We hear a lot about community today in both society and the church. What the world promotes is a watered-down contrast to the teachings of Jesus. As Christian leaders, our goal is to develop in our ministry settings an uncommon-unity, based on the Word of God and prayerful pursuit of genuine Christian community.

What Jesus developed with his disciples is embodied in the truest sense of the word community. When the disciples first encountered Jesus, they responded to his call "Follow me … " and their lives were radically transformed. Living in common-unity with Jesus, the disciples followed after his teachings and example and experienced an uncommon unity in Christ.

Jesus empowered them with the Spirit, gave them authority to drive out demons and cure diseases (Luke 9:1), and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick (Luke 9:2). In addition, he gave them instructions for their journey, "Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, ...