A Holy Kiss

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A Holy Kiss

1 Thessalonians 5:26

Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

R

eferring to this verse a fellow tersely commented that if a brother should greet him with a holy kiss he will respond with a holy punch in the mouth.  It is a cultural taboo for Canadian men to greet other men with a kiss.  Although kissing members of the opposite sex appears to be catching on in society, it is nevertheless unwise in some instances to greet members of the opposite sex with a kiss. 

An elderly woman in a former church, having been deeply moved by the message delivered that particular morning, asked if she could kiss me.  I responded by saying that I never kissed anyone over six or under sixty.  Times have changed, I am drawing ever nearer the age of sixty and today I am cautious about making any comment concerning kissing members of the congregation.

Nevertheless, the underlying message of our text is that of all people in the earth, Christians are to know one another and to exhibit courtesy and love toward one another according to Paul’s admonition.  Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.  The equivalent text for this brief passage, and perhaps a statement more readily understood in our present culture, is that which is given by the aged Apostle of Love, John, who instructed us to Greet the friends … by name [3 John 14b].  Christians should rejoice to meet fellow believers and always endeavour to welcome one another.  We should know our fellow worshippers and warmly receive them whenever they join us for worship or fellowship.

The practise of greeting with a kiss depends in no small measure upon culture, and even this custom as practised by the apostolic church appears to have mostly died out shortly after the first century.  Greet one another with a holy kiss, Paul admonished the Corinthians in each letter [1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12].  Peter also taught the saints to Greet one another with a kiss of love [1 Peter 5:14].  The holy kiss was a social gesture which by the time of Justin Martyr, the middle of the second century, had been relegated to a liturgical practise during Communion.

As a boy my family attended a church a General Baptist church.  Among those churches are numbered a fellowship of German saints established by John Winebrenner and known as the Churches of God General Conference.  These churches are, with but few differences, akin to what are technically referred to as Regular Baptist.  The majority of Baptists in our world today are counted as Regular Baptists, but there remain a significant number of the General Baptist Churches, especially in the United States.  Among the differences separating the two groups is the practise of washing one another’s feet as an ordinance of the Lord together with baptism and communion.

In that ecclesiastical milieu in which I grew up I observed men kissing men and women kissing women, at the conclusion of having humbled themselves to wash one another’s feet.  While I do not believe that particular practise is to be accepted as an ordinance, I nevertheless have respect for the sincerity of the belief and I do possess some knowledge of what must result when we treat one another as familiar friends.  That is where I ask us to focus our attention during this brief time together today.

The Responsibility for Christians to Know One Another — Almost unconsciously, we adopt a consumer mentality concerning our worship.  By this statement I mean that we approach worship more often with a view of what we can get out of the activity than seeking what we can contribute to worship.  We are so focused on our own fulfilment that we fail to honour God.  We really don’t want to let others know too much about us, nor are we particularly eager to know too much about others.  If they know too much about us we fear that they might not really like us, and we if know too much about others we fear that we will be responsible to care about them in their struggles.

Christians are not supposed to be remote from one another.  Instead, we are to know one another.  We are to practise koinwniva.  Let me speak to this issue for a brief moment.  The manner in which I will speak to this point is to appeal to Scripture itself.  Remember that the church is known as the fellowship [Acts 2:42].  The reason for this is that the members of the Body are responsible to share their lives in an intimate fashion.  As the churches of Macedonia and Ache responded to the need to relieve the suffering of the impoverished saints in Jerusalem during a time of famine, their contribution was seen as a fellowship [cf. Greek Romans 15:26; see also 2 Corinthians 8:4 and 9:13 and Hebrews 13:16].

We are called into fellowship with Christ Jesus [1 Corinthians 1:9].  Whenever we observe the ordinance of the Lord’s Table we fellowship in the blood and in the body of Christ [see Greek 1 Corinthians 10:16].  As Christians we have no fellowship with darkness [2 Corinthians 6:14].  Instead, together with all the saints of God we are called to enjoy the fellowship of the Holy Spirit [2 Corinthians 13:14 and Philippians 2:1].  A neglected teaching is that we are able to know the fellowship of sharing in the sufferings of Christ, becoming like Him in His death [Philippians 3:10].  In receiving the message of Christ the Lord we fellowship with God the Father and with the Son of God together with the Apostles [1 John 1:3].  As we walk in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin [1 John 1:7].

