What is a healthy church? What does God expect from believers What makes a dynamic witness in the world?

The phrase “one another” is derived from the Greek word allelon which means one another, each other, and mutually. It occurs 100 times in the New Testament. Approximately 59 of those occurrences are specific commands teaching us how (and how not) to relate and treat to one another.

Obedience to these “one another” commands are essential to forming true Christian community.

Eph. 4:1-3
Eph 4:11-16

Ephesians 4 is crystal clear that the “body of Christ” will never become a growing and dynamic community reflecting Christ’s love unless “each part does its work”.

God’s plan is that “the whole body” is to be “joined and held together by every supporting ligament” (Eph. 4:16). Total body function is absolute essential if a local church is to become all God intended it to be!

Gal 5:16-17

If we obey these “one another” commands we are doing the will of God. All Christians are involved. We are faithfully loving one another.

Let’s be committed to God given opportunities to faithfully serve one another.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

John 13:34-35

How did Jesus Love his disciples?

Selflessly, Sacrificially, Understandingly, Forgivingly, Realistically, Intimately, and Intentionally.

1 John 3:23
1 John 4:7-8

If we love God most we will love others best.

Galatians 5:13
1 John 13:1-5

Loving and serving are inseparable in the kingdom of God.

Hebrews 10:24

Mark 9:50 ESV
Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Peace with God

Romans 5:1 ESV
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peace within us

Philippians 4:5-9 ESV
5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Peace with one another

Mark 9:42-50 ESV

Romans 12:9-21

Be devoted to one another in love.

Honor one another above yourselves.

Live in harmony with one another.

These ‘one anothers’ are not found but built.

What does being devoted to one another look like in my life?

Sincere- not a phony ("put on"), describing sincere behavior free from hidden agendas (selfish motives) – literally, "without hypocrisy" (unfeigned).

What does honor one another above yourselves look like in my life? (v 11-13)

How do I live in harmony with one another? (v 16)

This word bless means to speak well of, praise. (v 14)

What we say about each other has a lot to do with the harmony we will have with one another. (v 17-18)

A life that strives for holiness to God is a life that lives in harmony with others.

Romans 14:13

Romans 15:7

Romans 15:14

Instruct- nouthetéō ("admonish through instruction") especially appeals to the mind, supplying doctrinal and spiritual substance (content). This "exerts positive pressure" on someone's logic (reasoning), i.e. urging them to choose (turn to) God's best.

Welcome- proslambánō ("towards, interactively with," intensifying, "lay hold of with initiative") – properly, aggressively receive, with strong personal interest.

Stumbling block- (proskomma) an occasion for falling, a moral embarrassment.

1 Corinthians 11:33
1 Corinthians 12:25

Wait - ekdéxomai (from 1537 /ek, "out from and to" and 1209/dexomai, "welcome") – properly, welcome from the heart, looking to the end-result of the waiting (literally, its "out-come," outcome).

How we should wait:

Strengthen me to wait patiently.

We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may . . . walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, . . . being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy. (Colossians 1:9–11)

Awaken me to today.

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)

Keep me from foolish shortcuts.

“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15)

How can we care for others

Listening to them!

We are called to care for one another not cure one another.

One of the ways we identify with our Savior is by caring for others in the same manner he has cared for us. We show ourselves to be his disciple when we humble ourselves and seek the good of others at our own expense.

John 13:12-15

Galatians 5:13-15
John 8:34-36

Freedom is at the very heart of The Gospel and Godly living. It is not a side benefit or an adjunct to the Christian life. God has called all believers to freedom.

Two false streams to freedom:

Stream of Legalism - is clear, sparkling, and pure; but its waters run so deep and furiously that no one can enter it without being drowned or smashed on the rocks of religion and its harsh demands.

Stream of libertinism - by contrast, is relatively quiet and still, and crossing it seems easy and attractive. But its waters are so contaminated with poison and pollutants that to try to cross it also leads to death.

