This Month's Challenge (#3)

Alex D. Ogden

When we obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ we not only entered into a relationship with the Father and Son, we also entered into a special relationship with other believers in Jesus. In the New Testament we are, therefore, spoken of in terms of a family. Paul said God, “will be to you a Father, And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor.6:18). To the Galatians he said, “For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ” (Gal.3:26,27). So all who have obeyed the gospel are children of God and thus brothers and sisters in Christ.

To be the spiritual family we should be will require more than just a casual acquaintance with other members of the congregation. But, sadly, that often seems to be all some are willing to have with their brethren.

Our challenge for the month of April, therefore, is this: Do all YOU can do to make the Clay congregation more like the spiritual family our Lord wants us to be.

How can YOU help us draw closer together? Put simply, by doing all you can to know each member of the congregation as well as possible AND by being open yourself to the desires of others to truly know you.

Let us notice we are to have and show sincere love one for another. John wrote, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God” (1 Jn.4:7). Love of our brethren is proof we are of God and that we know Him (that is, have an active intimate relationship with Him). Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (Jn.13:34,35). Those we come into contact with who are yet outside of Christ should come to know we are His disciples because of the love they see in our hearts for other Christians. Obviously we must have more than just a casual acquaintance with someone to be said to love them. In fact, we know we spend as much time as possible with those we love. So clearly we are going to need to find ways to spend as much time as possible with our brethren, if we are to demonstrate true love one for another.

In 1 Corinthians 5 they were told to withdraw their fellowship from the erring brother and that meant in part “with such a one no, not to eat” (vs.11). Paul is telling them to stop doing something they had been doing with the erring brother – namely, the eating of a common meal. One lesson for us is the need to have a close relationship with other Christians before such discipline becomes necessary. One way we can develop a better relationship with others in the congregation is in the eating of a common meal together. Why not set aside time each month to share a meal with others in the congregation? Why not set a goal for yourself to share a meal with as many different members as possible in the coming months? It may surprise you how much this will help you to draw closer to other Christians and give them an opportunity to develop a deeper relationship with you.

James tells us to confess our sins one to another and to pray one for another (James 5:16). Are you close enough to someone here that you would feel comfortable doing this? Develop such a close relationship with others that you can confess your sins one to another and pray one for another about the matter.

Ask someone else to go with you to visit a member who is sick or shut in or who is in need of spiritual encouragement. Don’t forget about those who are young in the faith. They especially need your attention and encouragement. By making such visits you draw closer to the one you are visiting as well as the one who has gone with you on the visit.

If you want to draw closer to other Christians here at Clay then one of the best things you can do is to be active in the groups we have organized. They are designed for the very purpose of getting us together so we can in fact develop a closer relationship one with another. My experience over the years has been that those who complain that they are not close to other members of the congregation are generally the ones who choose not to participate in efforts to draw close to one another. Be an active member of your group. And if you aren’t a member of one of the Bible Study Groups, ask the elders to be placed in a group right away. New Bible Study Groups have just begun to meet and there is room for everyone at Clay. Such monthly study meetings can’t help but draw us closer together.

This months challenge boils down to our finding more ways to spend time with each other – time to develop a close relationship with other Christians. Are you up to the challenge?