If we will actually be the fellowship, we will know what is happening in the lives of our fellow members.  This implies much more than having a superficial knowledge of situations which our fellow members may confront from time-to-time.  This thought speaks of sensitivity to one another to realise the spiritual and emotional situations we confront.    In this context there are responsibilities on each of us to live transparently so that we are open and honest about our lives, but there are also responsibilities imposed on each Christian to seek the benefit of others and to care for their welfare.  Let me briefly address each of these responsibilities in their turn.

First, there is a responsibility for each Christian to live transparently.  I don’t mean by this that we are to practise a sort of spiritual nudity in which we spill out every sordid detail of our lives before we came to faith in Christ; but neither do I imply that any Christian has the right to pry into the life of another.  It is mandatory that I raise these particular caveats because sadly churches today are infested with worldly people who consider gossip to be a spiritual gift.  The most wicked statement any Christian can utter may well be, “We need to pray for our brother (or sister).”  It is a pious way to slander another; it should never be tolerated within the Body of Christ.

When I say that Christians are to live transparently I mean that we are to so live that we have no regrets.  This is the essential truth behind James’ words in James 5:16.  Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other… The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.  We are to keep short accounts with God.  When the Spirit of God convicts you of sin, deal with that sin through confessing it before God and releasing it so that it has no power over you.  If you are unable to obtain release from that particular sin, ask the people of God to pray with you that you might have freedom and that they may hold you accountable.

Whenever a fellow Christian is open and honest within the assembly of the saints, that trust should be treated as sacred.  We should recognise that our fellow believer is struggling against sin and seeking the same victory which we will ourselves shortly seek in some other area of life.  There is no room for treating such requests as anything less than an opportunity in which we may all glorify God through uniting for victory.  In fact, we who are spiritual are responsible to take the initiative in these matters.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.  Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.  If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.  Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load [Galatians 6:1-5].  Don’t begin to think that you are above such struggles.  Listen to the warning of the Apostle.  If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall [1 Corinthians 10:12]!

If we will be a fellowship in truth, we must learn to seek the benefit and welfare of our fellow Christians.  The words of Paul must assuredly apply in this context.  Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others [1 Corinthians 10:24].  You will no doubt recall how that particular passage is concluded.  So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.  Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ [1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1].

Paul writes such a powerful command in Philippians 2:1-4.  I suggest that we would do well to memorise this particular passage of Scripture and make it an intimate part of our Christian life and practise.  If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

This particular passage is akin to the apostolic teaching presented in Romans.  You who think yourselves to be mature in Christ will do well to apply this to yourselves. You who reject this teaching need to understand that you reveal your immaturity and your worldliness.  We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.  Each of us should please his neighbour for his good, to build him up [Romans 15:1,2].

Only when we have learned to trust one another as God’s holy people may we expect to discover the beauty of honesty.  Until such trust is practised without deceit we can only play at being Christians.  Until we are able to be honest with one another our worship is a mere charade.  So long as tongues hinged in the middle and flapping loosely at either end are found in the mouths of those sharing the services of the Body honesty and openness will never be witnessed among us.  Only when we work at accepting one another and work at openness and honesty and work at becoming transparent will we discover true freedom and true fellowship within the Body of Christ.

We are each responsible to endeavour to create an atmosphere within the Body of Christ which fosters acceptance of fellow Christians who struggle valiantly against sin.  We are responsible to accept those who struggle against sin without condemning them.  Those of the Faith are not perfect, though in His time God shall perfect each member of the Family of God.  We are even now working toward that common goal.  Amen.

The Responsibility of Christians to Love One Another — The brothers in Thessalonica were to be greeted with a holy kiss, indicating Paul’s affection for them and in turn their affection for him.  Christians are to be lovers.  We have received the love of God and in turn we love God.  Because we love God we love the brotherhood of believers.  In fact, the surest evidence that one is a Christian is that he or she loves fellow Christians.

