one another people

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TITLE: ONE ANOTHER PEOPLE

We attended a large church for a number of years. We found that for the most part people wanted their own little world to remain intact with no invasion of privacy by other church people.

They would have socials and services, but very little contact outside of the church structure.

They did little with one another.

They did little for one another.

They did little for new comers, over and above surface welcome and that wasn't always forth coming.

They were what I call a "me" church.

They oriented themselves around "me" and "my" little world.

The Scripture contrasts this attitude with a very different type of people.

Not "me" people, but one another people. I want to talk in this study about the one another people of Scripture. By the way the one another people of the Bible are supposed to be you and I.

There are a number of Scripture references that refer to different things that we as believers are to do and be to "ONE ANOTHER.”

Some recently have referred to this teaching as the fact that we are to be "ONE ANOTHER PEOPLE!” We are to be a special people for the Lord.

One of the most prominent items that the Lord Himself, when He was on earth emphasized, was the love that we were to have for the brethren.

I am not, nor never will be one that emphasizes the "LOVE OF GOD" over other attributes or qualities.

It is very true that Love is a great part of God, yet in our world and society I think that we have much to tell the lost world before we can tell them with understanding of God's love.

In this study we will take a brief look at the "ONE ANOTHER" texts and see if we can't find something that we aren't doing for one another that we can put to work in our lives.

The most prominent thing that we are to do has already been mentioned. We are to LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

There are six verses that are directly telling us to love one another and a seventh that is very close to it.

A passage that I like is Jn 15.12-14 - READ IT.

If I do as Christ requests, I can be His friend! Chew on that this week.

LOVE:

Ro. 12:10, "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another:"

Love in honor prefers one another:

Is it easy to prefer that person that is not really lovely or personable? No, and no one would try to make us believe it is, Yet, the Lord through Paul tells us to do it. By loving that person - yes we can do right by them - Yes, we can prefer them.

Ro. 13:8, "Owe no man anything, but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."

Love fulfills the law: THE LAW SAYS DON'T! THE LOVE SAYS I WON'T!

I saw a hat the other day that spoke to the thought of lending money. It read something like this, "I gave up loaning money - it broke up too many friendships."

Owe nothing except to love. Love you will always owe as long as you draw breath.

Ga 5:13, "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."

Love serves even when we don't have to:

I have the liberty as a believer to do as I please! I also have the liberty as a believer to love the brethren and serve them.

What are some ways that we can serve each other?

Helping with the church clean up, be it the big jobs or the monthly cleaning or maybe even just cleaning up after yourself and/or your class when you are finished.

The church leadership and those that work around the church are really serving. Making the bulletin, playing the piano, picking up the sanctuary, teaching a class, etc.

Helping outside the church. Fix up around an old person’s home. Giving rides - etc.

I Thes. 3:12, "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you,"

Love increases and abounds: TO ONE ANOTHER AND! TOWARD ALL MEN!

We are to abound in our love to others!

The church should be a thanksgiving of love all the time!

A Christian neighbor knew we had purchased a new Japanese car. She said to Faith, "I don't have respect for anyone that buys anything from the Japs."

1. She was showing a lack of love for us - her neighbors in talking that way.

2. She certainly had some bigotry problem.

3. She didn't realize it was built in Tennessee by Americans.

4. She didn't realize it is the only car we could afford.

5. She didn't realize we purposely bought "American" in 81 and drove loaner cars more than our own the first three months.

6. Her gravest error was speaking ill of a nation of God's creatures. The Japanese are made of the same human thread that runs back to Adam as she.

I Thes. 4:9, "But, as touching brotherly love, ye need not that I write unto you; for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another."

Love is natural if we walk with God. It is not something someone should be preaching about constantly trying to get us to do but a natural outgrowth of our walk with God.

If we would think of that for a moment we would have known it. We talk of the fact that we are to allow God to live His life out and through us. If God is love then surely as He lives through us we will naturally love!

Heb 10:24, "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works."

Love provokes others to love and good works. When is the last time someone provoked you to GOOD WORKS? Isn't it usually that someone provokes you to not so nice works of the mind?

I Pet. 3:8-9 "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous," "Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, but on the contrary, blessing, knowing that ye are called to this, that ye should inherit a blessing."

Love is of one mind.

Now we know what is missing in a church that is having problems and strife.

Love as brethren indicates that we should love as if we were truly brothers in blood. Indeed, in a sense we are, for it is because of Christ's blood that we are called brethren and are adopted by the Father, etc.

Love has pity.

I have been very concerned at the callousness of the American public to tragedy. We have had the news media in the middle of some of these disasters and we have little feeling for the lives that are lost nor for the souls that may have slipped into hell.

