Walking Together
As Christians we are called to be one in the body of Christ and not to walk alone. Pastor Andrew encourages us to continue to walk together—especially in Care Groups—and in doing so, encourage one another to press on in our faith.
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matt 22:36-40)
As Christians we are called to be one in the body of Christ. This is what Paul wrote, “Now you [Christians] are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Cor 12:27)
What that means is we are a corporate body with many members and we are all united in Christ. This impacts how we view our assembling together. Essentially our corporate gathering gives expression to the fact that Jesus died to create a united people, not just isolated Christian individuals.
Quoting John Piper, “As Christians we go to church on Sunday because we have been rescued from our sins, united with a risen, living Christ and with each other through faith in Jesus. And because of that union with Jesus and with each other, the Bible, God’s word, calls us to regular, weekly expressions of our corporate joy and thankfulness before God in worship—not just isolated Christian individuals scattered around but corporate gatherings praying and singing and hearing God’s word and celebrating the ordinances of Jesus.”
The single most important commandment that we have as Christians is to love our God with all our heart, soul and mind. The expression of our love for God is in loving one another. This is how Paul exhorts in Galatians 5:14, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’”
To love God and to love others, involves being a part of the body and not apart from the body of Christ. To love God and to love others calls for us to be involved in one another’s lives. As believers we are called to love (John 13:34-35), encourage (Heb 10:24-25) and guard one another (Heb 3:12-14). This involves us walking with one another.
To love God is not an individual effort. It involves others. This is because the expression of our love for God is seen in our love for one another. To love one another calls for us to be involved in one another’s lives, it calls for us to walk alongside each other.
Loving God also requires us to learn about Him and to see the world through His point of view. It involves taking biblical truths and relating them to our lives. While good preachers add application to their theological discourses, it’s also important to have a fellow believer who can look through our particular situation on a personal level and know which of God’s principles directly relate.
Bottom line for us to be obedient to the command to love God it calls for us to walk together with one another, we cannot walk alone.
At GBC, one very visible way in which we have been walking together is though our care groups. Our Care Group ministry is a key tool to help us walk with one another. Regularly meeting with a committed group of believers allows us to reinforce the core of what we believe so we can live it out, learn more about God, and maintain the strength to serve others. We have our care groups because we believe they are the best way to make and develop disciples of Christ and to help one another to obey God’s command to love Him and His people. It is very encouraging to see more than half of our regular worshippers regularly attending a care group. I want to encourage the rest who are currently not in any care group to plug into one. Let me or any of our elders know how we can be of help.
One very encouraging scene that is happening amongst us is the number of one-to-ones that is going on in our midst. We have people meeting to pray with one another, some meet up to read a book or Scripture together, some meet up to just walk with a brother or a sister who is going through a rough patch. Indeed, there are many ways in which we can walk with one another. I am glad to see this happening in our midst. Let us continue to spur one another on.
Find out more about our Care Groups here, or write to Pastor Andrew (andrew@gracebaptistchurch.sg).