Love in the Christian context is active and not passive.  Christian love focuses outward on the one loved. Christians love others freely, asking nothing in return.  The love which the world values is that which is focused inward and which makes us feel good.  We think of love as a warm, fuzzy feeling.  Christians are to love without asking anything in return, and their love is to be sacrificial.  Though we love those in the world (enough to confront them in their sin and insist that they submit to Christ as Lord), we especially love fellow Christians.  We dare confront them as those we love most deeply.

It is not without reason that John is known as the Apostle of Love.  His letters abound with admonitions for Christians to love.  One such poignant example is found in 1 John 3:11-15.  This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.  Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.  Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.  We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.  Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

In 1 John 3:23 he reminds us that the command of God is to love one another and this truth is promoted most vigorously in 1 John 4:7-12.  Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

This emphasis upon the responsibility to love is but an iteration of the command which Jesus gave and which John recorded in the Gospel which bears his name.  You will undoubtedly remember the command Jesus issued to all disciples in John 13:34,35 (and if you have never heard it you need to do so).  A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.  This command was to be repeated in even stronger fashion in just a short while as the Master continued with His preparation of His disciples for His passion and resurrection.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.  This is my command: Love each other [John 15:9-17].

This command is iterated in 1 Peter 4:8; Hebrews 13:1 and 1 Thessalonians 4:9].  Perhaps we would do well to look at each of these verses in their turn.  Peter commands, Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins [1 Peter 4:8]. The author of Hebrews urges us to Keep on loving each other as brothers [Hebrews 13:1].  Earlier, Paul had written the Thessalonians about their love for one another in these terms.  Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other [1 Thessalonians 4:9].

Love covers sin instead of deliberately exposing it.  We who are lovers of God and lovers of one another cannot rejoice when we see a fellow Christian falling into sin.  Instead, we are compelled by love to confront the one loved and demand that he or she honour God and that the sinning one accept the divine responsibility to live a godly life.  We do not coerce our loved one into godly behaviour, but we entreat her and loving call her to glorify Christ.  That individual who in arrogance refuses to submit to the loving confrontation of a fellow Christians demonstrates that he knows little of love, whatever his speech may say.  Just so, that individual who cravenly refuses to confront an errant brother or sister reveals that he or she knows little of love.  It is precisely because we are related by the blood of Christ that we love one another, for we have been taught by God Himself to love our fellow Christians.

The Responsibility of Christians to Invest in One Another — We must love one another.  The very fact that this must be stated confronts us in our sinful condition.  The love demanded is active and not passive.  This love is expressed through involvement in each other’s lives.  Therefore, it is mandatory that I remind you that we are responsible to invest ourselves in one another.  This means that we are not simply to feel love for one another, neither are we to simply say that we love one another, but it means that we are to love one another in such fashion that our love is revealed through our actions.

The Apostle of Love addressed this need when he wrote the words of 1 John 3:18: Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.  I suggest that much of what we call love would not be recognised as such by this Apostle of Love. We seek to avoid involvement with others; thus, we do not know how to love.  The words of John echo Peter’s commands to young believers who have only recently come into the Faith.  Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.  For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God [1 Peter 1:22,23].  By this criterion a number of the professed saints of God have a lot of growing to do before they can claim to be mature.

It is mandatory that we think how we may be involved in godly fashion in the lives of each other.  In order to discover how this may be done to the glory of God, I recommend that we appeal to the Word of God, reviewing the multiplied instances where we are charged with responsibility to one another.  To invest ourselves in one another is nothing less than demonstrating that we actually love one another.

Be devoted to one another … honour one another … live in harmony with one another [Romans 12:10,16].  These are commands given to assist us in spiritual growth.  This means that we do not merely overlook irritants or cover over sinful behaviour in our fellow Christians, but it rather means that we seek to resolve minor conflicts before they become major breaches in the fellowship of the saints.  This teaching demonstrates that we are responsible to seek the best for one another, and that forbids speaking ill of one another or permitting another to degrade our fellow Christian in our presence.

