Eunice Parodi | Public Relations
We Christians in Belgium dream of seeing the Kingdom of God gain ground in our country, don’t we? So, when we have the joy of welcoming new arrivals into our community, regardless of the stage of their personal journey with Christ, we pray for a strong Church that includes each one in his own diversity. And if you are a “committed Christian”, you can be sure that you are a blessing to your spiritual leaders.
But does the Kingdom of God then consist of only two categories: the collective community (i.e., the local community, the Christian assembly, the Church at large) and the individual (the Christian)? In this configuration, the individual benefits from the community and lessons learned from the collective community, and indeed, commits to it. While the internet allows us to communicate today with our brothers and sisters from around the world, the connection isn’t always automatic with our neighbor sitting next to us in the Sunday service or the Tuesday evening Bible study.
Between individuality and collectivity is born a third category: a mini-collection of three people who walk spiritually on three levels (individually, collectively and in a small group). If one considers each community as an “army division” of the Kingdom, let’s imagine the 3D groups as work groups where the real spiritual identity develops for this “division”. By way of example, even if their function is identical, a 3D group in Antwerp would not have the same “color” as that of a group in Liège. In parallel, the entire community grows into the image of Christ, maintained by the bonds of love cultivated in the intimacy and the confidence of the 3D groups. “In this way [those outside the group of believers] will know that you are my disciples” …and the Kingdom will gain ground.