get off in an unfamiliar city, and then walk a long distance to school.

Despite these unsettling experiences, I still carried a feeling of peace because I knew I had parents who loved me and a place of safety to return to every night. There was nothing like getting off the bus, walking down my hill, and finally seeing my small house with the enclosed porch and green siding.

Paul and Barnabas Return Home

I think Paul and Barnabas might have felt this way when they finished their first missionary journey. At the start of their journey, they had been committed to the grace of God and sent out by the believers in Antioch. Many months later, after a great deal of travel, persecution, and success in preaching the gospel, they went back to where they started.

It was time to go home!

They retraced their steps, strengthening and encouraging the new converts to remain true to the faith along the way. When their boat finally arrived back in Antioch, it must have been a beautiful sight. I wonder if their eyes filled with tears as they thought back to their send-off so many months before and all that had happened since.

Upon arrival, they gathered the Antioch church members together and reported to them all of God’s marvelous work and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. I can only imagine the joy and excitement as they celebrated all God had done.

We All Need Christian Community

All of us need that kind of Christian community. It is true that God goes with us everywhere we roam, whether it be a new school, a new town, or a foreign country. But there is something about knowing we have loved ones supporting us and praying for us back home that gives us courage when things get rough.

Home is more than a particular place. Sometimes it is a particular group of people from whom we receive love, encouragement, and support.

The writer of Hebrews understood the importance of deep relationships. He said:

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
—Hebrews 10:24–25

A Safe Place to Come Home To

There’s no place like home. I experienced this as a child, but it’s something we all need. God never intended us to live the Christian life alone. We need other believers who will love us, encourage us, and pray for us along the way.

If you don’t already have this kind of Christian community, find a group of believers who will commit themselves to walking through life together. Then, no matter where this life takes you, you will have a safe place to come home to.

Love,

Mama

Do you have people who have been a spiritual home for you? Share this message with someone who has encouraged you in your walk with God.

This reflection is part of my Walking Through the Book of Acts devotional series, where we explore the early church, the work of the Holy Spirit, and what it means to follow God with courage and faith.