“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not ignore your mother’s teaching” (Proverbs 1:8, NASB used throughout). 

“Do not forsake the teaching of your mother” (Proverbs 6:20). 

“Do not despise your mother when she is old” (Proverbs 23:22). 

People are made to need each other. We see this from the very beginning of time. Everything was good at creation save one thing; God said, “it is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18, NASB throughout). Thus, God created woman, someone who could fill man’s needs perfectly. God gave humans an inherent need for comradery and community with other people. 

Christians are not exempt from this truth. We need each other. This, in part, is why God set up His kingdom by way of the church. God’s church is a group of people who are united under one banner: Christ. Our bond reaches deeper than distance or family ties. We are brought together by the blood of Christ for an eternal purpose, making disciples of our Lord. The church must be a community if we are to fulfill Christ’s mission.