Christian Living

WE NEED EACH OTHER

by paul hoffmaster
02/17/19
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I love to talk about the Lord, especially with other Believers.  To move beyond clichés and memorized rhetoric to spontaneous sharing is refreshing and renewing.  Many of the exchanges between Christians are shallow and rehearsed.  When is the last time we shared truths that we discovered from our daily study of the Word?  Spiritual edification is acquired through revelation from both a vertical as well as a horizontal experience.  When the Holy Spirit reveals truth through the opening of the Bible, it is like getting a B12 shot; while receiving shared truth from another Believer, is like having an energy drink.  Scriptural and spiritual encouragement is a vital part of Spiritual growth. (Romans 1:12)  When people share with me what God is doing in their life, it adds to the building of my faith; and I would hope my contribution to their faith would also be productive.  I realize that much of the positive faith sharing is done in a corporate setting (church), but what about the rest of the week?  Whenever one receives the sowed Word, one should help spread that seed to the fields of other Believers, and in so doing, we all will experience the production of spiritual fruit.

So much of our Christian interaction with other Believers outside of the church, is usually void of spiritual matters.  Fellowship is important and I would encourage people to pursue social activities, but there should also be opportunities for spiritual interaction.  It seems there is a growing number of Christians that are experiencing a less than vibrant faith walk.  Usually, this is a result of a preoccupation with the negatives in life.  Why are we so concerned with what the world says and so placid when it comes to God’s Word?  Why are we more concerned with what a politician says than what God says?  Why are we so interested in exposing the ills of the worldly, rather than offering the “spiritual medicine” that can cure the disease of sinfulness? (Proverbs 4:20-22)  “News” addiction takes away from Bible attention.  It is very difficult to wean off media propaganda, but very easy to neglect the Word!  Believers need to guard their flood gates from the endless anti-Christian ranting of the world.  Negative input not only hinders spiritual output, but can both directly and indirectly affect our witness.

Christians need to fellowship outside of church related activities.  We need each other for encouragement and support as we face the challenges of the upcoming week.  Inside our places of worship, we are sheltered from the winds of conflict, but once we step away from our mortared buildings, faith challenging reality faces us.  The rip tide of evil tries to pull us away from the shores of Truth.  This is the time we need each other, a time to bolster each other’s faith.  It is a time to remind one another of the preaching and teaching we have received.

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…” (Hebrews 10:25) is used to promote communal worship, but it can also be applied to fellowshipping outside the church.  The purpose of interaction is to “stir up love and good works,” as well as “exhorting one another.” (Hebrews 10:24, 25)  It is vital to the spiritual health of the Believer to interrelate with other Christians.  If there is no interaction with others, Satan will bring discouragement and challenges to our faith.  We need each other!