Sermon Tone Analysis

One Anothers

Various   |   Shaun LePage   |   August 20, 2006

 

 

I.

Introduction

A.   This morning, I want to take a break from the Sermon on the Mount (we’ll come back to it next week if the Lord wills).

It’ll be obvious why later, but for now let me begin today with a very profound question: Is Christianity more like golf or football?

Someone might say, “Golf because Christianity is like walking through life and it helps you deal with one problem after another until finally you arrive at that great club house in the sky.”

But I think Christianity is more like football.

Don’t overanalyze my metaphor too much here.

I think Christianity is like football because success—as a football team—requires great teamwork.

Golf is an individual’s sport.

It’s just you against the world.

A golfer can be successful without depending on anyone else.

But no football player can have success by himself.

For a football player to be successful, he has to be part of a dedicated team of guys who know what success is and are willing to do their job to help get the team across the goal line.

B.    For a Christian to be successful (for lack of a better word), he or she has to be part of a dedicated fellowship of believers who know what success is and are willing to do their job to help get the church across the goal line.

Success for a church is maturity.

A healthy church is a church that is growing in maturity.

Not necessarily growing in numbers, but growing up.

This is why most of the New Testament books were written to churches—calling the church to maturity in Christ.

One of the most obvious examples of this is found in the long list of “one another” commands.

C.   Before we look at that list, I want to give you a little of your own history.

If you’re a member of Community Bible Church, you’re part of what is often referred to as the modern day Bible Church movement.

1.     Early in the 20th century, almost all Christians were part of a mainline denomination.

But a great division was taking place at that time between the liberals and the fundamentalists.

If I may say it this simply, the liberals were those who didn’t believe the Bible.

The fundamentalists were those who did.

The fundamentalists believed in a literal or plain interpretation of the Bible.

They believed every word of it was true and valuable.

The liberals wanted to throw out the parts they didn’t like.

During that time Bible conferences and Bible institutes—such as BIOLA (Bible Institute of Los Angeles) sprang up as fundamentalists began leaving the mainline denominations.

This is probably an oversimplification of things, but this is basically where Bible churches were born.

Of course, all Biblical churches were born at Pentecost in the first century.

But I’m referring to the modern Bible Church movement.

The primary motivation behind this movement was proclamation—a focus on declaring the Biblical message.

2.     This church—Community Bible Church—and the church I was a part of in Texas for the past 14 years, and more than 350 others are closely connected with something that happened at Dallas Theological Seminary in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.

Gene Getz was a professor at Dallas Seminary and describes what happened in the Introduction of his book, /Building Up One Another/.

[Read pages 7-9.]

Dr. Getz simply detected a shortcoming of the Bible Church movement.

Those churches had been established to proclaim the Biblical message at a time when that was desperately needed.

But the shortcoming for most of these Bible churches was a lack of emphasis on fellowship—true, Biblical “body life.”

3.     At the same time out in California, Ray Stedman, another Dallas Seminary graduate and pastor of Peninsula Bible Church, was exploring a similar emphasis in that congregation.

He published a book in the early 1970’s called /Body Life/.

4.     God used both these men and their books to influence many pastors.

Many churches were planted as a result—including Community Bible Church of Lawrence, Kansas.

This is your history—and mine.

I think this history is very important because my hope and prayer for CBC is that we would hang onto our roots.

That we would strike that healthy balance by boldly and accurately declaring the Biblical message while we diligently build Biblical fellowship.

That’s a healthy church.

Those are our roots.

5.

Over the next few months we’re going to turn our focus to the issue of Biblical fellowship by studying the One Another’s together in our Community Groups.

Today, I want to introduce this subject.

II.

Body

A.   Commands.

I went through the New Testament this week and found every “one-another” directed at the church.

Every instance where a “one-another” was used to describe what the church should be and do.

I found well over 50 examples.

I want to read this list for you.

Yes, it’s long, but I believe there is great value in looking at and listening to this list.

I will make some observations when I’m done, but this list all by itself communicates a stronger message than I could ever preach.

1.     Mark 9:50—be at peace with one another

2.     John 13:14—wash one another’s feet

3.     John 13:34—love one another

4.     John 13:35—love one another

5.     John 15:12—love one another

6.

John 15:17—love one another

7.     Romans 12:5—you are members of one another

8.     Romans 12:10—be devoted to one another in brotherly love

9.     Romans 12:16—be of the same mind toward one another

10.

Romans 13:8—love one another

11.

Romans 14:13—let us not judge one another

12. Romans 14:19—build up one another

13.

Romans 15:5—be of the same mind with one another

14.

Romans 15:7—accept one another

15.

Romans 15:14—admonish one another

16.

Romans 16:16—greet one another with a holy kiss

17. 1 Corinthians 11:33—wait for one another (fellowship meals)

18. 1 Corinthians 12:25—care for one another

19. 1 Corinthians 16:20—greet one another with a holy kiss

20. 2 Corinthians 13:12—greet one another with a holy kiss

21.

Galatians 5:13—through love serve one another

22.

Galatians 5:15—if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another

23.

Galatians 5:26—Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

24.

Galatians 6:2—bear one another’s burdens

25.

Ephesians 4:2—show tolerance for one another

26.

Ephesians 4:25—Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one /of you /with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

27.

Ephesians 4:32—Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

28.

Ephesians 5:19—speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs

29.

Ephesians 5:21—be subject to one another

30.

Philippians 2:3—regard one another as more important than yourselves

31.

Colossians 3:9—do not lie to one another

32.

Colossians 3:13—bear with one another and forgive one another

33.

Colossians 3:16—teach and admonish one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs

34.  1 Thessalonians 5:11—encourage one another and build up one another

35. 1 Thessalonians 5:13—live in peace with one another

36. 1 Thessalonians 5:15—seek after that which is good for one another

37. Hebrews 3:3—encourage one another

38.

Hebrews 10:24—stimulate one another to love and good deeds

39.

Hebrews 10:25—(not forsaking assembling) encouraging one another