Nov 09 2007
Beloved, let us love one another
How can I help cultivate today the characteristics of real community in my small group and my church?
The Purpose Driven Life, p. 151
Developing a fellowship does take a whole lot of time and effort. Two people, or a group, do not know each other if they hardly spend any time together. I certainly can see this clearly as I have all sorts of shallow relationships with my co-workers, extended family, distant friends, and sometimes other church members. I need to be in constant touch with each other to get anywhere close. One of the goal of writing my blogs is to let everyone know how I am doing. But my blog is limited since it is a one-way street. I need to know what others are doing, by either comments or reading their own blogs. That’s not easy to encourage. It’s difficult enough to get them to read their emails, let alone blog!
Online relationship is a tough one to establish. I have to reach out in other ways, and mostly it means by physically meeting them. Face to face conversation is almost a lost skill these days, especially for a shy person like me. With God’s help, I will overcome this. I will focus on God to love my neighbours.
The 9 characteristics that I must follow are outlined in the book by Pastor Rick:
- Authenticity: I will share my true feelings
- Mutuality: I will encourage each other
- Sympathy: I will support each other
- Mercy: I will forgive
- Honesty: I will speak the truth in love
- Humility: I will admit my weakness
- Courtesy: I will respect my differences with others
- Confidentiality: I will not gossip
- Frequency: I will make the group as a priority
Verse to remember 1 John 3:16 (NIV)
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
