Life Together, By Koessler

Life Together

After the conversion, believers are to walk in the richness of new Christian life, thriving to grow spiritually. However, when many believers emphasize the time alone with God, it seems like they sometimes neglect the role of the church in the spiritual growth. While people grow more reluctant to belong in the community and remain in isolation, Koessler, the author of the True Discipleship claims that the discipleship is corporate in nature (Koessler 178). This suggests that God called Christians to grow together. Paul also asserts that Jesus gifted us with different people to make ourselves equipped and built up as body of Christ, so that we will mature and become more like him (NIV, Ephesians. 4.11-13). And from these evidences,

In the fellowship between believers, we are able to give and receive help. Paul also says that “we [should]…warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak” (NLT, 1 Thessalonians. 5.14). When our faiths get shaken and we struggle with sin problems, brothers in Christ can remind us of the truth and correct us to right path. Bonhoeffer, the author of the book Life Together also says that we need a Christian brother who speaks God’s word again and again when we are belying the truth full of uncertainty and discouragement (Bonhoeffer 23). This will prevent doubts, weakness, and heresy from slowing down the individual’s spiritual growth. Also, God uses church to train our characters. God demands His people to “be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves” (NLT, 1 Thessalonians. 5.14). Every believer who experienced mercy of God will go through the shaping his character. While loving, forgiving, and serving each other in obedience despite of others’ weakness and fault, believers will resemble more of Christ’s character, which is the ultimate goal of the spiritual

Through confession, we’re able to bring our darkest sin into the light by acknowledging of our fault and seeking for other’s forgiveness in humility. According to Bonhoeffer, this forsakes our sin and breaks its dominion (Bonhoeffer 115). The confession is also the “preparation…of the holy communion” (Bonhoeffer 121). Confession makes believers clean from sins which prevent them from having a fellowship with one another. Therefore in the communion, believers who are united and sanctified together will be able to treat others without hypocrisy. Being in fullness of grace and certainty of forgiveness, believers can enter into the deeper fellowship with God and his people, resulting spiritual