How are you doing? How is your walk with the Lord? How is your walk with one another?
This past weekend, we had our winter retreat, and Pastor Joe spoke to us regarding the theme of “One Another.”
Worship with one another. Love one another. Forgive one another. Serve one another.
Are we doing this in our families? Are we doing this in our community groups? Are we doing this in the context of our ministry?
This is extremely difficult. Our Corporate Worship has become so individualized that we forget that worship is in the context of the church. Worship becomes so much sweeter when we realize the implications of doing it with others.
Our sinful nature causes us to just love ourselves. We only love those who love us first. But Christ calls us to love when we are betrayed and disappointed. He even calls us to love our enemies.
He calls us to forgive those who have sinned against us. He calls us to bear the weight of the hurt in order that we may extend the grace and the forgiveness we’ve been given by God. He calls us to humble ourselves and to ask for forgiveness as well.
Because our sinful nature is centered on the self, it is so difficult for us to serve one another without any selfish motivation. Maybe we serve so that we can be served later in return. Maybe we serve so that we may feel self-righteous about ourselves afterwards. It’s all motivated by self, but Christ calls us to serve selflessly. We serve for the good of our neighbor and the glory of God, and that’s it.
This calling is absolutely impossible within ourselves. It is contrary to our sinful nature. But what is impossible with man is possible with God.
How? It’s because every single calling of “One Another” is rooted in Christ. We can live in view of one another, because WE WERE THE OTHER FIRST!
Christ shed His blood on the cross out of His supreme worship of the Father. Through that blood, Christ brings us together, and He brings us into His worship of the Father. We can love and forgive one another, because Christ loved and forgave us unconditionally first. We are able to serve one another, because Christ was the Suffering Servant who served us first through His obedient life and death.
Once we realize that we are the other first who have been loved by Christ, now we are able to live a life of “One Another.” Christ reverses and redeems our sinful nature to create within us a new nature. We are new creation that is now able to worship with, love, forgive, and serve one another.
May this be the culture of our church and ministry. Pray for that to happen, and pray for one another.
Prepare your hearts for our Lord’s Day worship this Sunday. Come out to our Topical Study after fellowship. This week’s topic is “Gender Roles: Manhood, Womanhood, and Sexuality.” See you this Sunday.
In Christ,
Pastor Tim
Image source: findyourmiddleground.com