We Gather for Strength

We Gather Together

I’d like to read one of Aesop’s Fables called, The Bundle of Sticks.  

A certain Father had a family of Sons, who were forever quarreling among themselves. No words he could say did the least good, so he cast about in his mind for some very striking example that should make them see that discord would lead them to misfortune.  One day when the quarreling had been much more violent than usual and each of the Sons was moping in a surly manner, he asked one of them to bring him a bundle of sticks. Then handing the bundle to each of his Sons in turn he told them to try to break it. But although each one tried his best, none was able to do so.  The Father then untied the bundle and gave the sticks to his Sons to break one by one. This they did very easily.

 "My Sons," said the Father, "do you not see how certain it is that if you agree with each other and help each other, it will be impossible for your enemies to injure you? But if you are divided among yourselves, you will be no stronger than a single stick in that bundle." [1]  I realize that this simple children's fable could be applied to any number of situations, many of which you were probably imagining as I read through it. Today however, as it pertains to the church, the lesson is a simple and powerful one [1] The Bundle of Sticks. http://read.gov/aesop/040.html

Proverbs 14:4 says, “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.”

Think about that for a moment. A clean manger sounds nice, doesn’t it? No mess. No chaos. No hassle. But do you know what else a clean manger means? No oxen. No work getting done. No harvest. Because let’s be real—where there are oxen, there’s a mess. And where there are people… well, there’s a mess too. Community is messy. People are stubborn. People are complicated. People have baggage. And let’s be honest—some of us have been hurt by the very communities we are or were part of. Maybe you’ve experienced betrayal, disappointment, or frustration. Maybe you’ve even thought, It’d be easier to just do this on my own. Maybe it’d be easier to just leave and do something else. But here’s the truth: isolation may keep things clean, but it won’t bring a harvest and it won’t bring peace, doesn’t show love. The beauty of Proverbs 14:4 is this—the same messy, stubborn, frustrating oxen are the ones who bring in the abundance.

Oxen are strong. Oxen are stubborn. Oxen need guidance. Oxen are messy. Sound familiar? Maybe this isn’t really about oxen at all. Jesus didn’t call us to build our own private kingdoms did He? But at times we try to do exactly that, we try to build up for ourselves that which is holy, to be marveled, so we can be revered and take our place at the head of the table. But Jesus, He called us to be living stones, built together into His church. Yes, it’s messy. Yes, it’s hard. But when we bring our strengths together—when we work through the mess instead of avoiding it—we see the harvest. So the question is: Are we willing to embrace the mess for the sake of what God wants to do?

We are stronger when we work together. The harvest will always be greater when we labor side by side than when we try to go it alone.

1 Peter 5:8 – The Danger of Isolation

Let me ask you something—who benefits when you isolate yourself? Who gains when you decide that faith is a solo journey? The answer is clear: the enemy does. Let’s turn to 1 Peter 5:8 together: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” There are two things you need to see in this verse.

1. The Devil Hunts Like a Lion—And Lions Go for the Easy Kill. Ever watched a lion hunt? They’re not charging headfirst into a herd. They don’t waste energy taking on a united front. Instead, they prowl, stalk, and wait. They look for the weak, the isolated, the wounded—the ones that have drifted away from the herd. They know that no one is coming back to save that one. Because that’s how you get an easy kill. Peter knew exactly what he was saying when he compared the devil to a lion. Satan preys on isolation. He wants you alone. He wants you discouraged. He wants you convinced that no one understands you, no one cares, and you’re better off figuring things out on your own. Because when you’re alone, you’re vulnerable. And if you think you can handle the enemy all by yourself - he has you right where he wants you, you’re already on the menu.

2. Peter’s Word Choice Matters—It’s “Someone,” Not “The Church”

Notice something in 1 Peter 5:8—Peter says the devil is looking for “someone” to devour. Not a church. Not a small group. Someone. Because the enemy knows the truth: a believer surrounded by brothers and sisters in Christ is far harder to take down than one standing alone.

Satan knows he has little power over a united church, a praying family, a connected body of believers. But someone wandering on their own? They’re easy. That’s an easy target. This isn’t just a nice-sounding message—it’s reality. And here’s where you need to get brutally honest with yourself—are you making yourself an easy target?

Are you pulling back from community? Are you making excuses to stay disconnected? Are you feeding the lie that you don’t need anyone else? Because that’s exactly where the enemy wants you. There is strength in numbers. There is safety in community. There is power when we stand together. So here’s the reality check—are you staying close to the herd, or are you wandering dangerously on the outskirts of faith? Because one leads to life, and the other… well, you already know how the lion hunt ends. The lion doesn’t have to chase it’s prey for long. And the devil is still prowling. Don’t be his next easy kill.

Many of us wouldn’t like to walk through the bad parts of town alone right? We don’t have too. We have each other to walk with, to go through the wilderness of our lives, to go out into the fields to find the lost sheep. God is building a house, a church of living stones and we are stronger together. Like the bundle of sticks bound by string, we are bound together by faith.

As you consider 1 Peter 5:8, take a hard look at Ecclesiastes 4:12: “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Genesis 2:18 “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.””

There are plenty of isolated someones out there—easy prey, vulnerable, and overpowered. But two? They can fight back. And three? That’s a force that won’t go down easy. This isn’t just poetic wisdom—it’s divine strategy.

Jesus didn’t send His disciples out alone. He sent them in pairs to preach the Kingdom.

God looked at Adam, standing alone in the garden, and called it ‘not good.’

The early church was built on plurality—leaders standing together, believers carrying the mission side by side.

Paul, in Romans 16, doesn’t just list names—he gives us a roll call of warriors who labored together for the gospel.

This isn’t a suggestion. It’s a blueprint. Together, we see a greater harvest. Together, we stand better protected. Together, we are stronger.

So the real question is—are you standing alone, or are you woven into something unbreakable?

Before we close, I want to bring us back to a passage I skipped earlier—Ecclesiastes 4:9-10: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”

Let that sink in for a moment. Pity the one who falls and has no one to lift them up. Some of you know exactly what that feels like. You’ve been down. Maybe you’ve had setback after setback—lost a job, struggled to pay bills, felt like you were drowning with no way up.

Maybe grief has hit your home. Maybe sickness has hit your body. Maybe life has just worn you out, and you’re too exhausted to keep pretending you’re fine. Maybe—just maybe—you need some help getting back on your feet. And listen, part of real strength isn’t pretending you’re okay when you’re not. It’s knowing when to reach out. So here’s the challenge: How can we help each other today? Who around you needs a hand up? Who needs a shoulder to lean on? And if that person is you—will you have the courage to say so? We are stronger together. But that only works if we’re willing to step up and lift each other up. So… who needs lifting today? And will we be the ones to do it?

Our lives can be messy at times, the work of God can be complicated and difficult but necessary. We are here because God has called us here together just as He has called the church together for 2000 years and even the first church, the first calling together of the first 12 was messy but here we are still today. Let’s remember that there is strength in numbers, strength in the Body and in the Body there is life here and a better life to that awaits us. When you compare the troubles of this life to the promises of Heaven we can find peace in these words from 1 Peter 5:10 “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you.”