LIVING AS BRETHREN IN THE CHURCH
Psalm 133:1, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!”

There is nothing more pleasant in this world than to be among the brethren living together in unity, it is like a heaven on earth. There is no other thing on earth as splendid as paradise like brethren living together in unity. That was the reason the Psalmist made an exclamation, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” what a glorious atmosphere!

To live as brethren in the church does not means that Christians should be living together under single roof, it does not means attending the same denominational church; living as brethren goes beyond attending the same church, it is deeper and greater.

From this topic of living as brethren in the church, there three important words: church, brethren and living. Let’s check them one after the other.

CHURCH
Acts 2:47, “Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

Church is a gathering of the regenerated saved people, this is the biblical church; it is not a building, it is not a denomination, and it is not a gathering of sinners. Church involves people who have been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ, whose sins have been pardoned, who are genuinely saved. Only the saved make a church and only those are being saved are joined to the church, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

The modern system of “Let the sinners join the church and let them become saved gradually” is the deception of the devil to pollute and pervert the church. To incorporate the unsaved into the system of the church is an evidence of misled leadership.

BRETHREN
Brethren mean brothers and sisters from different communities, countries, and of different culture and color coming and living together as one; with stronger tie of heavenly Father than biological family. Brethren are not just people in the same denomination but people in the Lord who have experienced the same salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

LIVING – AS BRETHREN IN THE CHURCH
This is the main topic, how can we live together as brethren in the church? Before we can live as brethren in the church, there must be salvation, sharing and sanctification:

Salvation: this is the beginning of the church and brethren; a church without the foundation of genuine salvation in Christ is a satanic manipulated church, and if there are brethren without genuine salvation, then they are “so called” brethren. The primary purpose of a Bible church is to lead people to salvation, the greatest focus and ambition of a Bible church is the salvation of the souls, the primary preaching and prayer of a Bible church is salvation of souls. Romans 10:1, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” The greatest achievement of a church is not having great numbers of people, it is not building a muilti-million auditorium, but it is leading souls to Christ.

A church whose priority and primary preaching and prayer is to lead people to prosperity, blessings, healing or deliverance is a misled church and cannot produce brethren in the Lord but church goers, and so there is no way they can live together as brethren. Many denominational churches long to see their church members, workers and leaders living together as brethren, but this cannot be possible when there is no genuine salvation. Why we have fake brethren and funny incidents happening in the church today is because there is no genuine salvation as the foundation of our coming together. Anything that brings people together in the church apart from the genuine salvation of their souls cannot sustain them to live together as brethren.

To live together as brethren in the church means to live in love and unity, and there is no other means these can happen except we are truly regenerated. Goats and sheep cannot live together in love and unity, so also saints and added sinners or saved leaders and unsaved members or workers cannot live together as brethren, they can only bear one another with endurance, but not being brethren. So the first thing we need to set as foundation is genuine salvation.

Sharing
After we are saved in Christ Jesus, we are to live in love, this is the only means by which we can live together as brothers and sisters; and the first and greatest means to live in love as brethren is by sharing. Without sharing, living together as brethren is fake, infact there cannot even be anything like real brethren without sharing.

If we truly care to live together as brethren in the church today, then we need to look back and see how the early Christians, church lived as brethren in the Bible. The first church successfully lived together in their thousands as brethren.

Acts 4:32-35
“Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.”

Without sharing together, our professed love is fake, or how can you call me brother and you don’t care to share with me from the little you have. When we call ourselves brethren without sharing, we make ourselves liars. 1 John 3:16-18, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

The evidence of genuine love among brethren is sharing. You can share without being among the brethren, but you cannot have genuine brethren without sharing.

The Bible says, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” 1 John 3:16. What it means is that if truly we have brethren and if truly we are part of the brethren, then we must sacrifice for the brethren by sharing. Some sharings are easy and some are hard, both must be made, it is sacrifice.

For the saved people to live together as brethren in the church, the leaders must show examples of sharing, the leaders in the church from the pastors to the workers must lay down their conveniences and comfort for the lives of brethren. A pastor who cares for buying a car or building house than meeting the basic needs of the church members is a bad example among the brethren. A pastor or leader who cannot sell his properties to help meet the urgent needs of brethren is a fake leader. Being a leader or pastor is not just by the position on the church but by laying down one’s life for the members of the brethren.

Without sharing, there cannot be love and we cannot live together as brethren.

Another secret of sharing together is the power of revival. A church that lacks sharing among brethren can never experience great move of the power of God, no matter how long they pray, preach and fast. The Bible recorded that great power and grace followed the apostles after sharing with the brethren. “And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.” Acts 4:33.

You cannot experience the great power and grace of God if you are selfish and self-centred without affectionate care for others; you can never experience the great power of God in your church without sharing among the brethren. When a church does not share materials, meat, and financial aids to meet needs in the church, people cannot live together as brethren in that same church. Sharing together brings and binds children of God together as brethren.

SANCTIFICATION
In order to keep our salvation in Christ secured and our love for one another perfect and pure, we must grow into sanctification. Sanctification is becoming like Jesus every day and abstaining from impurity. Sanctification keeps the love among brethren to be pure.

Here is explanation of sanctification among the brethren as written in Ephesians 4:21-32:

“If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,”for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin” do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

CONCLUSION
Living as brethren in the church is the best life we can live on earth which is brought to us by Jesus Christ. The beginning of living as brethren is genuine salvation through faith, repentance and confession of our sins and new life in Jesus Christ; the center of living together as brethren in the church is real love through sharing among one another, and the continuity of living together as brethren is sanctification, keep ourselves and love pure from being polluted.

Psalm 133
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore.

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