Untitled Sermon (7)

There is a natural response to certain things that happen.

For example, if someone give you

The hallmark of the Christian Church is how well we get along. How well we do life together.

John 13:35 NIV

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:35

For example, sanctify one another, humble one another, scrutinize one another, pressure one another, embarrass one another, corner one another, interrupt one another, defeat one another, sacrifice one another, shame one another, marginalize one another, exclude one another, judge one another, run one another’s lives, confess one another’s sins . . . .

The kind of God we really believe in is revealed in how we treat one another. The lovely gospel of Jesus positions us to treat one another like royalty, and every non-gospel positions us to treat one another like dirt.  But we will follow through horizontally on whatever we really believe vertically.

Our relationships with one another reveal to us what we really believe as opposed to what we think we believe, our convictions as opposed to our opinions. It is possible for the gospel to remain at the shallow level of opinion, even sincere opinion, without penetrating to the deeper level of conviction. But when the gospel grips us down in our convictions, we embrace its implications wholeheartedly. Therefore, when we mistreat one another, our problem is not a lack of surface niceness but a lack of gospel depth. What we need is not only better manners but, far more, true faith.

Then the watching world might start feeling that Jesus himself has come to town:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” ()

But guess what… you can’t do ANY “One Another’s” by sitting in the pews

It’s all about one another.

The primary one another stuff isn’t ever going to happen in the church building… It’s where ever and when ever we gather together.

Gather together

At the potlucks...

At the women’s Bible studies...

At the Small Groups that you need to be willing to get involved in

At the Men’s Bible Studies...

At the gathering in the park

At the gathering in people’s homes.

At the

Not in the pews but in places where people are held accountable to deal with their relational issues. Coached and encourages through their relational issues.

That is where the body of Christ is the people that we are called to be.

And that’s when people far from God find life in Jesus.

That’s when we have baptisms and celebrating the life that comes from Jesus.

That’s when the Atheist becomes a believer.

You can debate philosophy and theology and eccesiology and soteriology and genealogy and etymology

But you cannot debate or disagree with people one anothering one another.

It captured the world’s attention once and I think that it has the potential capture the attention of the world again.

The Church isn’t a building...

It was always intended to be a growing gathering of people. And this people were marked

Groups are Primary not Secondary

The early believers modeled transformed lives and distinct values that were often countercultural. Yet, in these crowded, urban environments, people were able to see Christianity up close. They heard and saw the testimonies of those transformed by the gospel, and they desired to experience Christ for themselves. Husbands loved wives, servants were treated with dignity, married partners submitted to one another, and love reigned supreme. Friends and neighbors were drawn to this new transformed community.

The beautiful “one another” commands of the New Testament are famous. But it is also striking to notice the “one anothers” that do not appear there.

For example, sanctify one another, humble one another, scrutinize one another, pressure one another, embarrass one another, corner one another, interrupt one another, defeat one another, sacrifice one another, shame one another, marginalize one another, exclude one another, judge one another, run one another’s lives, confess one another’s sins . . . .

The kind of God we really believe in is revealed in how we treat one another. The lovely gospel of Jesus positions us to treat one another like royalty, and every non-gospel positions us to treat one another like dirt.  But we will follow through horizontally on whatever we really believe vertically.

Our relationships with one another reveal to us what we really believe as opposed to what we think we believe, our convictions as opposed to our opinions. It is possible for the gospel to remain at the shallow level of opinion, even sincere opinion, without penetrating to the deeper level of conviction. But when the gospel grips us down in our convictions, we embrace its implications wholeheartedly. Therefore, when we mistreat one another, our problem is not a lack of surface niceness but a lack of gospel depth. What we need is not only better manners but, far more, true faith.

Then the watching world might start feeling that Jesus himself has come to town:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” ()