Category H: Community & Church Life

Living Together as the Body

You can't follow Jesus alone. The "one another" commands require community.

1. Church Discipline: Restore Your Brother

"If your brother sins, go and show him his fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector."

— Matthew 18:15–17 (NET)

This is the biblical process for addressing sin in the church.

• Step 1: Go privately. Just you and the person.
• Step 2: If they don't listen, bring one or two others.
• Step 3: If they still don't listen, bring it to the church.
• Step 4: If they refuse to repent, treat them as an unbeliever (remove them from membership, stop treating them as a believer in good standing).

Why?

1. To restore the person (Galatians 6:1 — "restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness")
2. To protect the church (1 Corinthians 5:6 — "a little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise")
3. To demonstrate the seriousness of sin

Application: Is there a brother or sister in sin? Follow the process. Don't gossip. Don't ignore it. Follow Matthew 18.

2. Forgive One Another

"…bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others."

— Colossians 3:13 (NET)

"…be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you."

— Ephesians 4:32 (NET)

We covered this in Category A, but it bears repeating here: Unforgiveness destroys community. If you hold grudges, the body fractures.

Application: Forgive. Quickly. Fully. As you've been forgiven.

3. Love One Another

"I give you a new commandment — to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples — if you have love for one another."

— John 13:34–35 (NET)

The world will know you're Christians by your love — not by your theology (though that matters), not by your programs (though those can help), but by your love for each other.

Application: How are you doing at loving other believers? Specifically, sacrificially, practically?

4. Receive Little Children

"Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me."

— Matthew 18:5 (NET)

"But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, 'Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.'"

— Mark 10:14–15 (NET)

Two commands here:

1. Welcome children. Don't despise them. Don't treat them as interruptions. They matter to Jesus.
2. Become like a child. Humble. Dependent. Trusting. That's how you enter the kingdom.

Application:

• If you're a parent: Disciple your children. They're not an inconvenience. They're a mission field.
• If you're in church leadership: Make your church welcoming to children.
• Everyone: Are you approaching God with childlike faith, or with prideful self-sufficiency?

5. Bear One Another's Burdens

"Carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

— Galatians 6:2 (NET)

You're not meant to carry your struggles alone.

"So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed."

— James 5:16 (NET)

Application: Are you in community where you can confess sin, share burdens, and receive prayer? If not, find it or create it.