Dave’s Monday Blast – April 22, 2024
I am a Preachers Kid (PK). I literally grew up in the local church, and all these years later I am still “at church” every day. I have been so very blessed and privileged to be a part of a local congregation my entire life. Life in the church can be comforting and refreshing, or uncomfortable, puzzling, difficult, and all-absorbing. In other words, it’s a lot like a family. The late Charles Stanley comments: “A healthy, Bible-believing fellowship is made of life-giving connections. Churches aren’t perfect, but you could call them one of our ‘essential blessings'”.
The Church is a God creation. It is the tool He selected to fulfill the Great Commission; to make disciples. It is also His tool for us to use to make connections designed to equip us to thrive until He takes us home to live with Him forever. We were meant to live in relationship with fellow believers, in fact, it’s essential for spiritual growth. God doesn’t want us to be “lone ranger” Christians. Why else would He put so many “one another” passages in the New Testament? (100 times in the New Testament – 59 are commands)
Even people who go to church regularly may be spectators rather than participants. The Christian life is more than a weekly appointment. It involves living life with other believers in practical and profound ways. The Lord made this clear in 1 Corinthians 12:12 – 26 when He described the church as one body with different parts. Every member is essential for the proper working of the Church. Just as each body part depends on the others, so we too need each other.
All the “one another” commands in the Bible can be fulfilled by loving each other. But how does that work out practically in the church? To help you understand how we are to help and care for each other in the fellowship of believers, I’d like to share a few of these commands over the next several weeks. I am grateful for the enduring ministry of the late Charles Stanley and for his insights on this topic.
