Hopefully, you have been enjoying our little study of the “One Anothers” – our team has certainly been challenged and encouraged by looking at what Scripture says. We even had the opportunity to put these concepts into action right at our last meeting! (But more on that later, I don’t want to give it all away in the first paragraph.) Let’s jump in for Part 3!
- Don’t provoke or envy one another. “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:26 ESV)
- To provoke means to challenge in a selfish or confrontational way…to pick a fight. (C’mon…we all know some of THOSE people…not any of us of course…). To envy means to desire what someone else has (stuff, relationships, status, etc.) to the degree that it affects your relationship with that person. Why is this bad? Well, as we are united to Christ by faith, we demonstrate that unity in our relationships with each other. If we are provoking and envying, is that a good demonstration of the unity with Christ? Of course not! We should be living in harmony with each other because of the unity we have in Jesus.
- Speak truthfully to one another. “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” (Ephesians 4:25 ESV)
- At the risk of oversimplifying things, we shouldn’t be lying to each other. However, speaking the truth means speaking the whole truth. Sometimes, we can be tempted to leave out some details, or exaggerate others in order to make ourselves look good. However, as we are off and running on “truth speaking” we need to remember that it is not truthful to either “clam up” or “blow up” about an issue. Internalizing issues between each other and never resolving them, or losing your temper and speaking harshly to each other are not constructive or biblical ways of speaking the truth either. Matthew 18 is our guide and we must always start with self-examination and prayer before speaking truth to another. Why do we speak the truth? Well, because we want to grow more like Jesus and that requires correction. Look 10 verses back at 4:15 – “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,” (Ephesians 4:15 ESV)
- Be kind to one another. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32 ESV)
- Welp. This one seems pretty straight up, eh? Be KIND. As in helpful, beneficial, good, generous. Don’t be the opposite of those things. (Unless it’s Opposite Day, but even then…still DON’T). Planting a church is hard work and sometimes, we might be tempted to be short or irritable with each other. Let’s not. Let’s keep this verse in mind and show the world what kindness is. Why? Has there ever been any greater kindness than what God has shown to us in the gospel of Jesus? I think not! We are kind, because our God is kind to us in Jesus.
- Forgiving one another. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32 ESV)
- Forgiveness is a bit of a mystery. It doesn’t mean forgetting (“Forgive and forget” = nonsense.) It doesn’t mean excusing sin. It is not a feeling. Here is the ACBC definition: “It is an act of the will, a decision not to think or talk about what someone has done. It is an active process involving a conscious choice and a deliberate course of action. It is a canceling of the debt your spouse has incurred.” This is hard. It takes work. And lots of prayer and lots of remembering the gospel, because that is why we do it. It’s right there in the verse – “as God in Christ forgave you.” We forgive because we have been forgiven, if we don’t and hold grudges then we demonstrate our stellar misunderstanding of the gospel. Want to get scared? Read the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:21-35.
- Bear One Another’s Burdens. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2 ESV)
- This means literally to carry something that is heavy for someone else. Like I can’t lift a couch by myself, but if I got three friends, no problem! (Well, those pesky door ways are always a challenge…but…). These burdens can be emotional, physical, financial…etc. We do this because it demonstrates love for one another – love in action. Just a few verses away we see that “…the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”” (Galatians 5:14 ESV). Like forgiveness, we have been loved greatly by God in Jesus, so we in turn show love in real actual actions that help others.
- Speaking of which…(you thought I forgot, didn’t you?) Well, at this point in our meeting, we were able to give a financial gift to one of our own, a single mom who is very dear to all of us and made a (costly) leap of faith to join the mission of Highlands Bible Church. For a few weeks now we have been collecting donations and we all contributed. It felt good. Actually, it felt great. She cried. And felt loved and encouraged. And so did we.
