{"id":24439,"date":"2023-08-24T19:17:51","date_gmt":"2023-08-25T00:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/?p=24439"},"modified":"2023-08-24T19:18:13","modified_gmt":"2023-08-25T00:18:13","slug":"church-the-power-of-working-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/church-the-power-of-working-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Church: The power of working together"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cDon\u2019t try this alone.\u201d\u00a0 \u2013advice on a thousand exercise devices.<\/em><\/p>\n

Years ago, the Readers Digest<\/em> ran an article titled \u201cWhat good is a tree?\u201d Here’s a quote–<\/p>\n

When the roots of a tree touch, a substance present reduces the competition.\u00a0 An unknown fungus links together roots of different trees, even of dissimilar species.\u00a0 A whole forest may be linked together.\u00a0 If one tree has access to water, another to nutrients, a third to sunlight, the trees find a way to share.<\/em><\/p>\n

Wow.\u00a0 Who knew that?\u00a0 I certainly didn’t.<\/p>\n

We could all take a lesson from the forest.<\/p>\n

When I was a teen, someone set out a small longleaf pine in my grandmother\u2019s yard.\u00a0 Year after year, it remained a dwarf, refusing to grow. After her death, an uncle who owned the property set out hundreds of trees\u00a0across the front yard. Suddenly, that lone,\u00a0dwarfed pine had company and began to prosper.<\/p>\n

The Lord knew you and I would be needing help in living for Him in this fallen world. So, when He saved us, He \u201cadded us to the body\u201d (see Acts 2:41).<\/p>\n

God never intended any of us to live this life in isolation.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The writer of Hebrews admonished the early Christians: Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more, as\u00a0 you see the day drawing near<\/em>\u00a0(Hebrews 10:24-25).<\/p>\n

This is not just “good advice” or a “helpful hint.”\u00a0 This is lifesaving strategy, friend.<\/p>\n

Scripture is not silent concerning the responsibility believers have toward each other\u2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLove one another\u201d (John 13:34\u2013and a dozen other places).\u00a0 \u201cPray for one another\u201d (James 5:16).\u00a0 \u201cWash one another\u2019s feet\u201d (John 13:14).\u00a0 \u201cBe members of one another\u201d (Romans 12:5).\u00a0 \u201cBe devoted to one another\u201d (Romans 12:10).\u00a0 \u201cBe of the same mind with one another\u201d (Romans 15:5).\u00a0 \u201cReceive one another\u201d (Romans 15:7).<\/p>\n

Want more?<\/p>\n

\u201cGreet one another\u201d (Romans 16:16).\u00a0 \u201cAdmonish one another\u201d (Romans 15:14).\u00a0 \u201cCare for one another\u201d (I Corinthians 12:25).\u00a0 \u201cServe one another\u201d (Galatians 5:13).\u00a0 \u201cBear one another\u2019s burdens\u201d (Galatians 6:2).\u00a0 \u201cBear with one another\u201d (Ephesians 4:2).<\/p>\n

Still more?<\/p>\n

\u201cBe kind to one another\u201d (Ephesians 4:32).\u00a0 \u201cSubmit to one another\u201d (Ephesians 5:21).\u00a0 \u201cComfort one another\u201d (I Thessalonians 4:18).\u00a0 \u201cEdify one another\u201d (I Thessalonians 5:11).\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cConfess to one another\u201d (James 5:16).\u00a0 \u201cBe hospitable to one another\u201d (I Peter 4:9).\u00a0 \u201cFellowship with one another\u201d (I John 1:7).<\/p>\n

Anyone see a trend here?<\/p>\n

The Lord who created us and saved us clearly thought we would be needing one another. He thought each of us brings something to the body which the other members will be needing, just as they bring what we need.<\/p>\n

We are members of His Body, to be sure, but also members of one another (see Romans 12:5 and I Corinthians 12).<\/p>\n

I need you; you need me.\u00a0 We are part of a team, a chain, a body.<\/p>\n

To coin a phrase, We are better TWO-gether.<\/em><\/p>\n

According to the writer of Hebrews, the early church was having trouble locating some believers who had apparently decided they didn\u2019t need the regular association with other followers of Jesus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can do this by myself,\u201d says a head-strong but mistaken four-year-old.\u00a0 That disciples of the Lord would claim that is amazing.<\/p>\n

–The new teacher in the reservation\u2019s school found a student cheating on a test.\u00a0 Then, she began to notice others doing the same thing.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s going on here?\u201d\u00a0 Someone explained, \u201cIn our tribe, if someone knows something, everyone knows it.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Robert Neff visited a church service and saw something unforgettable.\u00a0 \u201cA tenor was trying to sing a solo.\u00a0 Something was not right, however.\u00a0 The singer was faltering.\u00a0 Hearing a commotion, I looked around to see what was going on.\u00a0 All over the church people were pulling out hymnals and finding that song.\u00a0 By the second verse, the congregation joined in to sing with the man.\u00a0 By the third verse, the tenor was beginning to find the range. By the fourth verse, it was beautiful.\u00a0 Then, on the fifth verse, the congregation was silent once more and the tenor sang the most beautiful solo of his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

See you in church.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cDon\u2019t try this alone.\u201d\u00a0 \u2013advice on a thousand exercise devices. Years ago, the Readers Digest ran an article titled \u201cWhat good is a tree?\u201d Here’s a quote– When the roots of a tree touch, a substance present reduces the competition.\u00a0 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church-leadership","category-healthy-church"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24439"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24532,"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24439\/revisions\/24532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}