We are to accept one another [Romans 15:7] and to serve one another in love [Galatians 5:13].  This means that instead of endeavouring to change our fellow worshippers into what we think they should be we receive them as God presents them to us.  Perhaps we would do well to remember the challenge which Paul presented to all Christians.  Who makes you different from anyone else?  What do you have that you did not receive [1 Corinthians 4:7]?  Having received one another we are then obliged to serve one another in a spirit of love.  We humble ourselves to exalt our brothers and sisters.

As Christians we are to seek unity, each part of the Body having equal concern for each other [1 Corinthians 12:25].  This means that we willingly renounce all coercion and every effort at imposing our will on the assembly of God.  I will speak pointedly to this issue since it is a source of gravest sin among too many of churches of this day.  The church is not a democracy.  A majority does not make an issue right or good.  We are to be a theocracy, submitted to the will of God as revealed in the written Word of God.

This means that instead of being a “conservative” church we are responsible to be a biblical church.  This means that instead of ensuring that we stack the nominations with people sharing our particular view of things we seek to find those most capable of fulfilling the will of God.  This means that instead of trying to protect the work against change, we seek the mind of the Spirit so that we can honour God in all things.  This means that instead of bellyaching about how the pastor directs the church, we seek to speak with him in order to understand him.  Is this plain enough for you?

We are to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other [Ephesians 4:32; see also Colossians 3:13 and 1 Thessalonians 5:15].  Kindness does not mean ignoring error.  Compassion means that we recognise the weakness we each experience because of our human condition.  This is not a concession to that weakness, but it is recognition of and an expression of humility because we know that we are subject to the same frailty others may be experiencing.

It is necessary that I speak of forgiveness for a moment.  We do forgive one another, but when the one forgiven refuses to cease from wickedness we must confront.  If the errant one asks forgiveness and seeks to do right, we forgive.  Forgiveness is not forgetting.  Forgiveness is the giving of love before it is asked.  Forgiveness, to be effective, must be accepted.  We forgive the person and not the behaviour.

We must submit to one another out of reverence for Christ [Ephesians 5:21].  Christians are to demonstrate a submissive spirit toward one another.  Nowhere is this spirit of submission more mandatory than toward those appointed by God to positions of leadership.  This is the reason we are not a democracy.  The majority does not determine what honours God, but rather we are submitted to the Word of God, knowing that He has given to us a perfect revelation of that which honours Him.  The people of God are to be submissive to leadership in the church [cf. 1 Corinthians 16:15,16; Hebrews 13:17].  That submission to ordained leadership is demonstration that we are submitted to God Himself [cf. James 4:7].  Nevertheless, there must be a spirit of submission to one another.  To have such a submissive spirit honours Christ.  To fail to have a submissive spirit demonstrates that we do not revere Christ regardless of our protestations.

Christians are to be truthful with one another.  Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices [Colossians 3:9].  Lying is associated with the old self which was dead before God.  Now think with me on this point.  To refuse to confront a fellow Christian when you realise their behaviour is wrong is a form of lying. In order to avoid confrontation you convince yourself that an undisturbed relationship is preferable to the welfare of the errant one. You must not permit yourself to fall into that particular trap.  You are responsible to speak and to cease lying.

We are to encourage each other [1 Thessalonians 4:18; 5:11].  If you note the particular passages cited you will note that we are to direct one another’s gaze to the coming of Christ our Lord.  We are to be sensitive to one another, noting when a fellow child of God begins to be consumed with the concerns of this transient life.  We are to note when a fellow saint becomes so focused on the things of this life that he or she is no longer careful about the things of God.  Whenever we see such deviation from that which honours God we are to intervene to remind our fellow Christian that we are not living solely for this life.  We are to lift their gaze to the coming Lord of Glory.

Honestly, now, when did you last speak with another about the Blessed Hope?  When did you last encourage a fellow Christian by speaking of your longing for Heaven, or by speaking of the glories of Christ at His return, or by speaking of the joy you anticipate when you are again united with loved ones gone before?  You see, we are responsible to encourage one another.  In that context, think of this passage.

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching [Hebrews 10:24,25].  Part of that encouragement we are responsible to give is through participation in the worship of the congregation.  Your presence is more than a pew filled.  Your presence is a source of encouragement to another.  Through your participation in the worship you are honouring God because you encourage others to live with their hearts turning toward home.

