Building Up One Another

Baseball team joke. Works whether it’s about soccer, football, baseball - or even church.

Rather fascinating to me how, at times, in spite of the fact that we are all on the same team, pretty much wanting the same thing, we can get so sideways with one another.

And, just like a kid’s team or even a group of professional athletes, the results can be disastrous.

Coaches spend hours and hours working to get their teams to work together to reach their goal.

What about us? We’re thinking a great deal about “improving” in 2019.

What does it look like for us to be an improved church this coming year?

What makes us healthy?

What does God want from/for us?

When we read the NT letters written to the churches carefully, we discover an interesting dynamic: Over and over again, the apostles tell us (exhortations) to live and do for one another in our community of faith.

allelon - trans. “one another.” Lit., one to the other. Carries a sense of mutuality, reciprocity.

But it’s not just the idea that we should be nice to one another or help one another (as important as those things are).

There’s a strong contrast in the NT between what we’re instinctively inclined to do (the flesh) and what we called to do in manifesting Jesus to our world (fruit of the Spirit).

Galatians 5:17 NLT

17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

Contrast with just a few verses later:

Galatians 5:25 NLT

25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

So there’s a wide gap between the way the “one another” passages of the NT are presented.

Essentially, two groupings:

Acts of the sinful nature

Fruit of the Spirit

"Negative” One Anothers

What happens when we fall into the acts of our selfish nature?

It’s nearly always relational action or consequences.

Galatians 5:19–21 NLT

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

The negative “one anothers” of the NT:

The reciprocity of these actions can, and often do, destroy lives, relationships, churches.

“Positive” One Anothers

The evidence of the work of the Spirit is also relational.

When we are guided and prompted by the Spirit, our actions will have an effect; not just on ourselves but others as well.

Galatians 5:22 NLT

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Building Up One Another Introduction—Looking Ahead

members of one another (Rom. 12:5)

being devoted to another (Rom. 12:10a)

honoring one another (Rom. 12:10b)

being of the same mind toward one another (Rom. 12:16; 15:5)

loving one another (Rom. 13:8; 1 Thes. 3:12; 4:9; 2 Thes.

1:3; Heb. 10:24; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 5)

edifying one another (Rom. 14:19)

accepting one another (Rom. 15:7)

instructing one another (Rom. 15:14)

greeting one another (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thes. 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14)

waiting for one another (1 Cor. 11:33)

caring for one another (1 Cor. 12:25)

serving one another (Gal. 5:13)

carrying one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2)

bearing with one another (Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:13)

being kind to one another (Eph. 4:32)

submitting to one another (Eph. 5:21; 1 Peter 5:5)

esteeming one another (Phil. 2:3)

encouraging one another (1 Thes. 4:18; 5:11, 14)

confessing sins to one another (James 5:16a)

praying for one another (James 5:16b)

offering hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9)

fellowshiping with one another (1 John 1:7)

What becomes obvious very quickly is that churches who are demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit are practicing these “one another” commands.

they are building up the body of Christ and moving toward unity.

Ephesians 4:12–13 NLT

12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

By contrast, churches that aren’t growing in maturity are more likely practicing the worldly “one another’s” which leads to disunity.

Why it matters.

What do the folks out in the world see when they watch Christians?

Are we too often treating one another like parents at a little league game?

We’re supposed to be working and cheering for the same goal.

Is that the truth?

If we’re serious about improving ourselves, our relationships, our world, we must begin by practicing these positive “one anothers” of the Word.

John 13:35 NLT

35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”