Stop Playing Church

Here are a few notes from my sermon this morning on the "one anothers" of Scripture:

Love One Another-John 13:34-35; 15:12, 17; Hebrews 13:1, 1 Peter 1:22; 3:8; 1 John 3:11,14, 23; 1 John 4:7,11-12, 2 John 1:5

Agape-unconditional love

§  New?  This is not a new command as they had been told to love one another in the OT.  According to Believer’s Bible Commentary, it is new because Holy Spirit would empower believers to obey it. It was superior to the old (not just love neighbor, but also your enemies. It is new because our standard is Jesus.

§  God loves us so we should love others.  Reminds us of the greatest commandments in Matthew 22:37-40

§  the way the world will know if we follow Christ is how we love one another.

§  Are we loving in our own strength?  Or are we loving supernaturally? What does our way of loving inside church walls say to the world?

Encourage One Another-(NIV) 1 Thessalonians 4:18; 5:11; Hebrews 3:13;10:25

o   Parakaleo (3870)-literally “calling to one’s side” –same root as Holy Spirit as Comforter or Counselor (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7)

o   4:18-Therefore comfort w/ these words “Jesus is coming back” These words bring us hope as a believers

o   5:11-These words come as this church is facing difficult times. They are intended to comfort and bring hope. Suffer wrath vs. Receive salvation. He died so we may live together

o   3:13-Encourage daily. Why? So not hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Jonathan Dodson in Gospel Centered Discipleship writes, “For now it is important to stress the privilege of trusting God’s promises in place of relying on the untrue promises of sin.” 

·         Stir Up One Another-Hebrews 10:24-25

o   Spur (NIV)To encourage one another toward love & good deeds.

o   Notice the focus in this verse: is it on what I am getting out of worship (the church buffet mindset) or instead on how I can impact others.  We are here for God & others not ourselves.

o   We need each other to encourage us to focus on others. What is the result? Love and good deeds.

o   10:25-We need each other. The Christian life was never intended to be lived in isolation.  We need community and especially we need the body of Christ to encourage us.  Who can you encourage today?

 Show Hospitality to One Another-1 Peter 4:9 & Have Fellowship-1 John 1:7

o   Hospitality was receiving others, especially taking in travelers of same faith who needed a place to stay.

o   4:9-We are to be opening our homes to others without complaining

o   1:7-As believers (walk in the light), we are connected and should have relationships with one another

Greet One Another-Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Peter 5:14

o   Molly example

o   “to enfold in the arms”: welcome, embrace, greet

o   “Greet one another with a holy kiss”

§  Culture-Kisses were a common form of affectionate greeting for family members, close friends or those who were objects of respect (common in jesus’ culture)

o   At the end of each of these letters to Rome, Corinth, & Peter.

o   We must welcome people to the church.

o   Greeting time-are we saying “hi” to our friends or getting out of our rows to welcome someone new?

Forgive One Another-Ephesians 4: 32; Colossians 3:13

o   (5483)-charizomai-grant favor—translated forgive

o   4:32-kindness, compassion, & forgiveness are to replace the things of verse 31: bitterness, anger, brawling, slander, malice.

o   They also connect to who God is-He is kind, compassionate, forgiving so we the church should be these things as well.

o   3:13-Paragraph begins “as God’s chosen people”. We need to forgive. He forgives without cause.  We should too. Christ forgave freely. So should we. Again, our example is Christ.

o   Believer’s Bible Commentary “Bearing with one another describes the patience we should have with the failings and odd ways of our brethren. In living with others, it is inevitable that we will find out their failures. It often takes the grace of God for us to put up with the idiosyncrasies of others, as it must for them to put up with ours. Be we must bear with one another. There are few disputes among the people of God which could not be solved quickly if these injunctions were heeded. Forgiveness should be exercised toward others they have offended. . .Forebearance suggests our not taking offense; forgiveness-not holding it.

o   It’s time for the church to be known as a place of forgiveness.  Strained and broken relationships need to experience forgiveness.  We need to stop complaining, whining, arguing about who is right and start being the church which means we offer forgiveness.