During one of the latest tragedies they mentioned the thousands killed in China's great earthquake. I realized that I had heard of the earthquake but had completely missed feeling for the thousands that had died.

Once I heard a news cast that had just left the story of the 47 sailors killed on the USS Iowa and mentioned the mud slides in Russia. The commentary went something like this, "It was reported that the mud entombed a whole busload of people. And on the economic scene today we ....."

May we wake up to the world around us.

Indeed, you probably wouldn't have to go further than a block or two to find tragedy in your own neighborhood where you could minister to hurting people.

Love is courteous.

When we were on deputation, I called a fairly large number of pastors that did not practice this one.

I would introduce myself and ask if they would be interested in having us come to present our ministry. Some were just plain rude in their answers.

Love doesn't render evil for evil.

Being the super saint that I am I did not become rude to them. I usually quietly hung up and after a few would become discouraged enough to stop telephoning for a while.

Love doesn't render railing for railing.

Love is blessing.

Love is our calling.

We all want to know what God wants us to do with our life and here we have something that will take a great amount of our time.

Love will be blessed.

I Jn 3:23, "And this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment."

Love is commanded.

Maybe we should consider if we should do it. NO! IT IS COMMANDED! One of the kids gave me a pin a few years ago that mentions that the ten commandments are not multiple choice.

I Jn 4:7, "Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." agapao

Love is of God.

Love is a sign of salvation.

Love comes from knowing God.

This passage makes you wonder about those people that call themselves Christians and yet they can show no love to anyone.

Can you be truly born again and yet not find love for people?

I Jn 4:11, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." agapao

Love should be our response to God's love.

We are dealing with our Father's children. We should love them as such if for no other reason.

I Jn 4:12, "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us." (agapao)

Love is perfected in us by God.

Love bringeth the indwelling God (via salvation).

II Jn. 5, "And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another." agapao

Love is not a new commandment.

With this heavy emphasis on love we must consider that all we do to and for one another is to be done in love.

We must also consider that the love we have for one another allows us to do all these things - even when we are down, or when we don't feel like being friendly to other believers etc.

Love can allow us to do as we are to do in any situation!

When I introduce the next study, I usually ask if everyone really believes in the literal interpretation of the scripture. When everyone has committed themselves I ask them if they believe that it is up to them to follow and do all that the Bible tells them to do.

When all are committed to this I then like to read the following phrase, "Greet one another with an holy kiss."

Now we all know that that is not something that would be acceptable in our culture and that we don't practice this, however shouldn't the love that moves one to greet with a holy kiss be there as we greet one another with a hand shake? YES! WE OUGHT TO GREET ONE ANOTHER BASED UPON THE GREAT LOVE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE FOR ONE ANOTHER!

We went to visit our son at Bible camp where he was ministering in 1989 and there was a group of black clothed, bearded men and women - only the men were bearded - they were very conservative in dress. I think he called them Dunkards.

I watched some of the men saying goodbye. Several embraced and kissed one another on the cheek. Their concern seemed to be willing to act.

I was amazed to find out that this little phrase is mentioned in four different passages in four different books.

KISS:

Ro. 16:16, "Greet one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you."

I Cor. 16:20, "All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss."

II Cor. 13:12, "Greet one another with an holy kiss."

I Pet. 5:14, "Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen."

Since we have such a clear basis of loving one another it seems obvious that love will allow us to do all that we are told to do.

You can get along - with love.

You can settle difficulties - with love.

You can have unity - with love.

You can serve one another - with love.

You can put up with quirks of personality - with love.

We now move into a section of general ONE ANOTHER texts that will help us find ways of being the people that God wants us to be.

I really think that you could take a full lesson on each of the points and not overdo the topic.

Ro. 12:16, "Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits."

Love has no social barriers. The high stoop to meet the low.

Love has no conceit.

Ro. 15:5, gives the same thought of being like-minded "Now the god of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus,"

I Tim 5:21, "I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality."

This is a charge before God and the heavenly host not to be partial!

That should really sink in just how important the Lord thinks this item is!

We also notice love moves the brethren to think in similar directions.

This is very important when the church comes to make some important decisions. You should have some sort of consensus of opinion one way or another.

We had a very sticky situation come up at the school where I taught. The faculty had to deal with this situation and we all really dreaded it.

As we began talking through the problem, I think that some of us thought that there would be disagreement and friction. As the talking progressed it was quite obvious that we were of one mind on the subject even before we began working through the problems. God had been working in us as individuals long before we came together as a group on the subject.

Ro. 14:13, "Let us not, therefore, judge one another any more; but judge this, rather: that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way."

Love does not judge one another.

Love does not give occasion to stumble.

If we know a believer has a certain conviction then love will keep you from pushing, or tempting him on that conviction.

