“Members of One Another”

“So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” (Romans 12:5, ESV)

The Redwoods and Sequois of California are one of the most amazing sights you will ever see. Standing in a redwood forest makes you feel so small. There are many interesting facts about the redwoods. One surprising fact is that redwoods have very shallow roots. The roots spread out over the forest floor and intertwine with the roots of other redwoods. Redwoods are able to stand for centuries of time because they hold one another up when the strong winds blow.

Redwoods were not designed to stand alone, and neither are Christians.

We just concluded a sermon series on the key functions of the church. We studied this subject, looking at the functions of the church from Acts 2. These functions give us the foundational things that we should do today as a church. To follow this series, we will devote the next three weeks on what it means to serve the Lord together. To do this, we are going to study three of the “one another” passages in the New Testament.

There are 29 “One Another” statements in the NT. These statements are derived from a single Greek word. A study of this word paint a vivid picture of the way in which we as Christians are to relate to one another and function as one body.

The following list is an examination of these passages book by book.
1. Members of one another. Romans 12:5; Eph 4:25 “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.”
2. Love one another. Romans 12:10 (1 Thess 3:12; 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11; 4:7, 11; 2 John 5
3. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10
4. Live in Harmony with one another. Romans 12:16; 13:8; 15:5
5. Encourage one another. Romans 1:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:18; 5:11
6. Do not pass judgment against one another. Rom 14:13
7. Build up one another. Romans 14:19
8. Welcome one another. Romans 15:7
9. Instruct one another. Romans 15:14
10. Greet one another. Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:2; 1 Peter 5:14

11. Wait for one another. 1 Corinthians 11:33
12. Care for one another. 1 Corinthians 12:25

13. Serve one another. Galatians 5:13
14. Do not bite and devour one another. Galatians 5:15
15. Do not provoke one another. Galatians 5:26
16. Do not envy one another. Galatians 5:26
17. Bear one another’s burdens. Galatians 6:2
18. Bear with one another. Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13
19. Be kind to one another. Ephesians 4:32
20. Submit to one another. Ephesians 5:21

21. Count one another more significant. Philippians 2:3

22. Do not lie to one another. Colossians 3:9

23. Do good to one another. 1 Thessalonians 5:15

24. Stir up one another. Hebrews 10:24

25. Do not speak evil to one another. James 4:11
26. Do not grumble against one another. James 5:9
27. Confess your sins to one another. James 5:16
28. Pray for one another. James 5:16

29. Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. 1 Peter 5:5

We can see that this phrase is used by every author of the New Testament Epistles. It is clear that this is a very important theme! In fact, the unity and fellowship of the Body of Christ is one of the clearest themes in the New Testament.

Let’s examine the exhortation that we are members of one another, as found in Romans 12:5. This phrase is repeated in Ephesians 4:25 and 1 Corinthians 12. Each of these references illustrate the idea of being members of one another with the picture of the Body of Christ.

“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)
In this passage, “Body” and “Spiritual gifts” tied together

This is also true in 1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27, ESV)
Paul has already informed us that he is going to provide a metaphor concerning the church. “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12, ESV)

“So it is with Christ” provides informs us of this coming metaphor. Paul then describes the functioning of the human body, demonstrating how the human body is a picture of the way in which the church is supposed to function in complete harmony.

This harmony works in every one of the functions of the church we examined in our previous series. Look at each function and the way in which these functions are to be performed by the entire body.
EVANGELISM.
Jesus made it clear that evangelism is linked to unity within the body of believer. In his prisetly prayer for his disciples and those who will believe through their message, he says:
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20–21, ESV) “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:23, ESV)

TEACHING is a function that involves the entire body.
FELLOWSHIP
WORSHIP
PRAYER/ SERVING

When we fulfill these functions together, the church and each member will be able to stand strong in the storms of life.

How to Fulfill Christ’s Design to STAND TOGETHER
1. Every believer belongs.
St. Lawrence was martyred in 258 A.D. As the Archdeacon of Rome. His responsibilities included distributing alms to the poor. While he was Archdeacon, the Governor of Rome took Pope Sextus captive and demanded, “Where is the treasure of the church?” The Pope would not tell, and they tortured him to death. He never did tell, but in his agony and pain, Pope Sextus somehow mentioned the name of Archdeacon Lawrence. They took Lawrence captive.

“Where is the treasure of the Church?” they demanded, threatening with the same fate that befell the Pope.

Lawrence replied, “Governor, I cannot get it for you instantaneously; but if you give me three days, I will give you the treasure.” The Governor agreed. Lawrence left. Three days later he walked into the Governor’s courtyard followed by a great flood of people. Lawrence stepped forward, and pointed to the crowd that accompanied him — the lame, the blind, the deaf, the nobodies of society — and said, “Here are the treasures of the Christian church.”

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28, ESV)

2. Every believer of equal worth. We are a “Kingdom of priests”

3. Every spiritual gift of equal value.
“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27, ESV)
“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:7, ESV)

4. Don’t quit the body!!

The story is told of a time when a little child in an African tribe wandered off into the tall jungle grass and could not be found, although the tribe searched all day.
The next day the tribal members all held hands and walked through the grass together.
This enabled them to find the child, but due to the cold night he had not survived.
In her anguish and through tears, the mother cried, “If only we would have held hands sooner.”

Spiritual unity is not an option to make us feel better. It is God’s design for His people.
As we move forward with examining our values, vision and strategy for ministry, it MUST be fulfilled in harmony together.

There are challenges ahead for our lives and for the church. God has designed us for the long haul, to stand strong because we are interwoven together.