Wednesday, June 15, 2016

The Lone Ranger

Submitted by David Miller
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV)

How many of us remember the television show, “The Lone Ranger”?  Yes, I can hear the theme song running through my mind by just the mere mention of the show.  You may be asking at this point, what does an old black and white TV show have to do with the Hebrews 10 reference?
The truth is there are many people who are determined to be the Lone Ranger when it comes to their faith.  How many times have you heard someone say, “I can do this on my own?  I don’t need anybody else.”
I’ve heard it and I’m sure you’ve heard it, too: “You don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.”  Let’s say I ask a guy (a professed Christian) where he went to church, and he told me he had church every Sunday on the first tee of a golf course.   Now, there’s nothing wrong with being out on a golf course, but if you look at the Bible, Christianity is not just about me and God, it’s about us and God.  That is, it’s about relationship with God, but it’s also about a relationship one to another.
“Maybe you’re not being constantly tempted sin, however, maybe you do have this lone ranger mentality that says, “I don’t need people…I don’t need church…I can do it on my own.” 
The Bible says in Romans 12:4-5, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other” (NLT).
God wired the universe in such a way that we need each other. I need you, and you need me. The phrase “one another” is used 58 times in the New Testament: Love one another, care for one another, encourage one another, support one another, pray for one another, greet one another, share with one another. God never meant for you to go through life as a lone ranger. You’re not meant to go through life by yourself. Whether you ever marry or not is irrelevant. Whether you are in a large or small family is irrelevant.  You need a spiritual family, and you need to be in a small group or bible study class.  It is in these settings that relationships are forged.

You need me, and I need you. You need the people around you, and they need you. We belong to each other. We need the fellowship with other believers.  Believers that we can share our hurts, our burdens, our joys, our testimonies, and our prayers with, together.  Don’t forsake assembling together.  It is the way God designed His family.  There are a lot of good books that will tell you the right thing to do, but they don’t provide the two things the Bible says you must have: God’s power and community.  Rick Warren puts it this way, “You need each other to really change.  Change requires community.”   We are all in this together.  We do not need to walk our faith walk alone.  Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto!

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