God blesses churches that are (#7) devoted to the one another’s. The church needs to be united before it will ever be greatly used by God. Community and teamwork are popular expressions but not common commitments in many churches these days.
1 Peter 1:22 says, Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart…One of the ways unbelievers should be able to identify true believers is by observing our love for each other (note John 13:34-35).
Is your congregation known for it’s in-reach as well as it’s outreach? When someone gets sick, or when they have a baby, or when a spouse gets deployed to Iraq, does your local congregation instinctively act to meet pressing needs? Do people wait for the deacons or pastors to act before they attempt to do anything?
Of course this category is more then just meeting physical needs. Some churches are really committed to meeting each others physical needs but are negligent when it comes to identifying and meeting people’s spiritual needs. A church needs to be committed to meeting both.
If you want a tremendously applicable Bible study all the “one-another” passages…The Bible calls us to: serve one another (Gal. 5:13). To encourage one another (1 Thess. 5:11, Eph 4:29ff, Hebrews 3:13, 10:24ff). To instruct one another (Col. 3:16). To comfort one another (2 Cor 13:11). To be kind and to forgive one another (Eph 4:32). To confess our sins to one another (James 5:16), etc, etc.
I know many Believers that are starving for the Word of God and who are craving for true Christian fellowship. They pray daily that God would direct them to a church that is committed to these basic things. If your congregation wants to experience Biblical church growth then let the Biblical one another’s characterize you. God blesses churches that are devoted to the one another’s.
Expository Thoughts 