one another commands – Grace Evangelical Society

Encourage and Build Up One Another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

September 3, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Church, church life, ecclesiology, one another commands, spirituality

My wife and I bought our house in 2015. It’s our first house. Up till then, we rented—living in apartments and townhomes where we were restricted on what we could do to make the space our own and depending on the landlord to make repairs. Now things are different. The responsibility of maintaining the house

Speak Truth and Do Not Lie to One Another (Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9-10)

August 17, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - church life, metaphysics, one another, one another commands, truth

Our culture has a truth crisis. You can see the crisis at work on many levels. For example, you can see it in journalistic bias, where unquestioned “facts” seem to change week by week. And the confusion over fact and fiction is unmistakable in the crazy posts shared on social media by friends who can’t

Love One Another as Jesus Loved (John 13:34-35; 15:12)

June 22, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Christian Life, church life, ecclesiology, one another commands, spirituality

Is it true that “All love is love”? No. Not everything that calls itself love is loving. And what’s more, not all loves are equal. Did you know that non-Christians can be examples of what it means to love others? As Jesus said, “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that

Don’t Be a Snare to One Another (Romans 14:13)

June 17, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - church life, ecclesiology, one another, one another commands, spirituality

What do you do when two Christians disagree over relatively minor points of theology? I love talking theology. I love talking about it passionately! If you’ve studied Scripture for any length of time, you probably have loads of questions for God—questions the Bible doesn’t explicitly answer; hence, all the debate! Speculating and reasoning about theology

Stir Up Love and Good Works in One Another (Hebrews 10:24)

May 31, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - church life, Discipleship, ecclesiology, one another commands, spirituality

Normal church life is active. Christians should not be passively inhabiting the pews. We live for Christ 24/7, serving Him in all that we do. And that means the churches ought to be actively loving and serving and doing good, often in the face of enormous challenges. But with any activity, people often need encouragement

Confess Your Sins to One Another (James 5:16)

May 21, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - church life, Confession, Discipleship, ecclesiology, James, one another commands, spiritual theology

“Honestly, I didn’t want to join a Bible study,” the young mother admitted to the group. “I didn’t want to be around perfect people with perfect lives…Then I found you weirdos!” I think it is comforting to know you’re in a “hospital for the sick, not a social club for saints.” A “thick” Christian community

When Culture Seeks Revenge, the Church Seeks the Good (1 Thessalonians 5:15)

May 4, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - church life, Discipleship, one another commands

Someone asked me how to cultivate a “culture of grace” in his church. That is precisely the right kind of question to ask. Grace should not only define the saving message (Eph 2:8-9), but the entire Christian life, including church life. Paul said we are no longer under law but under grace (Rom 6:14), and

Don’t Put Your Brother Down (James 4:11)

April 22, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - church life, Discipleship, James, one another commands, tongue, wisdom

George Harrison once passed a church billboard that read, “Gossip: The Devil’s Radio… Don’t Be a Broadcaster.” That message hit home. Because he was a Beatle, the press gossiped about him constantly, and it hurt. It inspired Harrison to write the song “Devil’s Radio.” Isn’t it interesting that even a non-Christian can understand and be

Should Christians Kiss One Another? (1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; Romans 16:16; 1 Peter 5:14)

April 14, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - church life, Discipleship, ecclesiology, kiss, kissing, one another commands, spirituality

I grew up in a French city where it was customary to greet people with a double-cheeked kiss. At least, that was normal among my French relatives. Meanwhile, my British/English circles preferred a firm handshake or nod of the head—or, if they felt especially informal, a quick hug. I have been studying the many “one

You Can At Least Put Up With One Another (Ephesians 4:2)

April 9, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Christian spirituality, church life, one another commands, wisdom

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love (Eph 4:1-2; cf. Col 3:13). “You don’t have to like each other, but you do have to stop hitting each other!” That’s