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Fellowship
Over
fifty times in the New Testament the phrase one another or each
other is used. We are commanded to love
each other, pray for each other, encourage
each other, admonish each other, greet
each other, serve each other, teach
each other, accept each other, honor
each other, hear each others burdens,
forgive each other, submit
to each other, be devoted to each other, and
many other mutual tasks. This is biblical membership!
These are your family responsibilities that God expects you to
fulfill through a local fellowship. Who are you doing these
with?
It may seem easier to be holy when no one else is
around to frustrate your preferences, but that is a false,
untested holiness. Isolation breeds deceitfulness; it is
easy to fool ourselves into thinking we are mature if there is no
one to challenge us. Real maturity shows up in
relationships.
We need more than the Bible in order to
grow; we need other believers. We grow faster and stronger
by learning from each other and being accountable to each other.
When others share what God is teaching them, we learn and grow,
too.
A church family will help keep you from
backsliding.
Satan loves detached believers, unplugged
from the life of the Body, isolated from Gods family, and
unaccountable to spiritual leaders, because he knows they are
defenseless and powerless against his tactics.
God wants
to see you grow and mature. He loves you and wants to see
you become like His son, Jesus Christ.
Do you have a
church family? Are you an active member of a thriving small
group or Sunday School class?
Remember, God only wants the
best for you!!
July
2007 Updated August 1, 2011
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