We Need One Another - Message Notes, 5.28.06

Redwood Trees
From a seed no bigger than one from a tomato, California's coast redwood (Sequoia semperviren) may grow to a height of 367 feet (122 m) and have a width of 22 feet (7 m) at its base. Imagine a 35-story skyscraper in your city and you have an inkling of the trees' ability to arouse humility.

Redwoods have a strong regenerative ability, with a ring of trees able to sprout from the base of a damaged giant and use the old, established root system to insure survival. Even a fallen tree may serve as a nursery for new sprouts, as well as a host to many animals and other plant species.

But, how can they grow so tall and not tip over? The redwood trees often grow close together, and in many cases may have arisen as descendents of the same original tree. They may also have interconnected root systems as a a result, which also help them maintain stability despite their great height and shallow root system.

We Need One Another

Rom 12:3-5
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body , and each member belongs to all the others.

1 Cor 12:4-27
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 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!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 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, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

Some of the “One Anothers” of the New Testament

· We Have Fellowship with One Another if we walk in the light – 1 John 1:7
· We Are to Accept One Another – Romans 15:7
· We Are to Bear One Another’s Burdens – Galatians 6:2
· We Are to Care For One Another – 1 Cor 12:25
We Are to Encourage One Another – 1 Thess 5:11
We Are to Greet One Another – Romans 15:3; 16:22 – to greet one another "Christianly,” means to greet them by “seeing them” for who they are in Christ – to recognize them – it goes beyond the superficial.

aspazomai - greet
NT:782 aspazomai (as-pad'-zom-ahee); from NT:1 (as a particle of union) and a presumed form of NT:4685; to enfold in the arms, i.e. (by implication) to salute, (figuratively) to welcome:
KJV - embrace, greet, salute, take leave.

How are we to do all of these things if we live in isolation, or according to our own desires and time schedules?


Acts 2:42-47
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

If this lifestyle was good enough for the 1st Century church, are we to be beyond it? Does this type of living mark our lives, or do we feel that we have everything we need?

Maybe, we just take part in fellowship with people just like us? Well, then how are others discipled? How do others grow?

Maybe, we just hang out with Christians? Then how do others hear the Good News of Jesus Christ?

1 Peter 2:4-5
4 As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9-10
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

We are to come together, to sacrifice our lives in worship to Christ – TOGETHER.

We are to be priests who declare the praises of the Lord.

What is the role of the priest?
To worship God and offer sacrifices to Him
To represent God to the people – we declare who God is among one another and among those who do not know Him
To represent the people before God – with all kinds of prayers, we lift up others before the Lord (Eph. 6:18-20)