Acts 2, Acts 4 describes the early church….a group of Christians who were known for the Christlike way in which they treated one another. If the churches of today are to enjoy “church” in the fullest sense of the word they must be places where “one-anothering” happens.
The various qualities of one-anothering that combine to make this Christlike “love of another kind” a tangible reality can be found in the numerous references in the Bible to “one anothering”.
Today we will look at four of these references. A church that is Christlike will:
1. “Honor and respect One Another” – Romans 12:10
I love the way Phillips translates it…. “Let’s have no imitation Christian love…let’s have real warm affection for one another as between brothers and a willingness to let the other man have the credit.”
2. The second trait of a one-anothering church is the ability to ADMONISH ONE ANOTHER
Romans 15:14 says, “For I myself feel certain that you, my brothers, have real Christian character and experience and that you are capable of keeping one another on the right road.”
3. The third quality of one-anothering that a healthy church needs is the regular practice of encouraging One Another…
Hebrews 10:24 says, “Let us think of one another and how we can encourage one another to love and do good deeds.”
4. “Bear One Another’s burdens”
The fourth quality of one anothering that should be found in a healthy church appears in Galatians 6:2 where it says, “Bear One Another’s burdens”.