It’s a great privilege to be a member of Christ’s body. In my class today with the children we reviewed last week’s lesson about the body of Christ. Then I asked, How can we be more fruitful members of His body? How can we better fulfill our role as members of His body?
One way to find out is to study all of the “one another” or “each other” commands in the New Testament. There are many: Such as: build up one another; accept one another; admonish one another; greet one another; wait for one another; serve one another; be subject to one another; confess your sins to one another, etc. I showed them my 3 and ½ pages of typed out one anothering scriptures – (see https://www.kingdomstreams.net/post/how-jesus-s-body-grows-and-matures-the-one-anothering-ministry-of-the-body ) to help them see how prevalent a theme this is in the N.T. Then I spent the rest of our time helping them see that by far the most emphasized and repeated one anothering command is:
Loving One Another –
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34,35
How are we to love one another? “…even as I have loved you…”
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” John 15:12
How are we to love one another? “….just as I have loved you.”
“This I command you, that you love one another.” John 15:17
Is it a suggestion to love one another?
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;” Romans 12:10
What would being “devoted to one another in brotherly love” look like in every day life?
“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8
“and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you;” I Thessalonians 3:12
How can we grow in our love for one another?
“Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;” I Thessalonians 4:9
Who teaches us to love one another?
“and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24,25
So how could we stimulate one another to love and good deeds?
“Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,” I Peter 1:22
What role does God’s truth play in this process?
“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” I Peter 4:8
How does love cover a multitude of sins?
“For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;” I John 3:11
“This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” I John 3:23
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” I John 4:7
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” I John 4:11
“No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.” I John 4:12
“Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.” II John 5
Total = 16 commands to love (one third of the 46 positive one anothering commands)
Key to this whole process is gaining more revelation of how much God loves us and being increasingly affected by the wonder of it all. Thus Paul prays for the church in Ephesus, “…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and the know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19
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