Knowing Jesus is Communal

Knowing Jesus is Communal

The following concept is original to and is largely from Tim Keller’s book The Prodigal God. I hope you will find these ideas on community stimulating and inspiring. Enjoy.


We live in a culture in which the interests and desires of the individual take precedence over those of the family, group, or community. As a result, a high percentage of people want to achieve spiritual growth without losing their independence to a church or to any organized institution. This is often the meaning behind many of those who say “I am spiritual, but not religious” and “I like Jesus, but not Christianity.” Many people who are spiritually searching have had bad experiences with churches and because of that they often do not want anything more to do with the church. Sadly, this interest is God stops at the thought level and is not put into actions because of the disinterest in having to be a part of an organization. Churches can be very unpleasant because they are filled with Pharisees and other unpleasant sinners. Yet staying away from churches just because they have self-righteous people in them is just another form of self-righteousness.
You cannot live the Christian life without a group of Christian friends, without a family of believer in which you find a place. C.S. Lewis was part of a well known circle of friends called the Inkings, which included J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of the The Lord of the Rings, and also the author Charles Williams, who died unexpectedly after World War II. In his book The Four Loves, Lewis wrote a meditation on his death in an essay entitled “Friendship” found in his book The Four Loves.
Lewis wrote, “In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets. Now that Charles [Williams] is dead, I shall never again see Ronald’s [Tolkien’s] reaction to a specifically Charles joke. Far from having more of Ronald, having him “to myself” now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald…In this, Friendship, exhibits a glorious “nearness by resemblance” to heaven itself where they very multitude of the blessed (which no man can number) increases the fruition which each of us has of God. For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest. That, says an old author, in why the Seraphim in Isaiah’s vision are crying “Holy, Holy, Holy” to one another (Isaiah 6:3). The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall have”
Lewis is saying that it took a community to know an individual. How much more would this be true of Jesus Christ? Christians commonly say they want a relationship with Jesus and they want to “get to know Jesus better.” As Lewis writes, you will never be able to do that by yourself. You must deeply and genuinely involved in the church, in Christian community, with strong relationships of love and accountability. Only if you are part of a community of believers seeking to resemble, serve, and love Jesus will you ever get to know Him and grow in His likeness (Keller 124-127).



Lewis, C.S. The Four Loves. Ireland: Harvest Books Press, 1960.
Keller, Timothy. The Prodigal God. New York, New York: Dutton, 2008.