Both streams are uncrossable and deadly, one because impossible moral and spiritual demands, and the other because of moral and spiritual filth.

If love is not the primary motive to serve one another, we then end up devouring and being consumed by one another.

A church that genuinely, faithfully worships Jesus together each week is all the more prepared to live as the church each hour, through love serve one another faithfully, and a church that lives and serves as the church all week enjoys the sweetest worship together each Sunday.

Romans 16:16
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

1 Corinthians 16:20
All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

2 Corinthians 13:12
Greet one another with a holy kiss.

1 Thessalonians 5:26
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

1 Peter 5:14
Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

Let our greetings, our interactions, our speech, our affections, our lives toward others be genuine, spirit-filled, and Christ exalting.

Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41) and mourned his friend’s death (John 11:33–35). Tender and nurturing, Christ cooked for the disciples (John 21:9), washed their feet (John 13:8), and cared compassionately for the ill (Matt. 9:20–22, 35; Mark 2:9–12; Luke 17:12–16; John 9:6–7) and for those who mourned (Mark 5:22–24, 35–43; Luke 7:11–17; John 11:38–44).

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Christian men, you have a delightful duty to provide for your homes, both physically and spiritually.

Jesus did not let external pressures change internal convictions.

Ephesians 4:1-3

If our church body does not regularly challenge our patience, then we may not be close enough to our church body.

Here at The Grove may we find ourselves surrounded by people we never would have associated with — if not for the love and salvation of Christ.

Daily patience, daily bearing, daily maintaining — this is the everyday life of God’s glorious church.

We become passive rather than active. Frustrated by those in our community, we gradually stop trying so hard. We neglect the uncomfortable conversations, leaving others’ sins unaddressed and our own concerns unmentioned. Our relationships begin to look more formal than family. Instead of patiently bearing with others, we nurse grievances, replay offenses, and find ways to keep our distance.

Bearing with (anechó)- I endure, bear with, have patience with, suffer, to hold up, persist.

Knowing that we are born of God, and going back to him, we can rise, bear with those that we feel are underserving or just unlikable, and bend low to serve others we might otherwise find impossible to love.

Ephesians 4:29-32

Make your mouth a means of Grace!

It Does Not Nourish
It Will Probably Make You Sick
It Smells Bad and Makes the Atmosphere Unpleasant
It Probably Comes from a Diseased Tree

Purity of speech starts with purity of heart.

Matthew 15:11

The question for your mouth will not merely be the moral question: Am I avoiding dirty words? But the Christian question: Am I building the faith of others by what I say? Is my mouth a means of grace? Am I frightened and anxious and angry about my life, or am I filled and overflowing with hope that the Spirit of God will keep me safe for the day of redemption?

Ephesians 5:15-21

Not unwise, but wise (v15)
Not foolish, but understanding (v17)
Not drunk, but filled with The Holy Spirit (v18)

1. Consider your calling.
2. Future planning and present impact.
3. Make the most of your mornings.
4. Have flexibility for meeting other’s needs.

Our mouths were created to be an instrument to give God worship. We are a singing people full of The Spirit!

A Spirit Filled Life:
Addressing One Another
Singing
Making Melody
Giving Thanks Always
Submitting

The gateway to being a singing people, is learning to give thanks always and for everything.

Ephesians 5:15-21

The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth. Exodus 34:6

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34

No one is good but One, that is, God. Mark 10:18

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Psalm 34:8

You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes. Psalm 119:68

Submission is willingly coming under the authority of another. Submission in the New Testament is a voluntary act. The word literally means “ordering yourself under”. Submission is not forced on you: it’s about willingly yielding to another person within a rightly ordered relationship.

4 Things Biblical Submission is not:

1) Biblical Submission Is Not a Difference in Worth

2) Biblical Submission Is Not Forced Submission

3) Biblical Submission Is Not Submission to Ungodly Leadership

4) Biblical Submission Is Not an Antiquated Cultural Relic

Mark 10:42-45

1 Corinthians 9:19

Submission and serving is the posture of God’s people.

