The One Anothers: The Muscular System Within Community. “Behold, how wonderful, how delightful it is for God’s people to dwell together in harmony!.. How good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in unity… Oh, how good and merry it is when brothers and sisters live together in peace.” (Psalm 133:1). One Another. What does …
Spelling Out the Nature of Community. “All who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need… The full number of believers, every one of them, were united in heart and soul. Not one of them claimed …
Relationship Words in the Word: Communion. “The blessing-cup which we bless, is it not a (“ koinonia”) communion of, a sharing in, the blood of Christ? Is not the cup of wine for which we thank God a (“koinonia”) joint-participation in the blood of Messiah? And the loaf of bread which we break, is it …
Relationship Words in the Word: Yokefellow. “I also request you, true yokefellow, to help these women; for they have worked hard proclaiming the Good News with me, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow-workers whose names are in the Book of Life.” (Philippians 4:3). Yokefellow (Greek, “Suzugos”): A yoke is a heavy wooden …
Relationship Words in the Word: Body. “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Jesus Messiah… All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a unique and vital part of it with his own place and function.” …
Relationship Words in the Word: Neighbor (according to Jesus). “An expert in Torah stood up to try and trap Jesus by asking Him, ‘Rabbi, what should I do to obtain eternal life?’ But Jesus replied to him, ‘What is written in the Torah? How do you read it?’ The scholar answered, ‘You are to love …
Relationship Words in the Word: Neighbor (in OT). “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18). Rea is the Hebrew word that is used 80 times in the Hebrew Bible for neighbor. Rea refers to the person who is standing close by, anyone near to them whether intimate or not. …
Relationship Words in the Word: Friendship (with Jesus). Aretha Franklin 1972 – What a Friend We Have in Jesus “This is my command: that you keep on loving each other just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than a person who lays down his life for his friends. You are my …
Relationship Words in the Word: Friendship (with God). “Intimate friendship with the Lord is reserved for those who stand in awe of Him in reverent fear and who completely trust in His character; He will confide in them, tell them what is on His heart, and reveal to them His covenant promises of faithfulness.” (Psalm …
Relationship Words in the Word: Union. “I am inside My Father, and you are inside Me, and I am inside you.” (John 14:20). Sacred Secrets. Jesus revealed many fascinating mysteries in His conversations with the Disciples, but maybe these declarations of His were more intriguing and inspiring than most… “When I am raised to life again, you …
Relationship Words in the Word: Knowledge. “My will, my desire, is that you show mercy and you grow in knowledge of Me” (Hosea 6:6). Knowledge: The Hebraic-Christian understanding of “know” is not at all limited to an intellectual or mental knowledge. To know someone in the Biblical sense is to experience that person in a deeply …
Relationship Words in the Word: Marriage. “Haven’t you read the Scriptures about creation? The Creator made us male and female from the very beginning, and for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, sticking to her like glue. He will be literally joined with his wife, and …