By Mallory Mattingly
As life increasingly goes digital, our expectations for community shift — and not for the better, as Fresh Life Church pastor Levi Lusko explains.
Interaction with others is a basic human need. In fact, God created us for relationships when He said in Genesis 2:18 that “It is not good for the man to be alone.”
However, with ever-increasing lives online, people can avoid face-to-face interactions altogether.
“You have Instacart that allows you to say, leave the groceries at the door, don’t even ring the doorbell so I can come out of my lair only to snag them quickly,” Lusko told Relevant Magazine.
“We are capable of being complicit in our own suffering,” the pastor continued. “Technology and the modern age has allowed us to build lives where we don’t talk to strangers anymore.”
Related: Pastor Levi Lusko Talks How Parents Can Share Faith With Children
With this shift from being “front yard people” to “back yard people,” Lusko explained that the church is the best place to actually connect with others.
“I think the church is one of the best places in the world to meet lots of different people from lots of different backgrounds and areas of life,” he shared.
In fact, it can even improve your lifespan.
A 2020 Harvard study found that “attending church once a week reduces deaths of despair — defined as drug overdose, alcohol poisoning, or suicide — by 70%.”
“Something so small, like attending church once a week means you’re literally 70% less likely to die from these things that are killing a generation — things like fentanyl, alcohol, and suicide,” Lukso said.
He explored the topic more on Instagram, writing, “God wants to reach people you don’t like. And he might want to use you to reach them.”
But in order for that to happen, people have to be willing to get off of the their devices and step into community.
“The Pharisees had no problem with God working…just as long as it stayed in their circle. The Gentiles were a hard pass. Their issue wasn’t WHAT God was doing, it was WHO He was doing it through,” Lukso continued in the caption. “Newsflash: God has never waited for anyone’s approval. He’ll work through anyone, to reach whoever. Sometimes He’s aiming straight for the people you’d rather avoid…and sometimes He’s planning to use you to get there. The tension is the point.”
“The question isn’t whether or not God is moving. It’s whether you’re willing to be part of it, even when it’s uncomfortable,” he emphasized.
If we want to be a generation that expands the gospel, we need to put our phones down, get outside of our comfort zones and seek community with others.
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