Churches
St. Mark’s
An Invitation…
By Steve West
Dear SMC family
Cathy and I have loved being a part of the SMC family. We love how you have accepted us, cared for us, prayed for us and made us truly feel a part of the family. We have loved and been enriched by the teaching of Rev Gav, the fellowship of the choir and the Thursday Supper Club, the interactions with each of you at refreshments after church, on Spaghetti and Bingo night, Pancake night, etc. We truly feel that we are a part of the body of Christ at St. Mark’s.
A while back, Rev Gav asked if anyone in the congregation would be interested in assisting with the development of a small group ministry at SMC. Cathy and I prayed about this and felt that God was opening this door for us. We have been a part of church small groups in the past and these have always proven to be an incredible blessing.
So, allow me to share some of my thoughts about small groups.
Scott Hubbard, the editor of Desiring God wrote the following:
“Around fifty times in the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles tell us to feel, say, or do something to “one another.” We are to care for one another and bear with one another, honour one another and sing to one another, do good to one another and forgive one another. And then there is the grand, overarching, most-repeated one-another, the command that “binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14): “Love one another.”
The one-anothers do not exhaust our obligations to other Christians (many communal imperatives do not include the phrase “one another”), but together they offer a brilliant picture of life together under the lordship of Christ — and not only under the lordship of Christ, but also in the pattern of Christ. For, rightly grasped, the one-anothers are nothing less than the life of Christ at work in the people of Christ to the glory of Christ.”
In fact, just a very quick search and you can find the following:
… love one another with brotherly and sisterly affection … with honour preferring one another … be of the same mind to one another … accept one another … admonish one another … greet one another … wait for one another … have the same care for one another … serve one another … bear one another’s burdens … forbear one another … be kind to one another … forgive one another … submit to one another … comfort one another … edify one another … exhort one another daily … consider how to stir up one another to love and good works … confess your faults one to another … pray for one another … have compassion for one another … practice hospitality to one another … minister to one another …
Wow! So in my mind, ONE-ANOTHERING must be pretty darned important in the life of the church.
Let’s also look at a couple of scriptures from Ephesians to get an idea of how we should one-another:
In Ephesians 4:10, Paul writes the following:
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”
Hold it. If I’m not mistaken those saints that Paul is talking about are us! So does that mean that Canon John and Gav and Helen aren’t supposed to do everything? They are actually equipping us to be “ministers” to one another (and to the world), so that the body of Christ is built up!
But I couldn’t do that, could I? I don’t have any special gifts or abilities.
Well, hold on for a second, let’s go back a few verses and hear what Paul has to say to us in Ephesians 4: 7-8:
“But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says,
‘When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to humanity.’”
Paul is actually quoting from Psalm 68:18 here. The Psalmist was foretelling that when Christ triumphed over evil and took captivity captive, He bestowed gifts upon humanity, Spiritual Gifts given to believers to equip them for ministry and service within the church.
Okay, well maybe that is true, but certainly any gift that I have been given isn’t really needed by anyone. My gift certainly isn’t going to be one of the important gifts.
But wait, what did Paul say in his first letter to the Corinthians in Chapter 12. (I’ll pause for a minute here, while you turn to 1 Corinthians 12 and read it). It certainly seems that he was saying that every gift is important and needed. I may only be a big toe in the body of Christ, but I certainly am needed for balance and running and walking!
Let’s look at one more verse from Ephesians 4:
“from whom (meaning Christ) the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
Wow! So let’s see if I have this right? Through Christ and His power (and His indwelling Spirit), when each of us (as parts of the body) are working properly and using our gifts, then the body of Christ is going to grow and build itself up in love! That is amazing! This man called Jesus really put together a perfect plan!
I want to experience that! I want to “One-Another” with you all!
On November 4th, we will be starting our first Life Group. Jeannie and Bob Flath are going to co-lead with Cathy and I. It will be an opportunity for us to one-another each other. That sounds very exciting to me. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us. We will have a time of fellowship, sharing, praying for each other, and of course some good munchies! As well, my thoughts at the moment are to start looking at the Book of Ephesians together – Paul wrote this letter to churches in Asia minor with no specific occasion or problem in mind. Paul simply writes this letter to bring about encouragement in the Gospel, while offering practical insight on how to live in light of the Gospel, personally, in community and in our families.
If you are interested in one-anothering together, then please reach out to Jeannie, Bob, Cathy or I. We are planning on having this Life Group every other week.
Thanks for taking the time to read this,
In His love, Steve.
(Stephen West)