"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." ~ John 13:35
The knowledge, grace, love, and mercy that Christians experience from God is not meant to stay just with them, but is meant to be shared with others. When members are displaying love to other members, it is a powerful testimony to the world. Therefore, being part of a church is not only a commitment to the church, but to the other members of the church. It is a commitment to care for others within the church through encouragement, kindness, and financial support. It also may involve lovingly and gently calling another Christian who has lost sight of God back into a right relationship with God or the church. This is how we love each other, by cheering each other on as we journey together and chasing after those who have gotten off the path.
Loving others also involves turning away from those behaviors that cause division and strife within the church. Behaviors such as gossip or manipulation in order to harm people or prop an individual up cannot be tolerated within the church. God had a lot to say about what it means to live in a church community in the Bible through many “One Another” statements. “One Another” statements are times when God tells us how we are to treat “one another.” We love others as we seek to apply these “One Another” statements to our lives.
Loving others happens naturally as we go through life at Fellowship of Champions. God gives us opportunities to care for each other when we find out about a family illness or need. We also have opportunities to mirror God's grace and love towards those who sin against us in the church. Let's face it, it's going to happen, because the church is full of recovering sinners. But when we are focused on God, then we are able to love those within the church who are being unloving and call them back to a right relationship with people and God.
Every time we gather together with other believers, whether that be a Sunday Morning Service or a Home Group gathering, is an opportunity for us to grow in our faith by loving those around us with the same love that we have recieved from God.