Community — Commune + Unity
- Serge Da Rosa
- Aug 17
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 6
Community is more than just a word we throw around when we want to describe people gathered in the same room. It’s deeper than a shared interest group, a social club, or even a congregation that simply meets on Sundays. At its heart, true community is communing in unity. It’s a people united in intimate harmony, a family joined not by bloodlines or preferences but by the life of Christ that flows through us all.
If we break the word down, community comes alive: Commune + Unity.
To commune is to engage intimately with one another, to live in honesty and trust, to open up our real selves in love-filled spaces. Unity is what holds it all together—a decision to walk as one, even in the face of differences. Together, they form something sacred, something powerful: community.
The Beauty of Communing
To commune is to be known and to know others. It’s not about shallow pleasantries or staying at surface level, but about engaging in honesty, vulnerability, and trust. Communing means that we bring our real stories, the victories and the struggles, into the light.
James wrote, “Confess your faults to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16). Healing doesn’t come from hiding; it comes from honest communion. Yet, many are afraid of exposing weakness, terrified that faults will lead to rejection. But the truth is, no one wants to walk alone. God designed us to be carried and to carry one another.
Paul echoes this in Galatians 6:2: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” What is that law? Love. When we commune, we share life in a way that reflects the very heart of Jesus.
The early church lived this out beautifully. In Acts 2:42–47 we see a community devoted to fellowship, breaking bread together, praying together, and caring for one another’s needs. Their devotion wasn’t passive. It was an active choice to live with open hearts and open hands: “All who believed were together and had all things in common. They were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”
Communion takes investment. It means making time, showing up, and staying when things get messy. It’s easy to walk away when we disagree or when people disappoint us. But devotion says, “I’m in this with you. Not just when I agree with you, but when life gets hard.” Fellowship in Scripture always carries the weight of intimacy. It is not casual, it is covenantal.
1 John 1:3 reminds us that fellowship with one another is rooted in fellowship with the Father and His Son. When we walk in His light, we are joined in real relationship, not because we are flawless but because His love binds us together.
The Power of Unity
Unity is not uniformity. It does not erase differences or demand agreement on every detail. Instead, unity holds us together through our differences. Unity is the oneness of life we share in Christ—a life that is greater than opinions, perspectives, or preferences.
Paul urged the Ephesian church to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). He reminded them of what holds them together: “one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope… one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:4–6). Unity looks like a body—many members, different in function, yet joined and held together in harmony (Ephesians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27).
When Paul spoke of the body, he wanted us to see that difference is not defective. Every member matters. A foot may not be a hand, but both are essential. A voice may not sound like another, but each adds to the song. Unity means celebrating diversity of giftings while recognizing that we belong to the same life source.
Colossians 3 paints unity in practical colors: compassion, humility, gentleness, forgiveness. “Above all, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:14). True unity isn’t tested when we agree—it’s proven when we disagree. It’s the choice to stay connected even through conflict, to remain family first and treat everything else as second.
The Sound of Community
Community has a sound. It is the sound of humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness. It’s the harmony that rises when different voices choose to blend rather than compete.
Jesus prayed in John 17 that we would be one as He and the Father are one. We often emphasize our union with God, but His prayer also points to our union with each other. Our harmony with one another is meant to echo the very harmony we have with God.
Harmonizing is not about singing the same note, it’s about voices coming together in a heavenly exchange. Sometimes one voice rises higher, sometimes another carries the melody, but when tuned to the Spirit, every sound becomes part of the same song. In community, we learn to hear one another, to feel each other’s struggles and victories, and to walk in step with each other.
Why Community Matters
Community matters because it’s God’s strategy for our growth, our protection, and our transformation.
Growth: Hebrews 10:24–25 reminds us to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to gather but encouraging one another. Some of the greatest revelations we receive come not in isolation but in conversation with others who help draw truth out of us.
Protection: There is strength in numbers. A lone sheep is vulnerable, but a flock offers safety. True friendship provides covering and encouragement when the storms of life hit.
Grace: Acts 4:32–35 describes a community of one heart and soul where grace rested on them all. Psalm 133 declares that where brothers dwell in unity, God commands His blessing. Jesus Himself promised that where two or three gather in His name, He is present. Community is a place of tremendous blessing.
There’s an African tribal practice that beautifully illustrates this. When someone in the community fails, they don’t cast them out or punish them. Instead, the people gather around and speak words of truth, value, and affirmation, reminding the fallen one of who they truly are until they rise again. Imagine if the church lived this way, restoring with mercy, grace, and love instead of judgment.
A Call to Reflection
Community is not automatic; it is a choice. It begins with asking the Spirit, “Is there any place I’m hiding or carrying something alone?, Is there something within me that makes me resistant to intimate fellowship?” Healing comes when we step into the light with one another.
It continues with a declaration of unity: “I release offense, I release resistance, I release restraint; I choose connection” (Colossians 3:13–14). Unity isn’t a feeling, it’s a decision to walk in love above preference, to stay connected when it would be easier to walk away.
When we choose community, we choose to bear one another’s burdens, to speak truth in love, to refuse isolation, and to walk as one body with many gifts, all moving together for the good of all.
This was always Jesus’ strategy: commune—be known and carry one another; unity—be devoted and refuse division. Let’s be purposeful this week to live it out.
Closing Thought
Community is not accidental. It is cultivated. It is an investment. It is beautiful. And when it is lived out, it carries the very fragrance of Heaven.
We are one body, joined in love, many voices lifted in harmony, moving as one. This is the sound of community.
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By Serge Da Rosa
About the Author
Serge Da Rosa is co-founder of Urban Eden Community, a ministry dedicated to helping people discover their God-given identity and walk in the freedom of the new creation. Alongside his wife, Kristy, Serge facilitates weekly gatherings in Tulsa, Oklahoma that center around authentic connection, growth, and kingdom expression outside the walls of traditional religious systems.
Serge’s passion is to see people awakened to their union with God. Through weekly community gatherings, work in addiction recovery, community events, writing, teaching, and the Kings And Priests Podcast, he speaks into themes of identity, grace, purpose, kingdom and governance with clarity, depth, and hope.
Whether through a conversation, a gathering, or a written word, Serge’s message remains the same: You are in perfect union with God, empowered with God's Kingdom.
To learn more, connect with Serge, or support the mission, visit www.UrbanEdenCmty.com
Email us: urbanedencmty@gmail.com
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