We must avoid grumbling against each other, instead confessing our sins to each other.  Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!…  Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed [James 5:9, 16].  When you pick up the phone to complain about the way the church is heading, you are sinning against the Lord because you are grumbling against your fellow Christians.  As a grumbler you shall be judged, but I would spare you that judgement.  Instead, you need to confess your sins to each other and pray for each other. You who are experts at grumbling, have you prayed for those you complain about?  It is amazing how they change when you pray for them.

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another [1 Peter 5:5].  We must clothe ourselves in humility toward one another.  You see, if we were humble toward one another we wouldn’t think that we had all the answers.  The grumbler would cease grumbling because she would instead be humble toward her fellow saints.  We would each be encouragers of one another.  We would be submissive and kind and compassionate.  Every one of these commands would be fulfilled if we clothed ourselves with humility toward one another.

My plea is that we each accept the challenge to be a people reflecting the presence of the True and Living God.  My prayer is that we accept this challenge by determining that we will be a true fellowship of Christ.  I plead with my fellow Christians to love one another with genuine love, daring to invest yourselves in one another to the glory of God.  Amen.


Christians are not supposed to be remote from one another.  We are to know one another.  We are to practise koinwniva.  Let me speak to this issue for a brief moment.  The manner in which I will speak to this point is to appeal to Scripture itself.  Remember that the church is known as the fellowship [Acts 2:42].  The reason for this is that the members of the Body are responsible to share their lives in an intimate fashion.  As the churches of Macedonia and Achaia responded to the need to relieve the suffering of the impoverished saints in Jerusalem during a time of famine, their contribution was seen as a fellowship [cf. Greek Romans 15:26; see also 2 Corinthians 8:4 and 9:13 and Hebrews 13:16].

We are called into fellowship with Christ Jesus [1 Corinthians 1:9].  Whenever we observe the ordinance of the Lord’s Table we fellowship in the blood and in the body of Christ [see Greek 1 Corinthians 10:16].  As Christians we can have no fellowship with darkness [2 Corinthians 6:14].  Instead, together with all the saints of God we are called to enjoy the fellowship of the Holy Spirit [2 Corinthians 13:14 and Philippians 2:1].  A neglected teaching is that we are privileged to know the fellowship of sharing in the sufferings of Christ, becoming like Him in His death [Philippians 3:10].  As we believe the message of Christ we fellowship with God the Father and with the Son of God together with the Apostles [1 John 1:3].  As we walk in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin [1 John 1:7].


Be devoted to one another … honour one another … live in harmony with one another [Romans 12:10,16].  These are commands given to assist us in spiritual growth.  This means that we do not merely overlook irritants or cover over sinful behaviour in our fellow Christians, but it rather means that we seek to resolve minor conflicts before they become major breaches in the fellowship of the saints.  This teaching demonstrates that we are responsible to seek the best for one another, and that forbids speaking ill of one another or permitting another to degrade our fellow Christian in our presence.

We are to accept one another [Romans 15:7] and to serve one another in love [Galatians 5:13].  This means that instead of endeavouring to change our fellow worshippers into what we think they should be we receive them as God presents them to us.  Perhaps we would do well to remember the challenge which Paul presented to all Christians.  Who makes you different from anyone else?  What do you have that you did not receive [1 Corinthians 4:7]?  Having received one another we are then obliged to serve one another in a spirit of love.  We humble ourselves to exalt our brothers and sisters.

As Christians we are to seek unity, each part of the Body having equal concern for each other [1 Corinthians 12:25].  This means that we willingly renounce all coercion and every effort at imposing our will on the assembly of God.  I will speak pointedly to this issue since it is a source of gravest sin among too many of churches of this day.  The church is not a democracy.  A majority does not make an issue right or good.  We are to be a theocracy, submitted to the will of God as revealed in the written Word of God.

