One of the ways that a church can continue to be healthy, happy, and strong is by the individual members serving one another. In Galatians 5:13, NLT we read —
“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But do not use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”
The New Testament word for “one another” is allelon. It is used over sixty times in the New Testament to describe how we, as Christians, are to function in a corporate sense.
Gene Getz, in his book “Serving One Another” says, “Personal renewal will not happen, as God intended it unless it happens in the context of corporate renewal. On the other hand, corporate renewal will not happen as God intended without personal renewal. Both are necessary.”
This is the concept the Apostle Paul had in mind when he wrote to the Church in Corinth and said, “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So, it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized (by the Holy Spirit) into one body by the Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit …” 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, NLT
Earlier in the chapter, he talks about spiritual gifts. “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” 1 Cor. 12:4-7 NLT
The church is renewed when every believer in the church is using their spiritual gift to serve the other members of the church and that person is renewed as the church is renewed.
Let me now get personal. In what way are you serving in Jubilee? You might say, “I have many health problems and just can’t serve the rest of the body. “Really, can you pray? Could you make phone calls to the other members of the church to see how they are doing? Could you write a note of encouragement to someone who is struggling? Could you prepare a meal for someone who is sick? Just this morning, one of our homebound ladies asked if folks would make telephone calls to her. Folks, there are limitless ways in which we can serve one another and keep the church healthy and remain in good health ourselves. Perhaps you could help those who need a ride to their doctor, etc.
Many years ago, when I was in Romania, our guide took us to the home of a godly Christian woman who had been bedfast for over forty years. She wasn’t able to go to church because of her condition. I learned that the evangelist’s made it a point to come to her tiny apartment just to have her pray for them. When we entered her apartment, the presence of the LORD was so strong that I felt like we were standing on holy ground.
On that same trip, I was invited to the home of a wonderful Christian engineer and his family. I learned that a number of years earlier he had shared the LORD with someone at work. He was reported and the government stamped his employment book “Not Employable.” He lost his job and had not been able to get another. I asked how he was able to provide for his family and his eyes got really bright — “Brother, I have not been employable for over seven years, but day after day, someone from the church would drop by with a kettle of soup or a loaf of bread or vegetables. Someone would come by with some work for me to do for them. We have not missed a meal in seven years.”
It is God’s plan that the church should impact the world by the way the members serve one another. How are you being refreshed if you are not actively serving others? How can you be refreshed if you are not regularly meeting with fellow believers?
Maybe you are thinking — “Pastor Leonard is on a rampage today. I wonder what is driving him?” The darkness in our nation and the world is getting darker and more oppressive every day. I am a pastor who is a shepherd and the shepherd is to take care of his sheep. I care about you and my goal is to help you be courageous and bold in these days. God designed the church for the members to be dependent on each other. We are not to act independently but rather there is to be an interdependence.
If you are a born-again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit has endowed you with one or more spiritual gifts that are to be exercised in the way you serve others. Why would you want to withhold your gifts from others? Why would you not want to receive the blessing from the spiritual gifts of others?
With all my heart, I pray that you will allow this meditation to encourage and enrich your soul as you serve others for the glory of our wonderful Lord.
Pastor Leonard
