Yesterday, while visiting one of our churches, a young preacher named Ben spoke about the call to be a true community. I found it very striking, because it shows that more and more people are sensing the same thing. And then, an image came to my mind: a fattened pig.

We are currently working as a team of bishops on our statement of purpose, and we firmly believe in the unity of a family in community that impacts society.

Sometimes we fatten a pig so much that it never makes it to the grill. It’s a strange picture, but it speaks to something very real in the life of the church.

When we look back at the early believers in the book of Acts, we see a community that was alive with both fellowship and mission. They held all things in common, they broke bread with glad and sincere hearts, and at the same time, they shared the good news in every corner of their world. The result? “The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).

 

“We focus so much on feeding ourselves, building our programs, and making our community comfortable that we never “make it to the grill.” Mick González

But sometimes today, we risk doing the opposite. We focus so much on feeding ourselves, building our programs, and making our community comfortable that we never “make it to the grill.” We become a well-fed group that doesn’t share the nourishment we’ve received.

The church is not meant to be a storage room of blessings. It is called to be a feast for the hungry, a light for the nations, a family that welcomes and sends. Growth inside must always lead to generosity outside. Otherwise, we’ve only fattened the pig, but missed the meal.

So let’s ask ourselves:

• Are we breaking bread with joy inside our walls?
• Are we sharing the bread of life beyond them?
• Are we becoming a community that feeds, heals, and multiplies?

God’s design is for us to be both: a people deeply rooted in love for one another, and boldly reaching out in love for the world.

Don’t just fatten the pig. Put it on the grill.