One of the purposes of the church is to edify followers of Christ by way of sacrificial love and service. While that may be easy to say, what happens when we’re dealing with individuals who drive us crazy or have offended us?
Here are some key points from this weeks episode:
Key Points:
- The foundation for Christian relationships is God. Our love for one another stems from God’s love for us. This is different from secular relationships, which are often motivated by self-interest.
- Building one another up involves both words and actions. We should encourage, serve, forgive, and sing praises together.
- Our motives for building one another up matter. We should do it out of love for God and for others, not for personal gain.
- The Bible emphasizes the importance of both structure and organic relationships in the church. Serving in ministries and programs provides opportunities to build each other up, but it should also happen naturally in our interactions.
- Loving correction is a part of building one another up. It should be done gently and out of love, with the goal of helping the other person grow closer to God.
- Disagreements and tensions are inevitable in the church. We should go to God for wisdom on how to handle them and prioritize unity in Christ.
Call to Action:
- Examine your motives for interacting with others in church.
- Seek opportunities to serve and encourage others.
- If you have a conflict with someone in the church, address it directly and seek peace.
Scripture/Passages referenced:
- 1 Thessalonians [5:11]: “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
- John 17: The longest intertrinitarian dialogue in the Bible, where Jesus prays for the unity of the church.
- Philippians 2: This passage describes the humility and selflessness of Jesus and calls on believers to have the same mindset.
- Romans 12: This passage talks about renewing the mind through scripture.