Ever wonder why there are so many “one another” phrases in the epistles? Like love one another, encourage one another, pray for one another, greet one another, serve one another, honor one another, be devoted to one another…and so on.
These were written at a time when the Holy Spirit was moving powerfully. These apostles and believers, many of whom had met Christ, were doing wonderful things, doing miracles, preaching powerfully, baptizing many into the faith, resisting dejection while facing imprisonment and beatings. Christ is all we need, right? And they were really close to the the most awesome time in history—His Story.
Yet they needed each other.
Does this mean they failed in their faith? Does this mean God let them down?
Au contraire, mon ami! They were living in the Kingdom of God. They were fellow citizens and children of God. They were living out in a way that showed the fruit of the Spirit. You know the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. Those character traits that allow you to live in community. And community is what’s found in the Kingdom: community with Him as King, Mayor, and Neighborhood Sage rocking on His heavenly porch being the role model for everyone young and old.
Needing others is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength in numbers. We cannot be in the Kingdom if we live as a hermit, or go fishing on the lake by ourselves on Sunday morning. The Kingdom is lived in the grit of life: the high-pressure, low-paying job; the family conflict; the cranky neighbor; the municipal zoning commission or landlord that won’t let us put up a shed… It’s why we need others to encourage us, serve us, pray for us…
And it’s why we are needed to this for others…in the Kingdom.
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