ONE ANOTHER

 

John 13:34

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

 

The term “One Another” is used 50 times in the bible

• “One to another” is used 48 times and
• “One for another” is used 4 times.

“One Another” is how I affect you.

• What does my influence do to you?
• How do I rub off on you?
• What chemistry do I create in your life?
• What influence?
• What effect do I leave on your life?
• What is your influence on others?
• It’s an exchange from “One to Another”?

In the New Testament “One Another” is most often used to express God’s desire for us to be a help and encouragement to each other.

 

John 13:35

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Romans 12:10

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

Ephesians 4:32

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

1 John 4:7

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

 

Christians are called to be “the salt of the earth”.

• I know that by salting my food – putting just a little salt on my food – that I can change the flavor of it drastically.
• Is it any wonder that Jesus said that we were to be the “salt of the earth”?

 

Matthew 5:13

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

When salt touches something, it affects it.

• It flavors it.
• It can also preserve it.
• Salt causes the thing that it touches to be changed.

So we have to ask the question today…

• What happens to the things we touch?
• Are they flavored?
• Are they preserved?
• Or are the affected at all by us.

 

Let’s talk about the Family of God for just a moment…

• The first thing to know is we have a loving Heavenly Father.
• The second thing is His desire is for us to minister to one another.
• Our role is to help, encourage, teach, and minister to one another.

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

• If you and I understand this “One to Another” concept, we can help each other become what it is that God would have us to become.
• We can strengthen each other
• We can encourage each other
• We can teach each other
• We can mentor each other.

 

Ladies, let me encourage you to let your husband get around some other GOOD men.

• Example: Fred Childs
• Treats his wife so sweetly.
• Every time I hear him on the phone with her, his words are velvet.
• He talks to her like he’s about to propose to her all over again.
• I saw that and realized that my wife deserved to be treated that way.
• So now I talk sweet to my wife.
• I tell her how much I love her several times a day.

Why?

• Because Iron Sharpeneth Iron.
• Without ever telling me what to do, Fred influenced my marriage.

 

Titus 2:3-5 (KJV)

3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

Men listen, it’s a good thing for your wife to get around other ladies in the church.

• For one thing a woman needs other women to talk to.
• For another, they minister to one another.
• They talk each other through their problems.
• Ladies need friendships outside the home.

 

Some of the greatest lessons about life you will never hear taught in school or even church.

• You will see them lived out in the lives of people you are close to.
• Just being near some people during times of trouble or tragedy in their life has encouraged my faith in God and gave me direction and Godly influence that has guided my life.

 

How many of you have heard the word “Mentor”?

It means…

• Counselor
• Guide
• Teacher
• Advisor

This word mentor is a common word that has really gained recognition in these last 2 decades.

• But did you know that this concept of mentoring was talked about over and over again in the scriptures.
• Scripture after scripture tells us to not only be the one sharpening someone else, but to also be sharpened.

 

The scriptures call us to love one another

• Admonish one another.
• Pray for one another
• Comfort one another
• Teach one another
• Edify one another
• Exhort one another
• Consider one another
• Provoke one another to good works
• Forbear one another
• Forgive one another
• Receive one another
• Prefer one another
• Serve one another

 

Romans 15:14

And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

Every person in this room today has something to offer the people sitting around you.

I’m convinced that if you put all of us together for a common purpose and a common goal that we will all grow by the experience.

 

I love what happens around here on a Saturday Evening at 6:30.

• Setting up for this service.
• Something more happens here than just setting out chairs and hooking up speakers.
• Camaraderie happens.
• Friendship happens.
• People working together for a common goal and a common purpose, happens.

 

I’ll tell you the truth; Setting up for service is one of my favorite times of the week.

• Now, I don’t like giving up my Saturday evening.
• I don’t like having to leave the house.
• But I love being together with you all.
• I get to spend more time fellowshipping with many of you while we are setting up than I do when we are at church.

 

Someone said, “Well, I don’t like all that work.”

• You might call it work, but God calls it ministering to others.
• When I come to set up, I am not only ministering to you, but I am also ministering to this community.

 

You know, I’ve heard preaching about how to serve God at every imaginable level.

• Worship
• Prayer
• Giving
• Righteous living
• Holiness
• Church Attendance
• You name it…

 

But I don’t know that I’ve heard more than a handful of messages, if any, that tell me how to minister to the people around me.

•  And this is the message that Jesus brought.

They said, “What’s the Greatest Commandment.”

• Love the Lord God with all your heart, mind and strength”  But the second is like unto it.
• Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

 

Jesus said…”One Another”

• Encourage, strengthen, minister to, pray for, help, serve and Love One Another.

How can I minister to you?

• If I only see you at church time, how can I really have an affect on you?
• If you only see me while we are setting up and while we are at church, how can you really influence or minister to me?
• The truth is, the times that we have together are very limited.

 

I feel like we need to create a ministry in this church that would cause us to minister to one another, way beyond the casual handshake and greeting we give each other on Sunday mornings.

 

• I propose that we develop a ministry in this church whose purpose is to create camaraderie amongst those who call Acacia their church.
• I say we multiply this church out into about 3 groups of 30 or so people who outside of church, meet at least one time per month for the soul purpose of getting together for some kind of outing that would create fellowship and the stickiness that we all need.
• These groups would eventually grow to the point that they would need to be multiplied out, but until they do, they would be a nucleus within Acacia that would encourage and minister to one another.
• This way no one is left out.
• Everyone would be a part
• Outings, prayer, deliberate acts of kindness.

 

Care Groups.

Serving one another.