Communion With the Christ:: One Another, One Another

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples,

if you love one another.” "Jhn: 13:35

I borrowed a little book of my son David which he had when he was very young which had short stories from many countries around the world. In one such story from China it tells of a man who gets a glimpse of Hell. Then he sees Heaven. What he sees in Hell is people sitting around tables with seven-foot-long chops sticks, the sticks are so long that they cannot feed them self, therefore they were suffering terribly. Heaven looked the same, even to having the seven-foot chop sticks, however, every one there was happy. The one thing that was different, was that the people in Heaven were feeding one another rather than trying to feed them self. They were all happy.

There is a great and profound lesson for the Church today. This lesson is how are we feed and help “One Another”.

The people in the story that were in Heaven were happy as they helped one another, those who desire to help only themselves were angry frustrated and miserable.

For One Another

God has placed each of us in the Body of Christ to help one another, to build one another up and to help each grow in the Christian life and to serve our Lord Jesus.

The Bible says a lot about all of our responsibilities for and to one another.

St. Paul writing to the Christians in Corinth Greece two thousand years ago, but he writes to all Christians in whatever age they live about our responsibility for one another.

St. Paul tells us that we are all a part of the same body and the esteem which we should view one another with.

“But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”1Cor:12:18-27

This means that, we are to look upon one another with the same concern which we look upon ourselves, that is, we should not think of one another as being separate persons in the way which we would normally think of it.

This is what Jesus was praying about for all, in his High Priestly prayer just before his arrest in the garden. Jesus prayed that our mutual recognition of one another would be so deep and binding that it would reflect he and his Fathers’ true” oneness” of the Holy Trinity.

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Jhn: 17:22-23

It is understood that the “oneness” of the Trinity is unique to God alone, but our relationship with one another should reflect that “oneness” of God here upon the Earth.

It is also important that we as many persons, can be one because the Trinity of God is one. It is also important to keep in mind that this mutual “oneness” which the Church is to experiences can only be ours’ because of and in Jesus alone. We cannot find or produce it apart from Jesus.

St. Paul, again speaks to us to understand that we all have a part in the edification of one another as we are moved by Jesus who is the true head of the corporate body of Christ, which is the Church.

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”Eph: 4:16

St. Paul is telling us that we all have our unique place and participation within the greater body of the Church and this participation is to edify one another and build one another up and to spur spiritual maturity, all so that Jesus is glorified.

The “One Another” List

As we read through the Holy Bible, we can find over twenty-five “one another” admonishments listed of Scriptures, which is a list of how to relate with, to and what we are to do for one another.

This is not accidental; the Holy Spirit is telling us how we are to reflect “oneness” which Jesus prayed that we, his people are to experience. This list of “one another” admonishments are not legislated commands but rather, are relational in essence and are born out of our union with “one another” all through Jesus and produced out of the love God transforming each and all, of us, and as we “one another one another” our God then is glorified.

Jhn: 13:34-35- love one another, as Christ loved us

Here is how Christians, and by extension all humanity, should “one another one another”, and keep in mind, this is not a complete list of “one another”. We ,when our minds are focused on “one another” rather than on “ourselves” we, like the people in the story from China, will, be happy.

This is how it will be when we are all gathered together in eternity with our God and with “one another”. We will be happy.

Jhn: 13:34-35- love one another, as Christ loved us

Rm: 12:10- to be kindly affectionate to one another

Rm: 12:10- Preferring one another

Rm: 14:13-not to judge one another.

1Cor: 16:20-greet one another, with a Holy Kiss.

Gal: 5:13- by love, server one another.

Gal: 6:2- bear one another’s burdens.

Eph: 4:3- forbearing one another, in love.

Eph: 4:25- we are members of one another.

Eph: 4:32-be kind to one another.

Eph: 4:32- forgiving one another.

Col: 3:9-do not lie to one another

Col: 3:16- admonishing one another.

1Thes: 3:12- abound in love one another

1Thes: 4:18- to comfort one another

1Thes: 5:11-edify one another

Heb: 8:13- exhort one another daily

Jam: 4:11-do not speak evil of one another.

Jam: 5:9- do not hold a grudge against one another

Jam: 5:16- confess your fault to one another

Jam: 5:16- pray for one another.

1Pet: 3:8- having compassion for one another

1Pet: 4:9- hospitality to one another

1Pet: 5:5- all of you be subject to one another

1Jn: 4:12- if you love one another, God dwells in you.

Matt: 25:34-35- whatever we do to one another, we are doing for Jesus.

2Jn:5- that which you have heard from the beginning, that you love one another.

When we are “one anothering, one another”, we are strengthening our relationship not just “one another” but with our Lord Jesus Christ who is always and eternally “one a anothering” all of us.

Our God wants each and all of us to experience the happiness which the people in the short story we started with were. they were all happy because, they were looking to “one another one another”.

Benediction: May we each and all forever “one another one another” all for the building up of the body of Christ and the glory of our God, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.