by Rev Daniel Yaw

Introduction.
As I was thinking of where our church should be as we celebrate our 16th anniversary, I sensed that it was not the right question to ask.  The right question is really – what is our church like today after 16 years? This thought of “one another” came to mind.  With that for September and October, we want to work together in this aspect to become what God wants us to be.
 
A commandment
John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
 
The above is a commandment of Christ given to the disciples.  What is so new about it is the way we carry it out.
 
The first new thing is our perception of our relationship with God.  Many times, we think of our relationship with God as merely vertical.  It is all about me and my God and no one else.
 
While that is true in part, that our relationship with God is of utmost importance, Jesus mentioned that this relationship is also reflected in the way we relate to one another.
 
Thus, to relate to one another is a command of God.  It is not an option, not a preference, but a command with a promise.  The command is to love one another.  This is the 2nd most important commandment with the first, loving God will all our hearts.
 
A common-ness
The second thing about this one another-ness is about sharing something in common.  In the last 40 days of prayer and fasting experience, one of the unshakeables’ is relationship.  If there is one unshakeable thing – it is our relationship with one another.  When we are born of God, we are also born into the family of God.  In other words, we spiritually become brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
Paul wrote in his letter that we all share the same faith, the one baptism, the one Lord, and the one Spirit. 
 
There is something common in all of us.  None of us can boast that we are better in status in the presence of God.  All of us are equal – sinners saved by grace.
 
A comradeship
Lastly, it is about caring for one another – looking out for one another.  It is the sense of “interdependence”.  I have constantly mentioned this word behind the pulpit.  We need each other and we cannot live independently.  We only live dependent on Christ and interdependent. 
 
We must never feel the sense that we don’t need another.  We are the body of Christ and for it to function well, we need each other.
 
Conclusion
As we look into the next two months, we want to venture into this aspect.  The promise in John is that others will know that we are disciples of Jesus Christ.  We then have an identity!  Let us be CHRISTians in this manner. 
God bless.