Accountability and Encouragement

That there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (1 Corinthians 12:25-27) 
 
The word “Ekklesia” is the Koine ́ Greek word for church. It is a compound word, “ek” (the preposition, which means “out of”) and “kaleo” (to call). The word “ekklesia” literally means “called out of ones.” In other words, we, as God's children, have been called out of the world to live for Christ. This is interesting: 90% of the time that the word “ekklesia” is used in the New Testament, it refers to the local church. Only 10% of the time, it refers to the body of Christ worldwide, the spiritual body of Christ.  
 
Over the next couple of days, we are going to keep this word at the forefront of our minds as we understand the importance of fellowship and community in the local church, and we’ll answer the question “Why do we need brotherhood in the church?” 
 
First, we need the brotherhood to hold us accountable. God intended for us to be in relationship with one another. He did not want us to walk through life alone. Because when you isolate yourself, you are closing yourself off from the encouragement and accountability that fellow believers can bring to your life. All of us need accountability. We need people in our lives who are holding us accountable. And we need to allow them to speak into our lives about the decisions we are making, the directions we are heading, and what we are doing. 
 
In addition to accountability, we also need encouragement from the brotherhood in the church. I don't know about you, but I need encouragement. We all need it, and we all long for it. And some of us, we really need to hear encouraging words right now because this has been a difficult season and a difficult year. We need the encouragement from people who love Jesus to say, “Keep on keeping on. Take the next step. Don't worry about the end game. Just do the next right thing and keep moving.” 
 
So let me ask you a question. Do you have people around you who are holding you accountable and who are encouraging you? If so, I pray that you wouldn’t take that blessing for granted. But if you don’t, begin praying and asking God to provide that kind of brotherhood for you. He has an amazing way of loving on us through His other children, and He would love nothing more than to answer your prayer for biblical community.