If You Want to Grow, You Need Other Believers

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES 40 Days of Love

If You Want to Grow, You Need Other Believers By Rick Warren — Jul 12, 2015 “As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Ephesians 4:16b NLT, second edition) A church family helps you develop spiritual muscle. You will never grow to maturity just by attending worship services and being a passive spectator. Only participation in the full life of a local church builds spiritual muscle. The Bible says, “As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:16b NLT, second edition). The phrase “one another” or “each other” is used more than 50 times in the New Testament. We are commanded to love each other, pray for each other, encourage each other, admonish each other, greet each other, serve each other, teach each other, accept each other, honor each other, bear each other’s burdens, forgive each other, submit to each other, be devoted to each other, and many other mutual tasks. This is biblical membership! These are your “family responsibilities” that God expects you to fulfill through a local fellowship. Who are you doing these with? It may seem easier to be holy when no one else is around, but that is a false, untested holiness. Isolation breeds deceitfulness; it is easy to fool ourselves into thinking we are mature if there is no one to challenge us. Real spiritual maturity shows up in relationships. We need more than the Bible in order to grow; we need other believers. We grow faster and stronger by learning from each other and being accountable to each other. When others share what God is teaching them, you learn and grow, too. Talk It Over In what ways are you fulfilling your family responsibilities with other believers? How does accountability help you become more spiritually mature? What do you need to do in order to learn what God is teaching other people and help hold them accountable? Today’s Scripture “And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us...” (Ephesians 5:2, AMP) SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS Esteem One Another In today’s culture, we don’t often hear the word esteem used very often. Yet, Scripture tells us to esteem and delight in one another. One definition of esteem is to hold in high regard. That means we are to honor and value one another. Even if we don’t always agree, even if they don’t necessarily act honorably, we are to honor and esteem others because they are valuable in the eyes of God. Think of it this way: If you had a costly and valuable piece of jewelry, you wouldn’t just wear it to the gym or leave it on the kitchen sink. No, you would treat it carefully. You would put it in a safe place and protect it. Well, when we see others as valuable the way God sees them, we will treat them carefully as well. We should be careful in the way we talk to others. We should look for the good in them and honor them for who God made them to be. Choose to esteem and delight in one another. Sow good seeds, and you will see a harvest of blessing in return! A Prayer for Today “Father, today I choose love. I choose to honor the people around me. Help me to see the value in others the way You see the value in me. Help me to esteem and delight in others so I can be an example of Your love and light in Jesus’ name. Amen.” PS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aGaYAZvL4