Not an Army of One - Saturday September 28, 2013
Be devoted to each other like a loving family. Romans 12:10 GW
Part of being "devoted to each other like a loving family" is being loving and protective of other believers. John 13:35 says, "Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are My disciples" (LB).
We see this principle in action when small groups rally to support members who are sick, hurting, or have new babies. It really lightens our load as pastors when the body does this. The pastors can't meet everyone's needs, so the body must work together: "We know what real love is because Christ gave up His life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters" (1 John 3:16 NLT).
Part of loving and protecting one another is refusing to listen to criticism of other churches and ministries. If someone tries to tell me about how much they don't like another church, I won't hear them out. I remind them they need to take their issues directly to the actual people with whom they have a grievance.
We also need to be on mission with other believers: "...Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior" (Ephesians 5:23 NIV). Jesus is on mission! An army of one will not be successful, but with other believers we can change the world. Jesus put us on mission to reach the world, and He told us to do it together.
Finally we need to walk with the wise: "Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm" (Proverbs 13:20 NIV). To finish the Christian life well, we need to live life alongside other believers.
Submitted by:
Bill Young
Faithwalkers Midwest 2012
Finish Well,
One-Year Reading Plan:
Isaiah 54:1-57:14
Ephesians 6:1-24
Psalms 70:1-5
Proverbs 24:8
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