I was confronted with a question a short time ago that is answerable from this text. A man approached me and mentioned that he did business with a man that had been a character witness for a homosexual in a child molestation case. One of the others in the church asked him to stop doing business with the person.

Now, both parties need to read this verse. The one that does the business should stop if it is going to be a stumbling block for the other believer. The other believer on the other hand has judged his brother in the area of his business dealings.

Ro. 15:7, "Wherefore, receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God."

Love accepts others.

Even when they rub us the wrong way.

Even when they are of another color.

Even when they are of another social class.

Even when they have an old car.

Even when they don't think like you do.

Even when they ___________ . You fill in the blank with the problem that person you don't care for has.

Ro. 15:14, "And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another."

Love is full of knowledge.

This knowledge is to lead to the admonishment that follows.

Love admonishes one another.

Now, you must link this with the knowledge that was mentioned. The knowledge enables you to admonish. Don't get that process backwards!

This is one that we don't really like to use in the church today.

Col 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another, in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

Notice where the basis of admonishment comes from. The Word of Christ, psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with GRACE!

Love is full of goodness.

I Cor. 4:6, "...that no one of you be puffed up for one against another."

Love is not puffed up.

Love is not one against another. Remember the “be of one mind” we just mentioned.

Remember the no social or class or color distinctions?

Don't be puffed up or proud of what or who you are!

We will see a verse later that tells us that God resisteth the proud!

I was raised in a Christian brand church. Half of the congregation called another pastor. Both halves and two pastors coexisted for a time. Pride in who was right caused a split.

Pride keeps from reconciliation after church problems at times.

I Cor. 6:7, "Now, therefore, there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather allow yourselves to be defrauded?"

Love overlooks wrong and fraud instead of going to law with a brother.

This is not to say that you accept wrong or fraud as normal Christian living. You handle it among the brethren in accordance with church discipline procedures.

You go to the one that has wronged. If no change, take witnesses. If no change, bring the matter before the congregation.

However, even if this doesn't work - the law is not an answer - suffer the wrong or fraud.

When we were first married, someone had made deductions for tax and social security, but had not turned it into the government. Tax time came and no W-2. Called and he told me he wouldn't be sending one. It cost us several hundred dollars, but we felt God wanted us to take the loss for the Lord.

I Cor. 11:33, "Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another." (Lord's table context.)

Love is courteous at the Lord's table.

This is one that is not usually a problem in churches. Even if you transfer this to the wider idea of a love feast or potluck with a Lord's table you have very little problem.

One must wonder if it is that we realize that this is the Lord that saved us all, and we come to the table with a proper Christian spirit.

I personally feel that there is something about gathering around a table for food that brings us all to a common denominator. The table seems to clear away spiritual maturity differences, it seems to clear away social differences and at times even clears away personal differences.

NOW THAT WE HAVE LAID A SCRIPTURAL FOUNDATION FOR HAVING POTLUCKS WE NEED TO MOVE ON!

I Cor. 12:25, "That there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another."

Love brings equality of care of all believers.

We shouldn't REALLY care for brother X when he is out of work and ignore sister Y when she is out of work.

Indeed, if you want to develop a schism in a church let the pastor show more concern about family X than family Y and you will have schism with a capital S.

Ga. 5:15, "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another."

Love does not bite and devour the brethren with the tongue.

We knew of a Christian woman that spread vicious rumors all over town about different people. She was not being consumed by the other peoples tongues but by her own. They have had to leave their church and find another because the people will not accept their actions any longer.

The only thing that can happen if we begin to backbite is that we will consume one another - back bite till all are gone and nothing left.

Ga. 5:26, "Let us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another."

Love does not seek glory.

Glory is so worthless! It is only good for such a short time. The Lord will come one day and any amount of glory that we might be able to muster will not be visible when it is set along side the glory of Christ!

Glory is certainly not worth misusing or mistreating the brethren for!

Love does not provoke one another.

Love does not envy.

That is a mouthful for some of us! The poor tend always to look at the rich and desire to have all the benefits.

The person that desires leadership and has none often looks with envy at those that have roles of leadership.

Eph. 4:25, "Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor; for we are members one of another."

Col. 3:9, "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds."

Love does not lie.

Why, because we are one. We are all members of one body. Imagine you lying to one of your members.

Look here arm, you aren't doing enough work. The other arm is doing much more than you!

Why, because that is part of the old way of self and we have put it away!

Eph. 4:32, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you."

Love is kind. Love is tenderhearted. Love is forgiving.

Col 3:13, "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."

It is the Christian thing to do in light of what Christ did for us!

Love is also forbearing. I'd say this has to do with putting up with one another and forgiving for the way we are to one another at times.

Love is based on God's love for us!

