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One Another Christianity

John 13:34-35

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

  • Jesus mentions:
    • Love one another as He loved
    • He loved graciously, unconditionally, sacrificially, honestly (not holding back the truth), and humbly
    • By imitating his love, All Men will know who we follow (Christ)
      • Not doctrine, how well we know bible, great worship, prayer life
    • Our relationships serve a greater purpose than meeting to socialize or have friends
In the scriptures
  • love one another, encourage, spur on, confess, submit, forgive, bear with, accept, honour, be at peace with, care for, serve, belong to, teach, admonish, etc.
  • One another relationships are absolutely necessary

Mark 3:31-35

31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”
33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

  • As disciples, we are family

Ancient Culture

    • In ancient culture family was everything
    • Jesus wanted people to know that the people of God are to be important, priority in our lives
    • God was creating a new people, a family, centred around Jesus; brothers and sisters in Christ
  • As disciples, we enter into the family of God
    • God has expectations on how we treat one another that is different than the world

Requires we think differently

  • Some never grasp the concept of one another Christianity
    • Together for church, but togetherness is not a lifestyle
    • Why?
    1. See Christianity as a solo endeavour
    2. No commitment, loyalty, other priorities
    3. Think not a big deal to be on their own
    4. Grasp, but an unhealthy view, unrealistic expectations based on how raised
  • As a church we are joined together, put together, built together, heirs together, held together
  • not created for isolation, but fellowship (connection)
  1. Accept One Another
Romans 15:7 – Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
  1. Jesus Accepted Us
  • Jesus did say “get your act together and I will love and accept you”
    • He loves and accepts us just as we are
  • How did Christ Accept us?
    • We are all broken people, yet he did not hold it against us; Desire a Relationship
  • Some times we have a hard time accepting ourselves;  feel guilty, beat ourselves up
    • Jesus accepts us, weaknesses and all
ii. Accept One Another
Romans 14:1-6, 10
Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
  • Different people
    • colour, culture, family, life stage, gender,
    • God made each of us unique
  • Different personalities
    • extrovert, introvert, ambivert
  • We don’t think alike, look alike, sound alike’
  • We don’t process things the same way
  • We all have a different sense of humour; some more different than others!
  • We don’t have the same interests, hobbies, perspectives, dreams, strengths and weaknesses
  • Different values regarding traditions
    • Christmas (Santa), halloween, easter (bunny)
  • Different political beliefs (parties)
  • Different views on what fun is
  • Different TV shows & Music (appropriate)
  • Different opinions on (right/wrong)
No 2 people the same, just like No 2 snowflakes
  • Human tendency is to find something about another person we don’t like, different and criticize or look down on
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another (NIV)
Therefore, let us no longer criticize one another. Holman
  • To accept without condemnation (1)
  • Not treat with contempt (3)
  • Stop passing judgement over each other (13)
  • We must put to death any hint of judgemental attitude  that hides in our hearts
  • Learn to accept others, embrace them, welcome others
  • Result: To bring praise to God (14:7)
2. Encourage One Another
1 Thess. 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
  • Christianity is a long journey; joys, trials, temptations, tests, missteps
  • Not a solo endeavour
  • Need people to provide encouragement and build us up as the world, Satan tries to tear us down
  • WE ALL NEED ENCOURAGEMENT
A. Encouragement that Builds us UP
How does encouragement make us feel?
  • lifts out of a rut, inspires, empowers, offers different perspective, keeps us going
  • We all need encouragement
    • undervalue, over assumed
    • withhold it; not give a big head, not value, critical nature
    • Upbringing  (Parents parenting style)
“For every critical comment we receive, it takes nine affirming comments to even out the negative effect in your life” – Jim Burns
Home:
  • Should not be an Environment where people feel always in trouble 
  • Imagine a  home where Kids feel they are always in trouble. Not want to come home! 
  • Church should not be such a place
“We need to be people who are good at catching people at what they do right, instead of what doing wrong”

“Authentic love is positive and upbuilding”
  • Encouragement often combined with strengthening
B. Encouragement that Points Us Upward
1 Thess 4:16-18
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
  • Encourage about the second coming; live with Jesus in mind and what will come
  • get focus on the here and now, material
  • there is more! Something great to look forward to as a disciple
C. Encouragement that Helps us Look Inward
Hebrews 3:12-13
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
What can happen? Can develop a:
  • Sinful
  • Unbelieving heart
  • Turns away from God
  • Without it stop growing, get stuck, depleted
  • Underestimate the power of sin
  • Fail to realize the power of discouragement and its ability to eat away at our faith and conviction
  • Relationships are there to prevent decline, sharpen us and keep focused
  • We all need a few relationships that go to a deeper level than our other relationships;
  • Relationships that really know us personally, know what we need, when we need it