My pastor husband often talks about how we cannot obey many of God’s commands if we aren’t in fellowship with others. The “one anothers” are good examples of these commands. I’ve seen him exemplify the one anothers in beautiful, humble ways that have challenged me often in my walk with Christ. The one anothers are such a simple yet amazing way Jesus has equipped us and admonished us to be the body of Christ.
Announcement:
As we dive into this topic, I want to start with a fun announcement. In April, I have my next picture book coming out, and it is the first in a series about living the one anothers. The main two characters are Harper and Isabella (Izzy). They are best friends, and they learn about what it means to live the one anothers. Their brothers, Owen and Jesse, are also learning and growing in their faith. You’ll get to see more of them in the chapter books in the series. Nicole Monroe is working with me on this project. She is writing the Harper and Owen stories, and I’m writing the Izzy and Jesse stories. It is such a fun project, and the stories are full of humor and Christian truths.
As a little sneak preview, you’ll find some valentines that go along with the series. They are free to download, color, and share. The illustrator is Hannah Prewett, and she is the illustrator for the whole series.
Another little sneak peak is a short story introducing Harper and Izzy to you for Valentine’s Day. I hope you enjoy these freebies. We’d love to hear if your children like the story and the Valentines.
So, how do we obey God’s commands of the “one anothers”? The ‘one another’ commands illustrate how Christian hospitality goes far beyond just opening our homes – they show us how to open our lives and hearts to genuine community.
There are over 100 verses with these commands, so I think God really wants us to gain an understanding of doing life together, growing together, and serving one another. Some overlap in what they are commanding. Several teach the most common one: Love one another.
Love One Another
John 13:34-35 are probably the most famous “love one another” verses. These verses clearly show us that
>love is the foundation of all Christian relationships.
>he kind of love Jesus specifies is a sacrificial, unconditional love because he states clearly, “love as I have loved you.”
>when we truly love each other, hospitality is just a natural part of life, not forced, but something we look forward to.
>loving one another shows the world who we are and that we are Jesus’ disciples: “By this everyone will know you are my disciples.”
>love creates an environment where discipleship can flourish.
I want to expound on that a bit. Have you ever been in a legalistic setting where you are practically harassed to live a certain way? Does it make you want to obey? No, we are not usually very excited about complying in such a negative (at best), abusive (most likely) environment. Love draws us to Christ and to each other. Love is the foundation we can build our whole lives on, including discipleship. It must be the foundation.
Today some would have us think love is a denial of the truth – a “I’m okay, you’re okay” situation, a “you do you” and I’ll affirm it situation. This is not truth. This is harmful and painful and very ungodly. It is arrogance and self-righteousness that denies God. Love tells the truth. Yes, love is patient and kind. But love does not lie.
(I needed to take that little detour before we move on to the next section.)
Accept One Another
The second one another is to accept one another (Romans 15:7). We need this today, in authentic, loving ways. Acceptance means patience and standing with our brothers and sisters. Acceptance does not mean looking the other way when we are struggling with sin or disobedience. We’ve seen the horrible results of those choices in Scripture and in our world today. On one hand, some call for believers to affirm whatever sin someone chooses, and on the other hand we hear those crying out for justice after someone has been hurt or abused by sin that has been “swept under the rug.” So, first, let’s remember that sin is evil, and Satan is our enemy who is prowling around to see who he can devour. Ignoring sin does not help anyone. Accepting and affirming sin among our brothers and sisters is blasphemy. So, how do we accept one another as Christ is admonishing us here? We:
>Don’t affirm sin, but we also don’t reject the person who is struggling. We accept “just as Christ accepted you” – Jesus opens his acceptance to us with the gift of forgiveness.
>Go beyond the surface of simply tolerating someone to genuine love and embracing them as a brother or sister.
>Open our hearts and homes to allow transparency about their struggles, and we don’t give up on them.
>Break down walls of prejudice and barriers of class, culture, and background.
>Value the person as one created in God’s image and deeply loved by him.
Bear One Another’s Burdens
We need to bear one another’s burdens which we find in Galatians 6:2. If we love each other, we naturally are going to care when someone is hurting or carrying a lot. Sometimes bearing another’s burden simply means being a listening ear – no judgment or commentary needed, just someone to listen and care and pray. This means we:
>create space in our lives where others can be vulnerable.
>being willing to get into messy and uncomfortable situations with our brothers and sisters.
>take hospitality to the highest level of truly meeting needs, offering emotional support, and giving spiritual wisdom.
>provide opportunities for practical help and support that meets someone’s immediate physical needs as well.
>are being Jesus’ hands and feet giving the tangible love of Christ to others.
Serve One Another
We serve one another (1 Peter 4:10). Serving refers to ministry, meeting needs, and mutual submission out of respect and love. It means we:
>Use the gifts God has given each of us to build up the community of believers/the body of Christ.
>Move beyond formal roles and titles to true, everyday acts of service.
>Show that hospitality and service are intertwined and reveal a heart submitted first to Christ and then to one another.
>Create mutual dependence on one another as part of the body of Christ, entrusting each person to use the gifts God has given them, valuing each person’s part.
>Give and receive from one another which creates an atmosphere of trust, respect, and humility.
Encourage One Another
This is one of my favorite one anothers because it seems so unique to the Christian life. Outside the Church, most of the time (not always, but mostly), attempts at encouragement are usually merely flattery. In the Church we can see this happen too, but we should guard against it. Jesus isn’t calling us to flatter one another or to say nice things to make someone feel good about themselves. Encouragement is so much better and so much more. It speaks to the identity and value of a person. Encouragement acknowledges God’s work in and through a person’s life. Godly encouragement builds a person up, empowering and strengthening them to do what God is calling them to do. It is a powerful thing.
We see the command to encourage one another in 1 Thessalonians 5:11. In action, encouraging one another means:
>Seeing people and acknowledging who they are and how they are part of the body.
>Using more than words but also our presence and friendship.
>We help strengthen faith during difficult times.
>We see God’s work in each other’s lives.
Pray for One Another
Jesus tells us to pray for one another (James 5:16). Jesus knew our needs. He knew we would need help and encouragement and the reminder that God hears and sees us. When we take the time to pray for one another, we:
>Deepen our relationships with each other building more solid connections.
>Give spiritual support and hope to one another.
>Allow and encourage vulnerability and trust.
>Demonstrate true care for each other and our needs both physical and spiritual.
Teach and Admonish One Another
Jesus put these together in Colossians 3:16 telling us to rely on his wisdom in teaching and admonishing one another. This verse seems to encompass discipleship, corporate worship, and all the goodness of God. We are commanded throughout Scripture to make disciples, and each time that is followed by the admonition to teach – teach what Jesus has taught us. It’s not about having a degree in theology, but a sharing of the truths and wisdom of God that we’ve learned so far in our walk. When we teach and admonish each other, we:
>Make disciples naturally in our relationships with one another.
>Grasp teachable moments and defining moments in each others’ lives and in our children’s lives. These happen in the everyday encounters with one another when someone is most ready to learn or most in need of understanding who they are in Christ.
>Share testimonies of God’s goodness, his activity in and through our lives, and his wisdom.
>Live out the truth of “Iron sharpening iron” as we help one another grow in our walks with God.
These certainly aren’t all of the one anothers. Afterall, I didn’t talk about the command to “greet one another with a holy kiss.” However, it is easy to see that the one anothers aren’t just commands, they are guidelines for living an authentic Christian life of hospitality, connection, and fellowship. And within them, we disciple one another as we grow together in faith. They are unique to the Christian faith in many ways, and they are life-changing and life-empowering.