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Needing Each Other Until The End
If we are going to go to heaven, we need the help and encouragement of others. These others are those who have a like precious faith, people who worship side by side with us, and people who are trying to live according to biblical principles.
What is strange is the fact that throughout our Christian life, we depend upon others and they depend on us. But when we stand before God in judgment, we will stand alone. This is indeed strange, but remember that judgment only takes a moment to happen. After judgment we will rejoin our brethren and all the faithful who ever lived. Our dependence upon our brethren is so very important. So I wonder why we spend so much time bickering and back-biting each other in this life. I suggest that we have lost focus.
We lose focus upon the fact that God commands His children to be there for each other. There are more than seventy places in the Bible which teach us the importance of "one another".
The one another of this phrase is always our fellow saints, brethren, and Christians. Those of the world are never referred to as "one another". We are to love, pray for, admonish, edify, care, treat, and a whole host of other things as commanded in God's word. We must not forget that while others are our "one another", we must realize that we are someone else's "one another".
We receive encouragement from our brethren to live the faithful life, because we want each other to go to heaven. I want my brethren to go to heaven, and I will encourage them to live faithful as God word specifies. I certainly hope that they want me to go to heaven, and will do as they see fit to encourage me to be faithful.
Those who are of the world, and choose to ignore God and His commands are not interested in heaven, and do not care if you or I get there. Sure, everyone wants to go to heaven, but their life dictates where they heart lies. Titus 1:16 says that they profess to know Jesus, but their deeds deny Him. This is so true of so many, and while we may have compassion for them, they must take the steps to come to God and serve Him. We cannot do it for them. Even Paul said that he would gladly trade places with his adversaries if it meant their salvation. Such should be our attitude.
Our brethren are the only people on earth who care about our souls. If they do their job to help you get to heaven, it may come in the form of encouragement or it may come in the form of chastisement. Now, this is not pleasant, but if they love us, they will do what is necessary.
We must be there for each other all the time. I should know that they have my back, and they should know that I have their back. We should always be ready to offer assistance when they ask. This may be financial aid or it may mean studying the Bible together so that they can understand a passage more clearly.
As Christians, our number one focus is always God as commanded in Matthew 6:33. Seeking His righteousness will provide us the means to be accepted of Him, and we will receive the reward of heaven. Our focus should be on promoting Christ in the world and sharing Him with those who need Him. And our focus should be on helping our brethren get to heaven. They are special and need to be treated that way.
By Carey Scott

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