The One Anothers Of The Bible

The One Anothers Of The Bible

As a follower of Jesus, I am sometimes asked what Jesus wants His church to do. There are several thoughts that come to mind.

First, notice that the question is not about the purpose of the church or the church's doctrine and structure. Rather, it is about what the church should be doing. People always want to know if the church is doing the right stuff. How can you know that?

There are about 47 different teachings in the New Testament that are directed at the church by using the phrase "one another". They involve actions. When the Bible talks about “one another”, there is always a verb that comes with it. They sound like this: love one another, encourage one another, pray for one another, and many others. There is a seemingly unrelated teaching of Jesus, directed at His followers in the Gospel of John:

John 8:31

"If you continue in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine."

It is necessary to get this: in order for the church to do what it is supposed to do, the followers of Jesus need to know His Word! God’s Word is where His power lies. His Word directs His people in HOW they should love, HOW they should encourage, HOW they should pray. In other words, HOW they should act.

Is there a right or wrong way to love, encourage and pray? You bet there is! Even the most natural actions need to be done with the proper motives or they can be misunderstood and misdirected.

Over the next couple of days, I'll talk about some of these "one another" statements. For today, remember to read His Word every day. That's why we call the Bible "Our Daily Bread"!

The Bible is what makes the church what we are and it is how we know what God wants us to do.

1 Thessalonians 2:13

“For ... when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the Word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”