"Fellowship of Christians"

“A Call for Brotherly Love ”

A simple but Great thing to do!

A new commandment I give you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:34

I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. Romans 15:14

Therefore, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor.

Ephesians 4:25

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galatians 5:13

I often think about spiritual leadership and define it as “knowing where God wants people to be and taking the initiative to get them there by God’s means in reliance on God’s power.” I suggested that the way we find out where God wants people to be is to ask where God Himself is going. The answer, I think, is that God loves His glory and that He aims to increase His glory in all He does. So, my goal with the help of the spirit is to rally people to join God in living for God’s glory through Christian brotherly love, “relationships”.

Have you ever watched or noticed people walking in to an elevator talking, but once they enter they stop talking? Strange things go on in elevators. Years ago, at the old Bronco stadium, Mile High, my wife and I were about to step on an elevator. The door slid open the thing was full of people who gave us/me that, Big guy look”, hey you aren’t goanna try to get in are you? Look. But we did. As I stepped in there it seemed to not be enough room to turn around. As the door shut behind me, I gave them my big sugar bear smile and said loudly, “I have a big heart too.” Everyone laughed, smiled and began to talk.

In many ways that elevator is a microcosm of our world today: a large, impersonal body where mystery, seclusion, and freedom are the uniform of the day. It shows us that people can be surrounded by other people in a crowded setting, and not experience community. We can be a part of a company, a club, or a church and not feel we belong or are accepted. We can share a car pool, an office, and even a home and not have significant relationships.

I would like for you today to think about a call to smallness even in a large church sitting, as we so often deal with the size of a church. I say call because I believe it is something God is calling us to not add another program but as a way of life, as part of our being as a church. God is calling us to this smallness because community as described in the NT is a life of real, authentic, and growing relationships. To me it does not happen on Sunday mornings, or in Sunday school or even in our times of prayer together. It does not and cannot happen in large community meetings.  But it happens in small groups. We can only encourage one another and take on one another burdens in small groups where we can get to know each other and share our lives. But this is not the only purpose of encouraging relationships, the second is toward radical acts of love.

I imagine all kinds of groups for all kinds of people. Students meeting at lunch modeling prayer and strategize to win classmates for christ. Moms meeting at the church on Wednesdays, Working men and moms meet at night; retired folks dreaming about life and mission and singles having a place to build encouraging relationships. Sometimes I think we are so indifferent about small groups and relationships because we may not see ourselves as soldiers in war. Maybe we see ourselves as on a vacation just sightseeing and not having the appetite for spiritual passion as the norm but fleshly complaining because we settle for what we see instead of expecting, wanting, desiring more for the Kingdom of God. I often think of this as not being in the movie for Jesus but in the theater audience!

That was not the case with Paul, the apostle. He was born in Tarsus, educated in Jerusalem, lived in Damascus, spent formative time in the desert, moved to Antioch, and that was only the beginning. Professionally, he ventured out from Antioch on three extensive missionary campaigns, traveling from city to city. Yet wherever he went he established a band of people who huddled together in supportive and encouraging community.

How was he able to create significant relationships? First Thessalonians, one of Paul's most personal letters, identifies some of the key components for establishing and maintaining community.

Just as a child needs a mother we need each other. In another letter, Paul identified this need to belong, "So the eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" nor again the head to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, all the more, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary" (1 Cor. 12:20-22). This need for others is rooted deep within our souls.

God planned it that way. That's why God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone" (Gen. 2:18).

This need for others is God-given and deeply rooted in our lives. Abraham Maslow, a nonbeliever, reinforced God's original design and planned through his well-known theory of the hierarchy of needs. Maslow believed that one could learn as much by studying healthy, well-adjusted people as one could by studying those with problems. His conclusion was that each of us has various levels of need. As we satisfy one level, we then move up to the next level.

Do not take relationships lightly. To survive in a cold and cruel world requires deep relationships. But those relationships do not just happen, they require effort. We have to do more than just reach out to others, we have to share our lives with others as well.

By reaching out I mean personal, I do not mean a sense of functional. You have a functional relationship with your doctor or your mechanic without it being personal at all. I mean that the atmosphere be so real and authentic that these kinds of relationships form easily and are prized and nurtured that everyone does not stands alone.

This truth was one of the secrets of Paul's establishment of supportive relationships. "We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us" (1 Thes. 2:8). Here was a man that every time he wrote to a church, he would always call by name two, three, or four people that were very close to him. He had developed significant relationships with these people.

Found in these verses are three words - rhyming words - that form the basis for developing relationship which pass the test of time.

Care - "as a nursing mother nurtures her own children" (v. 7). Remember people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Share - "we were pleased to share with you . . . our own lives" (v. 8). The word picture of "sharing our lives" continues the mothering idea and paints a picture of a mother nursing her young. A mother cannot nurse her children without sharing a part of herself with her child. For us to share with others in deep relationship necessitates that we get up close and personal with another. One cannot share at a distance.

To me this word I often use to describe “relationships” as a deepening. That is, we do not stay at the level of superficiality,” knowing a few personal things about people and not diving in deeper with people. We cannot go deep with everyone but the command in Gal 6:2 implies something deeper than being a waving neighbor or a passing hey, how are you doing? I say deepening because relationships are always in process. They are not static and they take time. I want to develop a culture where authentic and deepening relationships are encouraged rather than being superficial.

Paul loved these people. And when we love others we do not treat them as a means to an end, but rather as individuals of value. To communicate our love with others we must dare to talk about our affections. We must learn the gestures of love - a hug, a handshake, roughhousing, as well as, many acts of kindness. May we never forget that love is something you do, not just something you say. That means God is calling us to be supportive. This is where love comes in. It means having a heart to lighten people loads as we get to know them.

It is not enough to admit we need each other, or say, "Oh, a few friends would be nice." We must commit ourselves to getting beneath the surface talk and become interested and accountable to each other. Authenticity occurs when the masks come off, conversations get deep, hearts get vulnerable, lives are shared, accountability is invited, and tenderness flows. Believers in the body of Christ become brothers and sisters.

I once read a story by Gene Stallings, former head football coach at Alabama. He was an assistant under Bear Bryant a Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter was started there. Stallings was the first assistant to attend the meetings. Bryant was somewhat bewildered. After Stallings had taken the head coaching position at Texas A&M, he received a call from Bryant, "Stallings, you know what is the worst thing that has happened to our football team? It's the FCA. Those players are doing nothing but hugging on one another, loving on one another, and they won't hit anybody." Bryant left Stallings to ponder those assorted Bear facts.

After the season, which turned out to be one of the best that Bryant ever had, the Bear called Stallings again. "Stallings, you know what is the best thing that has happened to our football team? It's the FCA. It has brought such a oneness and closeness to our team. We were unified because of the influence it had on our squad."

What happened for the University of Alabama football team, what happened in the elevator with those strangers can happen anywhere. People need each other. We need to take off our masks, admit our need for each other, cultivate relationships, and strive for authenticity.

Finally, it is worth noting Martin Buber words, "Sin is our failure to grant another his plea for community." May we never be guilty of committing that sin as we build authentic relationships. Which means to me that is why God designed us for relationships so we would help each other live by faith. Faith means, “being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus.” So, all Christian relationships have this as their goal: to help each other stay satisfied in God.

God, Bless You and God Bless this Ministry!