Connection

Connection occurs when the life of Christ in me touches the life of Christ in you.
The basis for a connected life is the atonement. Jesus Christ died for our sins so that we can be connected to God and to each other. The basis for this connection through the atonement is forgiveness. Larry Crabb says,
"Christians believe that without the atonement there is no forgiveness, without forgiveness there is no connection, and without connection there is the loneliness of hell forever."
But with forgiveness comes connection—and in our life together, that is, in Church life, we can experience real community. Here is how it works: If I have already been forgiven of my sins and am now connected to God, then you can pose no real threat to my existence. You can reject me, hurt me, and make my life miserable, but you cannot destroy me.
I now don't need to be so afraid of you that my fear controls how I treat you. I don't need to keep up my guard. I can actually accept you as God for Christ's sake has already accepted me. When you offend me, I can nourish the spirit of forgiveness inside me because it is there with the Spirit of Christ. I may have to look really hard for it, but it is there even if it is deeply hidden.
Crabb goes on to say, "When we pour into another even a little of the life that, at the cost of Jesus' death, has been poured into us, connection happens."
When we look at other believers through the cross of Jesus, we can see them as fundamentally acceptable. We don’t have to police each other—we can learn to truly love each other.
-Pastor Dino Griffin