Yesterday I talked about the importance of "me time," today I want to go over what I will affectionately call, "we time." That is, the time spent with others. There are two parts to this: time spent with those in your church community, and time spent with nonbelievers. Both are essential parts to our Christian lifestyle.
When we spend time with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are strengthened in our own faith. When we are down, our Jesus family lifts us up and reminds us of who we are in Him and where we are going. We learn from each other and share in each other's suffering. We have people to go to who we can talk to about our lives and get solid, godly advice from. We have people who will love us unconditionally as Christ loves us. We are built up by the Jesus that is in one another. That is ridiculously important.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (ESV)
Ephesians 4:11-16 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[c] and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (ESV)
1 Corinthians 12:12-14 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. (NIV)
Equally important, however, is having relationships outside the church. If we eliminate that from our lifestyle, we eliminate the entire point of Christianity-- to spread it! We want to make the church grow, to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth as we were told to. Our love for Jesus should be contagious to people around us. But nothing would ever get spread without first establishing relationships. No one wants to get advice from someone they don't feel loves or cares about them.
John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (NIV)
1 John 4:20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. (ESV)
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (ESV)
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (NIV)
In your Christian walk, remember to make time for both the community of Christ and the unbelievers around us. Draw strength from your brothers and sisters in your church community and take that strength and go out into the world. Bring the love that Jesus has placed in your heart back to those who have yet to experience an unconditional love such as His. They need it more than anyone.
When we spend time with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are strengthened in our own faith. When we are down, our Jesus family lifts us up and reminds us of who we are in Him and where we are going. We learn from each other and share in each other's suffering. We have people to go to who we can talk to about our lives and get solid, godly advice from. We have people who will love us unconditionally as Christ loves us. We are built up by the Jesus that is in one another. That is ridiculously important.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (ESV)
Ephesians 4:11-16 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[c] and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (ESV)
1 Corinthians 12:12-14 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. (NIV)
Equally important, however, is having relationships outside the church. If we eliminate that from our lifestyle, we eliminate the entire point of Christianity-- to spread it! We want to make the church grow, to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth as we were told to. Our love for Jesus should be contagious to people around us. But nothing would ever get spread without first establishing relationships. No one wants to get advice from someone they don't feel loves or cares about them.
John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (NIV)
1 John 4:20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. (ESV)
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (ESV)
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (NIV)
In your Christian walk, remember to make time for both the community of Christ and the unbelievers around us. Draw strength from your brothers and sisters in your church community and take that strength and go out into the world. Bring the love that Jesus has placed in your heart back to those who have yet to experience an unconditional love such as His. They need it more than anyone.
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