Eph. 5:21, "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God."

Love is submitting too each other. If we don't then it would seem that the Lord will intercede. The fear of the Lord is involved to be sure.

I Thes.. 4:18, "Wherefore, comfort one another with these words."

We are to comfort one another in times of being down. The context of this text is the coming of the Lord - FOR US!

These thoughts should encourage us in any situation. No matter how bad things get - we can take comfort in the promise that God is going to send Christ for us one day.

I Thes. 5:11, "Wherefore, comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do."

Not only can we comfort in this area but we can build up or edify as well. This is neat to think about!

Heb 3:13, "But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."

The encourage to exhort is to keep the sinning saint from hardness.

As we work on sin in our lives if we allow it to continue it will ultimately harden us to it's effects and quite often lead us into other sin.

This is true of the body as well. As a church allows small sins to continue on in their people the body becomes used to it to the point of ignoring it. The sin gets worse and the church gets harder and colder.

Church discipline is not fun, it is not easy, and it is not pleasant, YET it is so very necessary!

Heb 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

In light of the coming day of the Lord - EXHORT ONE ANOTHER!

NOT FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLY!

Run that one by your excuses for not attending on Sunday evening and Wednesday night!

Are you the some that forsakes the assembly or are you the part that assembles.

A church we ministered in for a time had care groups. They had trouble getting people to sign up for care groups. I told Faith that those not signing up didn't know it but that they were forming their own care group called the I don't care group.

Jas. 5:16, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

This one clear back in James and I thought we might not get to it and save ourselves from talking about it. To bad we got to it.

MUMBLE. We want to talk about confessing faults to one another.

NOW THAT TAKES LOVE!

It is of interest to note that this is in the context of a sick person calling the elders to him for prayer and anointing.

The sick seems to be sick possibly because of sin or wrong in the life if you look at the whole context.

How often do we as believers lower ourselves to confess our faults to one another? Not to often usually.

I Pet. 4:9, "Use hospitality one to another without grudging."

We ministered in a church in northern Wyoming for a couple of months on and off. One couple always had us over for lunch. They loved their ministry. They desired that others in the church would do some of the entertaining but no one wanted to get involved with it.

These folks that we ate with could certainly have been entertaining with a grudge toward the other believers, but they did not.

They viewed it as their gain for they enjoyed doing for people.

I Pet. 4:10, "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."

This is the same context of hospitality.

We see that the use of our gift is being a good steward!

If you have the gift of teaching are you using it?

If you have the gift of encouragement are you using it?

If you have the gift of giving are you using it?

The gifts are essential to the proper operation of the local assembly.

It is a gift and an investment by the Lord in us. How do we use and give return on that investment?

Concerning gifts there are many a pastor that jumps up and down for his people to use their gifts yet the same pastor and his leadership will not allow the people to use their gifts. There are men that have the gift of administration but aren't given opportunity to use it because someone might become more important than someone else.

There is a dual responsibility in the area of gifts. The believers should use their gifts yet the leadership should allow them opportunity to use them.

I Pet. 5:5, "In like manner, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."

Submit to the elder.

Submit to one another.

Be clothed with humility.

Because God resisteth the proud.

Can you envision God resisting your labors? What a total frustration He would cause you.

Submitting to the elder is bad enough but to one another - that is asking an awful lot Lord!

When you think about these things, it really makes one think that we are really going to have to change our operating procedures in our churches.

Submission to the elder is not nice for the younger - yet the Bible states it is to be so. We need to listen to the elder men of our church and evaluate very carefully what they say.

They may be slow to act. They may procrastinate - yet they have a life time of wisdom to share with you.

I ask my Christian Education of youth and adult class to list the major historical events that they had lived through. I then listed some of the ones that I had lived through. My list was at least twice as long as theirs. I then listed what my father lived through. It was twice as long as my list.

I told them to look at these lists for a moment then said, "And you are going to go out and tell a class of adult men and women how much you know."

They received the point very well.

Many of our elder people today lived through the second world war and all of the troubles since plus they have seen many many world leaders pass from the scene.

They may have something to contribute to the church!

I Jn 1:7, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin."

Our fellowship is dependant on our walking in the light.

If we aren't walking with God and having a proper relation to him then we cannot have proper relations with one another!

CONCLUSION:

The contrast of the above needs to be understood in light of what we were before as non-believers.

Then and only then can we sit back and glory at what God has been able to bring about in our lives!

Tit. 3:3, "For we ourselves also were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lust and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another."

Do we have something to think about today?

Don't we have enough to think about for a month or two?

ONE ANOTHER!

God has asked us to be His people.

God has asked us to be HIS ONE ANOTHER PEOPLE!

Let us this week seek ways to be one another people wherever we gather as believers!