This means that instead of being a “conservative” church we are responsible to be a biblical church.  This means that instead of ensuring that we stack the nominations with people sharing our particular view of things we seek to find those most capable of fulfilling the will of God.  This means that instead of trying to protect the work against change, we seek the mind of the Spirit so that we can honour God in all things.  This means that instead of bellyaching about how the pastor directs the church, we seek to speak with him in order to understand him.  Is this plain enough for you?

We are to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other [Ephesians 4:32; see also Colossians 3:13 and 1 Thessalonians 5:15].  Kindness does not mean ignoring error.  Compassion means that we recognise the weakness we each experience because of our human condition.  This is not a concession to that weakness, but it is recognition of and an expression of humility because we know that we are subject to the same frailty others may be experiencing.

It is necessary that I speak of forgiveness for a moment.  We do forgive one another, but when the one forgiven refuses to cease from wickedness we must confront.  If the errant one asks forgiveness and seeks to do right, we forgive.  Forgiveness is not forgetting.  Forgiveness is the giving of love before it is asked.  Forgiveness, to be effective, must be accepted.  We forgive the person and not the behaviour.


We must submit to one another out of reverence for Christ [Ephesians 5:21].  Christians are to demonstrate a submissive spirit toward one another.  Nowhere is this spirit of submission more mandatory than toward those appointed by God to positions of leadership.  This is the reason we are not a democracy.  The majority does not determine what honours God, but rather we are submitted to the Word of God, knowing that He has given to us a perfect revelation of that which honours Him.  The people of God are to be submissive to leadership in the church [cf. 1 Corinthians 16:15,16; Hebrews 13:17].  That submission to ordained leadership is demonstration that we are submitted to God Himself [cf. James 4:7].  Nevertheless, there must be a spirit of submission to one another.  To have such a submissive spirit honours Christ.  To fail to have a submissive spirit demonstrates that we do not revere Christ regardless of our protestations.

Christians are to be truthful with one another.  Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices [Colossians 3:9].  Lying is associated with the old self which was dead before God.  Now think with me on this point.  To refuse to confront a fellow Christian when you realise their behaviour is wrong is a form of lying. In order to avoid confrontation you convince yourself that an undisturbed relationship is preferable to the welfare of the errant one. You must not permit yourself to fall into that particular trap.  You are responsible to speak and to cease lying.

We are to encourage each other [1 Thessalonians 4:18; 5:11].  If you note the particular passages cited you will note that we are to direct one another’s gaze to the coming of Christ our Lord.  We are to be sensitive to one another, noting when a fellow child of God begins to be consumed with the concerns of this transient life.  We are to note when a fellow saint becomes so focused on the things of this life that he or she is no longer careful about the things of God.  Whenever we see such deviation from that which honours God we are to intervene to remind our fellow Christian that we are not living solely for this life.  We are to lift their gaze to the coming Lord of Glory.

Honestly, now, when did you last speak with another about the Blessed Hope?  When did you last encourage a fellow Christian by speaking of your longing for Heaven, or by speaking of the glories of Christ at His return, or by speaking of the joy you anticipate when you are again united with loved ones gone before?  You see, we are responsible to encourage one another.  In that context, think of this passage.

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching [Hebrews 10:24,25].  Part of that encouragement we are responsible to give is through participation in the worship of the congregation.  Your presence is more than a pew filled.  Your presence is a source of encouragement to another.  Through your participation in the worship you are honouring God because you encourage others to live with their hearts turning toward home.


We must avoid grumbling against each other, instead confessing our sins to each other.  Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!…  Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed [James 5:9, 16].  When you pick up the phone to complain about the way the church is heading, you are sinning against the Lord because you are grumbling against your fellow Christians.  As a grumbler you shall be judged, but I would spare you that judgement.  Instead, you need to confess your sins to each other and pray for each other. You who are experts at grumbling, have you prayed for those you complain about?  It is amazing how they change when you pray for them.

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another [1 Peter 5:5].  We must clothe ourselves in humility toward one another.  You see, if we were humble toward one another we wouldn’t think that we had all the answers.  The grumbler would cease grumbling because she would instead be humble toward her fellow saints.  We would each be encouragers of one another.  We would be submissive and kind and compassionate.  Every one of these commands would be fulfilled if we clothed ourselves with humility toward one another.

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