Colossians 3:5-17

If we dilute the Christian life down to simply killing sin, we rob ourselves of the greatest hope and deepest joys that come with fellowship with Christ.

John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Christian maturity is not only marked by sins that have been put to death, but by a deeper personal knowledge of and intimacy with God, and a deeper commitment to his people, the church.

What we put on is far greater than anything we put off or leave behind.

• Do not lie to one another ~ v9

• Bear with one another ~ v13

• Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another ~ v13

• Teach one another ~ v16

• Admonish one another ~ v16

Don’t let the hurt of an offense cause you to hang on to an offense.

Proverbs 19:11
Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

Proverbs 18:19
A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.

We overlook offenses when we look up to God.

1 Peter 2:19
For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.

1 Thessalonians 3:12
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.

1 Thessalonians 4:18
Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

__________

Encouragement or Flattery

Affirmation alone is not encouragement.

__________

Proverbs 26:28
A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Proverbs 29:5
A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.

Psalm 5:9
For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.

Psalm 12:2
Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak

__________

Flattery is a lie, masquerading as encouragement, from a selfish motive to manipulate the hearer in order to achieve the flatterer’s covert purpose.

__________

Mark 12:14-15
14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”

__________

The flatterer wants to gratify the pride and vanity of his victim, so he isolates admirable qualities and exaggerates them — he makes good work sound excellent, small sacrifices sound like great ones, little fruit sound like a garden bursting with life — all while refusing to identify and confront sin and error. Or he takes ugly qualities and makes them seem admirable — making selfishness sound like self-care, pride like self-confidence, anger like passion, greed like ambition, lust like love, and dishonesty like authenticity.

What is real, meaningful, biblical encouragement?

True encouragement is not only about making others feel better about themselves, but the primary goal of biblical encouragement is to remind people to love, obey, and trust God during the hardships of life. Encouragement is truth spoken from a loving motive to increase faith and hope in the hearer.

To encourage is to give courage — not simply to console or compliment someone.

Encouragement knows it can only be as fruitful as it is faithful.

~ Comfort the Sorrowful

~ Awaken the Idle

~ Strengthen the Fainthearted

__________

Isaiah 35:4
Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

James 5:7-9
Philippians 2:12-15

Do all things without grumbling and complaining?

Grumbling and complaining is displeasure made audible.

Complaining does not start because of a problem in our life, but the birth of complaining starts with ungratefulness in our heart.

Sneaky grumbling of saints: “venting,” “being honest,” “getting something off my chest,” or even “sharing a prayer request.”

How to get rid of grumbling and complaining.

Zoom out, not in on our problems.

Hebrews 12:28
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe

Gratitude over grumbling.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Confession over Complaining

Faithful confession does not question God’s will or goodness. Rather, it is an honest, expression of what it’s like to experience the trouble, suffering, and grief of living in this fallen, futile world.

Psalm 142

1 Peter 4:8-10

If we love God greatest, we will love others best.

We are not the initiator of this grand love, we are simply beneficiaries of it.

1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us

Our gifts are not just the fate of genetics and life experiences. God knew what he was doing when he designed each of us and he has purposely given us the gifts we have in the measure we have them.

1 Corinthians 12:11
All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

1 Corinthians 7:17
Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.

There is no higher calling for you than to be who God called you to be.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

What to do with Gift frustration?

You will never understand the function of your gifts unless you are first faithfully committed to the body of Christ.

It is only with a healthy connection to the body of Christ that our gifts have purpose and a place to bless others.

If you have a desire to use your giftings before you are connected to the body of Christ you will eventually feel spiritually frustrated and relationally isolated.

It is not your gifting that makes a place for you in the body of Christ. It is your repentance, obedience, and willingness to serve others that gives you access to Christ and His Church.