importance of Christian community

I've been reminded of late the importance of Christian community by being in a secular place and in secular surroundings. Some more thoughts:

-In my opinion, any human, Christian or agnostic or Chinese or Italian, has a fundamental need for community, to be a part of and regularly interact with a community.

-Within communities, it is a two-way street. Receiving and giving. Both aspects benefit the community but are fundamental for the individual. If an individual has one of those elements cut off or doesn't have a good balance of the two, that individual will suffer because he/she is not meeting a fundamental need.

-I've made the decision to live for Christ. This implies a lifestyle and decisions that look different from other alternatives that are out there, both as an individual and being part of a greater community. Christian community is distinct, like every other community that's out there, but I still haven't experienced anything better than Christian community (and my definition of Christian community is the genuine type that I've been fortunate to have in my life...they've been different having different faces and interactions, but overridingly awesome each one). I will say I'm only 24 and haven't experienced the world over, but I'd be willing to hedge my bets that my decision to stick with Christ is a very long-term thing.

-Following Christ's example, He was very much into community while on earth. Peter, James, and John were very close companions. The other disciples of the 12 were good personal friends. He interacted socially with people like Martha and Nicodemus. He interacted on a public level with the masses and those such as the Pharisees. The point is, Christ didn't completely bubblize himself into nothing but Christian community. That was His core, but He was intentional about relating with others in a different community setting than the one He was most familiar with.

-The importance of Christian community helps me recognize that I can't be rambo-independent Christ follower (not like I could anyway). Most of all I need Christ. Right behind that, surrounding myself with a core Christian community while still being intentional about interacting in 'other than Christian' communities is seemingly how it should be.