The One verses One Another

We all have a free choice but our choices have consequences.

We are created to be in relationship with one another, we need one another. Being made in God’s image… God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all in relationship with one another. As God’s image barer that’s how God made us.

As the Church, strong relationships are vital to a healthy church.

Relationship need effort, time, and need trust. If we are going to be that One Church that God desires for us to be we must connect with one another.

There are 2 sides of the coin…

We are personally responsibility for our own choices because we will all stand before the Lord and give an account for our own choices. We will not be accountable for someone else's choices, just our own.

But on the other side of the coin is true as well, we will stand before the Lord and give an account to how we treat others.

As the church… as follower of Jesus, we are both mutually accountable and personally responsible as disciples of Christ.

Let’s love the one and the one another’s well. Paul refers to this very important issue.

Galatians 6:1–10 ESV

1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load. 6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

PRAY

Doing good takes work and life is difficult and many times unpredictable. However, we can make like easier by investing our time in those things that will make live easier down the road.

I saw this on Facebook and I had to share it.

Marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Choose your hard.

Obesity is hard. Being fit is hard. Choose your hard.

Being in debt is hard. Being financially disciplined is hard. Choose your hard.

Communication is hard. Not communicating is hard. Choose your hard.

Life will never be easy. It will always be hard. But we must choose our hard wisely.

In order to become that healthy church, that One Church, we must love ourselves and love one another well and that takes work.

Personal responsibility needs Mutual Accountability within the Body of Christ. We cannot have one without the other.

In Galatians 6 Paul deals with both so let’s look at both separately.

We are mutually accountable to one another within the Church.

If we are going to restore others the way God is restoring us we must practice Grace and Gentleness.

Galatians 6:1 (ESV)

1a Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

How we treat one another is a true test of our spiritually health.

For those who are spiritual, we are not the judge, God is our judge.

For those who are spiritual, we need to pray for wisdom and discernment because there is a balance between loving and enabling.

We don’t want to enable a dependency but we want the one who is caught in sin to be aware of there sin so they can come to Jesus who is the only one who has the power to break that chain.

So many are bound by addiction (drugs, alcohol, nicotine, sex, pornography addictions both inside and outside of the church.

God’s will is that everyone walk in total freedom but a deep work must take place.

Tough and honest conversations must be done within the church so real breakthroughs can happen.

We are all broken and we need God’s healing power to restore us.

There is real… incredible, unbelievable freedom when we are real about our own temptations, sins and struggles.

James 5:16 ESV

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Confession and prayer go hand and hand with healing.

The church must be a safe space where no one is going to gossip, a place where there is no fear of judgment.

There is healing power when we are in that safe place where confessing our sins one to another is valued and respected and not shamed.

As we restore, as we confess our sin to one another, as we then pray for one another. There is incredible healing power in prayer when we pray with one another.

We walk this journey together by restoring one another.

James 5:19–20 ESV

19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

It takes one honest and straightforward conversation, one act of love, one person who is willing to pull someone out of the fire, to help ease a burden or lighten the load. When that happens, that healing journey can begin.

Take that initiative and be willing to pull someone out of the fire but we must be aware of our own temptations.

Galatians 6:1 (ESV)

1b Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

Know your limits, know your own struggles, know where you are vulnerable and protect those areas by setting up boundaries and guardrails.

Boundaries are both healthy and loving.

Galatians 6:2 ESV

2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

We need to strive to be like Christ, become a burden barer.

Loving God and loving others are the 2 greatest commandments.

Paul doesn’t say to fulfil the law of Moses but he says to fulfil the law of Christ.

We are to love the way Jesus loved, and see people the way Jesus sees people. We must look to Jesus who was willing to sacrifice it all to redeem broken humanity. Our goal is to be like Christ but…

We aren’t here to save anyone, Jesus already came to do that.

We are here to point them to Jesus… the bread of life, the well, the place where we can drink from and find that living water where they will never thirst again.

That’s the place where we need to draw our strength from. We must always remain in the vine, eat from the bread of life, and drink from the living water.

We must help others but not at the expense of our own spiritual health. We cannot neglect our own responsibilities, and our own priorities.

Jesus is able to carry all of our burdens there is no limit to what HE can carry. We are limited but we must come to Jesus every day, every moment, every second and be filled so we have something to give.

It’s like throwing a rope to help someone out of a pit. If we tie the rope to ourselves, there is a good chance that we will fall in as well… but if we tie it to the Rock our ability to help is not tied into ourselves, but it’s tied to Jesus. We just throw the rope that is tied to the Rock.

Pride will keep us from being real with one another.

Galatians 6:3 ESV

3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

We are no better then anyone else.

Paul evens the playing field: Slaves and Free, Man and Woman, Parents and Children, Husbands and Wives.

We all have our own roles but are all on the same Journey, to follow Jesus together. Mutual accountability is a must as we love and serve one another.

We are Personal Responsible for our own decisions.

No body else will reap the benefit of our good decisions and nobody will reap the consequences of our bad decisions.

That’s why it’s so important that we grab this truth right away, starting now, not tomorrow but today.

Galatians 6:4–5 ESV

4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.

We want to be independent, we pride ourselves on being independent.

Fixing my own sub pump instead of calling a professional. Saves me time and money.

When we are independent we are not burdening others. That’s when others who have immediate and pressing needs can be served through the generosity of others who are willing and able to help.

Honoring those who are willing to teach.

Galatians 6:6 ESV

6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.

Remember and honor those who spent time teaching you… here it refers to God’s Word but this could other things as well.

Learning a skill, a trade, a core value (hard work, living generously, treating others fairly and respectfully), the lessons we learn in life are passed down by teachers.

Share all good things with them refers to giving… it could be money, honor, respect, love…

We did not become the person that we are by accident, honor those who invested into you, spent time with you and taught you things that made your life better.

We can take information and refuse to apply it and that’s our choice. We could be lazy and entitled and expect others to serve us but the law of Sowing and Reaping will always apply.

We are personal responsible for what we sow.

What we Sow we will Reap.

Galatians 6:7–8 ESV

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

God is not fooled, HE knows when we keep our word, when we work hard.

God knows what nobody else knows and you will reap whatever you sow.

This is often referred to money but it’s more then just money. It’s time, energy, relationships, marriage, parenting, and yes your money can be tied to many of those things.

It’s that secret sin that you don’t want anyone to know… God knows. If it’s not dealt with it will rob you of the blessings that you think God owes you.

Galatians 6:9–10 ESV

9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Know what those good things are and do them. Don’t stop loving God… loving others… forgiving often… giving grace… hoping for the best… enduring and persevering…

Don’t let life’s pain make you bitter but let God heal that pain so you love others better.

Household of Faith… The people we have a relationship with are often the most difficult to love. It’s easy to love someone that you don’t have a relationship with. We aren’t in the trenches we aren’t confiding struggles, we aren’t working though deep issues with a stranger.

Don’t grow weary in doing good to everyone.

God sees what nobody else sees. Don’t let credit or recognization motivate you or discourage you.

God sees what nobody else sees and God’s rewards are eternal, man’s reward is only temporary.

Take Away:

Our ability to restore well is connected to knowing and abiding in God’s love.

Do we carry bitterness and unforgivness that prevent us from moving in Mutual Accountability?

What kind of seeds are we sowing in our life?