About a decade ago, a company in Tokyo launched a new business venture — a 24-hour convenience store run entirely by robots — no managers, no clerks, no humans at all on the premises. The idea was that people didn’t want to have to deal with grumpy, tired clerks, so why not remove them from the equation?
A nearby competitor of the new RoboShop 24 was not concerned — “People are not used to having no people around.”
She was pretty astute — though the business is still around, it has not expanded the way the owners had anticipated and hoped. Shoppers still want to be able to talk to a human being when there is a question or problem.
Businesses still need people — both as employees and customers. And churches still need people too.
A successful church is successful because of the cumulative work of godly people working together for the glory of God. In a word, we need one another.
This is part of the point of Paul in Ephesians 4 — we are all individually united into one singular body of Christ designed to honor and live for Christ. The idea of living for one another is common in Paul’s letters. Some 60 times in the NT (about 2/3 by Paul) the words “one another” or “each other” are to denote the responsibilities of followers of Christ and the church. Notice how these words are used —
- Only six of the references are in a negative form, prohibiting some form of activity.
- Nineteen (nearly one-third!) of the references directly command believers to “love one another” (John 13:34-35; 15:12, 17; Rom. 13:8; 1 Thess. 3:12; 4:9; 2 Thess. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:22; 4:8; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11-12; 2 John 5). Many others also imply the principle of love.
- Among the other primary topics covered by these principles are:
- Live peaceably with one another (Mark 9:50; Rom. 14:19; 1 Thess. 5:13)
- Participate in the membership of the body (Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:25; Eph. 4:25)
- Build up (edify) one another (Rom. 14:19; 1 Thess. 5:11)
- Be devoted to one another (Rom. 12:10)
- Honor one another (Phil. 2:3)
- Be of the same mind (united) with one another (Rom. 12:16; 15:5)
- Accept one another (Rom. 15:7)
- Be patient with one another (Eph. 4:2)
- Greet one another (Rom. 6:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Pet. 5:14)
- Forgive one another (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13; James 5:16)
- Serve one another (John 13:14; 1 Cor. 11:33; Gal. 5:13; Eph. 5:21; 1 Thess. 5:15; 1 Pet. 4:9-10; 5:5)
- Pray for one another (Js. 5:16)
- Bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2)
- Submit to one another (Eph. 5:21)
- Admonish and encourage one another (Rom. 1:12; 15:14; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; 1 Thess. 4:18; 5:11; Heb. 3:13; Heb. 10:24-25)
- Do not judge one another (Rom. 14:13)
- Do not envy one another (Gal. 5:15, 26)
- Do not lie to one another (Col. 3:9)
- Do not speak (complain) against one other (Js. 4:11; 5:9)
We need each other. And God has graced us with the ability and gifting to serve one another so that His purposes can be accomplished in our lives individually and in the church as a single organism.
Words of Grace 