Focal passage: Ephesians 4:17-32
The other day, my sister picked up blueberry plants to add to her garden. Apparently, when planting blueberries, it’s better to plant at least two near one another. While self-fertile, a blueberry plant will produce more and bigger berries when it cross pollinates with a different variety nearby. So while possible to live and produce alone, blueberries only truly flourish when surrounded by other blueberry plants.
Isn’t that like just like the church? As Christians, we might survive alone, but only when in community with other Christians do we truly flourish! Living the Christian life isn’t easy – our flesh wars within and temptations of the world war without. It isn’t uncommon today to hear someone proclaim that they love Christ, but not His church.
As you trace your way from Genesis to Revelation, there is one really obvious continuity – people, groups of people coming together. In the very beginning, God said it wasn’t good for man to be alone, and so He created woman.
The same is true today, but living in community with one another isn’t always easy.
Paul wouldn’t have needed to tell the Ephesians “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs,” if such encouragement was always natural.
When we build one another up as the body we accomplish more for the gospel together than we ever could alone!