Articles
Only Each Other
Stephen E. Ambrose, writes in his book, Comrades, "Of all the friendships between brothers that I've known, none came close to that of the six Eisenhower boys. Partly that was because of their parents, partly because of their semi-rural setting, partly because there were so many of them and they had no sisters, partly it was because of their personalities. They had learned from David and Ida Eisenhower always to love one another, other people, and every manifestation of life around them. They grew up without money or any possessions, only each other. And although they had some friends in the small town of Abilene, Kansas, where they lived, they had to rely on each other" (23).
Do we believe the members of the church have "each other?" We should.
First, we should assemble regularly with the other members.
We are commanded to "admonish one another" (Rom.15:14); "exhort one another" (Heb. 3:13) and "build each other up" (1 Thess. 5:11). We truly do not have "love for one another" unless we do these things. Can a family truly be a "family," if they never help one another understand what values they should hold in life? What family is truly a "family" if they do not correct each other when they fail and pick each other up when they fall.
How can a local church do this apart from regularly being with one another in worship?
Second, we must identify the things we are "good" at doing— and get about doing them! Paul exhorts us in Rom. 12:6-8, "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them...in teaching...in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness." Not everyone is good at showing mercy, or able to teach others; but some are! God requires that we know ourselves and get about the business of serving others.
Third, all members can pray for one another and speak words of encouragement.
A saint confined to a wheelchair might think, "What am I worth to the body?" Be a warrior in prayer for the church! Fight the good fight and mail notes of encouragement. Call folks on the phone and tell them how much they mean to you. Every saint can become a Barnabas (Acts 4:36)!
A brother was talking with a friend who fell away from the Lord. He asked, "What do you do on Sundays?" The fallen brother said, "My wife and I take walks on Sundays, and we pray together." The faithful brother asked: "So, how does that help me, brother?" A "finger" lying severed on the ground is dead and useless to the body to which it once belonged! It can no longer "care" for the members with whom it once shared a living un- ion. Remember that God has given us "only each other!"
