As Iron sharpens Iron...

so one person sharpens another." This verse from Proverbs has been on my mind all week. After church on Sunday I left for West Virginia to participate in a prayer retreat with 7 other pastors. I would say it was 3 days of iron sharpening as we prayed, worshiped, studied, ate, laughed, complained, sweated, dreamed, and shared gas (like being in college again) together. It was great for my soul. As God would have it, i just happen to be preaching about the importance of community this week. My scripture reading is from Luke 5 where a group of friends lower one of their own through the ceiling so that Jesus can heal him. While i am new to this particular group it became evident that through their years together they have all taken turns at lowing each other through that roof to get to Jesus for healing. Christian Community is a beautiful thing when it works like it is suppose to, and is one of the most overlooked characteristic of a life following and so many people miss this.
While i have not experienced that kind of community with this group (yet) i have in other groups. When Karis had her surgery to remove her kidney our small group came to be with us at the hospital. We were soaked with God's presence. A member of our groups father died and we took the church bus to attend the service. A lady in my wife's group said that this group "saved her life."
If you want to experience the transformational power of Jesus in your life, Christian community where i believe it is most likely to happen.
As iron sharpens iron so one person sharpens another.