Community Under Construction…
11/20/2025
Ruddy Arauz
In the last few months I have been thinking a lot about how costly it is to build something and how easy it is to destroy it. Not long ago I saw a video where a 22 story building was demolished in only ten seconds. Ten seconds to erase what took almost two years to construct, with hundreds of people involved. That image stayed with me. Can something that required time, effort, and persistence really disappear that quickly?
I have spent several years serving as one of the leaders in the church, and many times I wish I had an exact manual for every decision, every conflict, and every difficult situation. Something that would take away the weight of discerning and deciding. But God called us to see every circumstance through the lens of the gospel, and this includes building a community that reflects His character. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35). It is a beautiful verse until you give a face and a name to the people you must love. Then it stops being an ideal concept and becomes something profoundly real.
Building anything takes time, intention, and consistency. How much more a community? And this is exactly what the church is: a community of followers of Jesus. I personally believe it is one of the most complex challenges of the Christian life. Not because the church is full of “difficult people” but because it is full of real people. People who are different, sensitive, marked by different stories, with strengths and wounds, with genuine intentions, and with a pride that sometimes rises to the surface. With moments of conviction and moments of fragility. The Bible does not hide this. On the contrary, it shows it with surprising honesty. The tensions in Corinth (1 Corinthians), the divisions in Galatia (Galatians 5), the conflicts in Philippi (Philippians 4:2–3). The reality is that relationships can be sensitive. What flows naturally today can become complicated tomorrow because of a misunderstanding, a careless word, an unspoken expectation, or simply emotional exhaustion. Even Paul lived this in his own ministry (Acts 15:36–40).
The gospel breaks the rule of “better to stay far away”
When I was a child, I used to hear things like “It’s better to keep your distance from the neighbors”, “People are complicated”, and “Don’t get too close to anyone because problems will follow”. And as an adult, I heard the same advice repeated with even more confidence: “Only deal with people as much as you have to” and “The less you get involved, the fewer wounds you’ll carry”. It all seemed like an undeniable truth.
But when you look through the gospel, you discover something clear. Jesus does not promote this kind of distance. The gospel invites us to walk together, to enter one another’s lives, to carry each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). The model of Christ is not isolation but incarnation. He drew near. He listened. He served. He wept. He walked with real people, with real stories, with real problems. The Christian faith was never designed to be lived at a distance. And the Christian community was not called to appear “perfect”, but to be transformed and to persevere in love. The Bible calls us to “bear with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). To bear with one another is not to tolerate with resentment. It is to support, accompany, and persevere.
Nobody is balanced on their own
Sometimes we expect to find people who are balanced, mature, and stable in every sense. But the Bible does not present the Christian as someone who is fully balanced individually, but as someone who grows in balance within the body. Paul says that Christ gave gifts and ministries “to equip the saints… until we all reach… the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12–13). No one reaches that point alone. No one is complete without community.
Balance is not an autonomous virtue. It is a fruit of walking together. In community we learn to see what we would never see alone. We correct what we would never correct alone. We grow in areas that we would never touch alone. We are “members of one another” (Romans 12:5). The Christian faith is not an individualistic project. It is a shared project.
The community is sustained by leaders with titles and without titles
Every community needs leadership. But the Bible shows that leadership is not limited to formal roles. There are those who serve as elders, pastors, or deacons (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1) and there are also those who lead without an official position. People who, through their maturity, example, steady service, and timely words, give stability to the body.
In the New Testament we find many men and women who supported churches from their homes, who strengthened and corrected through personal companionship, and who contributed with obedience and willingness. The health of the church does not depend on a “super leader”, but on a collection of voices, hands, hearts, and gifts working under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12). Paul summarizes it beautifully. Christ causes “the whole body to fit together perfectly… and as each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:16). And this includes all of us at all times, just as Romon wrote in the previous blog: “We represent Him. Not someday when we feel ready, but right now. In our homes, our workplaces, our neighborhoods, our churches, we are already leading. The only question is: are we leading well?”
Be alert …
A strong community is not built overnight. It requires time, processes, healed wounds, uncomfortable conversations, shared prayers, corrected decisions, and genuine forgiveness. But what took months or years to build can become complicated in days. This is why the Bible insists so much on guarding the heart (Proverbs 4:23), on the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3), and on personal and collective humility (Philippians 2:1–5).
This is why Scripture calls us again and again to watch, stay alert, be attentive, and remain sober. It knows how easily we can lose focus and stop reflecting one of the greatest evidences of the gospel: a community united in Christ. This is not a call to fear but to responsibility. The Christian community is fragile in a human sense, but strong in a spiritual sense, because Christ Himself sustains it. He is the cornerstone that holds the entire building together (Ephesians 2:20–22). And even so, He invites us to participate in its care. Let us remain alert, preserve unity, and care for one another.
Ruddy Arauz is a licensed dentist by profession and has been part of the Red Roots team for over 12 years. He currently serves as one of the pastors at El Jireh Church and as the clinic administrator, where his leadership and dedication strengthen both the ministry and community.