One Another

              Recently, I watched a sermon by Francis Chan called Is This Really Church? It was an amazing sermon, but probably the most convicting part was when he listed the one another’s of the Bible. Wow.

              Francis Chan’s goal with the sermon was to show how even we, those of the church, fall so short of what God calls us to be. What if, he asks, all we had was the Bible to go by? How would we then live?

             That really stuck with me. Because of it, I’ve started studying the New Testament to see just Who God is, and how He wants me to live (I’ll post more about that later). But the first thing I did was look up all the one another’s. There are quite a few.

Be at peace with one another

Wash one another’s feet

Love one another

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love

Honor one another above yourselves

Live in harmony with one another

Stop passing judgment on one another

Instruct one another

Accept one another, as Christ accepted you

When you come together to eat, wait for one another

Have equal concern for one another

Serve one another in love

If you keep on biting and devouring one another you will be destroyed by one another

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another

Carry one another’s burdens

Be patient, bearing with one another in love

Be kind and compassionate to one another

Forgive one another as God in Christ has forgiven you

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ

In humility, consider others better than yourself

Do not lie to one another

Bear with one another

Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another

Teach one another

Admonish one another

Make your love increase and overflow for one another

Encourage one another

Build one another up

Encourage one another daily

Spur one another on to love and good deeds

Do not slander one another

Don’t grumble against one another

Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed

Love one another deeply from the heart

Live in harmony with one another

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others

Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another

Greet one another with a kiss of love

             Okay, so did you read all those? If you didn’t, please go back and do so.

             Looking over that list, I found that I don’t do the majority of those things. I don’t love the way I should, I grumble when I shouldn’t, I often think of myself before others, I don’t encourage people enough, I don’t greet people with a kiss (okay, I think we’re free from that one, but still).

            These are sin issues, not something that we can discuss passively. This is something that needs to be dealt with. So what about you? How many of the one another’s are you practicing in your life? If you’re anything like me, you have a ways to go.

           Which is okay. That’s why we have a Savior. He’s there to help us when we’re not strong enough to do it on our own (and when are we ever really strong enough?). Let’s face it: that list is hard. Those things are hard to do. But we are called to do them, and God promises to help us.

            So here’s a challenge. Pick two or three of the one another’s and deliberately try to live them out for the day. See what happens.

            But don’t forget to pray. Because without God’s help, we cannot become more like Him.

~

Let us examine and probe our ways, and let us return to the Lord. We lift up our heart and hands toward God in heaven.

                                                                                                                                     -Lam. 3:40-41