PODCAST TRANSCRIPT | Episode 107: TOGETHERNESS, Part 4
FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS w/ Nancy Campbell
EPISODE 107: TOGETHERNESS, Part 4
God has given us 31 different things that He wants us to do to one another, in our homes, and in our extended church family. One for every day of the month! These “one another” principles will bring “heaven on earth” to your family life, and revival to your church life.
Rocky Barrett: Welcome to the podcast, From Our Home to Yours, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.
Nancy Campbell: Today, ladies, we continue again to share about our “mutual faith.” In Romans 1, verse 12, the Bible calls our faith not a singular faith, but a “mutual faith,” both of you and me. Most other places where that word is translated in the New Testament, it says:
“one another,”
“one to another,”
“one toward another,”
“one with another,”
“one of another,”
“one for another,” and
“members one of another”
and so on. I found 31 “one anothers” that God wants us to have towards one another in our lives, in our family lives, and in our church lives.
So today, we're up to “one another”. . .
No. 10. EDIFY ONE ANOTHER ( (Romans 14:19; 15:1-3; 2 Corinthians 12:19; and 1 Thessalonians 5:11. ).
That means to build one another up. I have a number of Scriptures, and as I mentioned last time, I won't give you them all, because I know you're most probably cleaning, working, cooking something, or doing something. But you can get the transcript, and then you'll be able to get the Scriptures from there (you’ll notice I am giving them all to you now. Look them up when you get a chance.)
Edify means “to build up.” We need to build up our husbands. Build up our children. And then we continue that in the body of Christ, when we come together. We're always seeking to build up. Each person we talk to, or we meet. Just imagine, if every person is building up one another, what that would do in the Body of Christ?
No. 11. ESTEEM AND DELIGHT IN ONE ANOTHER (Psalm 16:2-3 and Philippians 2:3).
No. 12. FELLOWSHIP WITH ONE ANOTHER (Malachi 3:16 and 1 John 1:7).
This is very much part of church life. In Acts, Chapter 2, we read about the way they lived in the beginning of the church, when the church was first born. They fellowshipped together daily, not just once a week. But daily they got together and met with one another in each others' homes. They met in the Temple, and they met in their homes.
Yes, we could read again, verse 42: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Do you notice that it wasn't just, “we come together, we sing, and we hear the Bible preached to us.” No, they came together in fellowship. They broke bread together. They prayed together.
Down in verse 46: “They, continuing daily . . . breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat together with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God . . . ” You see, it was more than going to church. It was a lifestyle, wasn't it?
Fellowship, true fellowship, as we were talking in our last podcast, it is “face to face.” Fellowship, you can't have fellowship unless you're face-to-face.
I know many of you have been having Zoom church. That has been a blessing to you over this time, but it was only temporary. And it's time to be back full force, meeting with one another, fellowshipping with one another, dear ladies. This is what the Bible tells us to do.
I remember when we first came to Nashville. That was, goodness, how many years ago? I think it was about 1992 we came to Nashville. Our sons were already living here, because they were in the music industry (the NEWSBOYS) and going to a church in town. We went along with them for a few weeks, until we began to be established in the church we began to pastor here.
It was interesting, the Bible teacher at church was just amazing. Oh, people flocked to hear his word. I loved his teaching. It was so great! So we enjoyed that little time there, but oh, it was hard to fellowship. When church was over, everybody scrammed. They were gone! Nobody hung around and talked with one another. We tried to talk to people, because that's what we were used to, but nobody seemed to be interested. They were too much in a hurry.
But one Sunday, just as it was time for everybody to leave, down came a great downpour of rain. It was just pelting down! Nobody could even run for their cars, so they were all huddled in the foyer. I thought, “Whoo-hoo, now's a good time! I'll be able to fellowship! Wow!”
So I turned to someone next to me and said, “Hi, I'm Nancy Campbell. We've just recently come from New Zealand, (No, Australia, that's right, because we lived . . . were born in New Zealand, and then we lived ten years in Australia before coming here).” And they said, “Ah, yes,” and never kind of continued the conversation.
So, “Oh well, I'll try to talk to somebody else.” But they weren't interested in having a conversation. All they were interested in was watching . . . as soon as there was a little break, they were going to run for it! And they come to church, praise the Lord, they got a good Word, praise the Lord, but they had no interest in fellowshipping, which is really the heart and soul of church life.
Oh, precious ladies, don't be one who runs off as soon as church is over. Fellowship for a while. Better still, ask someone home to your place for a meal, so you can continue that fellowship.
Colin and I, we have always had people in our home, either a fellowship meal, or just asking people. When our church didn't have a fellowship meal at that season, we would always ask folks home. I remember when our children were younger, Colin and I would ask folks home for a meal.
Then our children, who saw what we were doing, they would begin to ask people home. When they got to teens, they'd be asking their friends. We'd get home and sometimes find 30 or 40 people!
“Wow! How am I going to feed them?!” Well, I learned to do that. I would always put on a big huge pot of something, a meat dish or something, before I left for church. Then we'd have other things ready to put out on the table.
Back in Australia, they used to have hot . . . (Now of course, I'm someone who makes my own bread. I don't even make normal whole grain bread. I make sourdough bread, and I make it with spelt and rye. I just can't even eat other bread. When my bread runs out, I starve on bread until I get my next load made.)
But back in those days, we would give our children a day off of homemade bread. On Sundays they were allowed to have hot white bread. So the shops used to make it hot on Sundays. You could go after church, and you could buy this hot bread, right out of the oven! Oh, they so loved it! It wasn't really very good for you. But anyway, we'd buy that, and take a load of it home. Everybody loved this hot white bread, fresh out of the oven.
All the other dishes I'd previously made. Sometimes people would bring something too, which was so lovely. I had always taught our children, when you are asked to a home for a meal, never go without taking something. That's something I drummed into them all their lives: “When you go to someone's place for a meal, always take something with you, something to add to the meal.”
If you've been asked previously, and you say, “Well, is there anything I can bring?” And they say, “No, we've got it all under control, you don't need to bring anything,” well, buy a little gift. Buy some flowers. Buy something. Always take something. That's etiquette. That's protocol.
Not everybody knows true etiquette, unfortunately. But some did, and some would bring something extra to add.
But we would fellowship. Oh, goodness me! It was so wonderful! I mean, it's the most terrible thing, to go to church and come home and just, “Well, what are we going to do?” You know, it's the Lord's day. It's the day for the people of God, to bless them and minister to them.
I remember one time, I think it was when I had quite a lot of young children. I said to my husband, “Darling, let's not ask anybody home this Sunday. I'm just worn out. I just want to rest.” So, “OK,” he said, “we won't ask anybody.” So, we didn't.
We came home from church and nobody came with us! We looked at each other and we were bored out of our brains! It just wasn't the same. We were used to the fellowship of the people of God. That was the last time we did that! It was so boring. After that, we always made sure we asked someone to come home with us. Or more than one, of course!
OK, what are we up to here? Yes, here's . . .
No. 13. FORBEAR WITH ONE ANOTHER (Ephesians 4:2 and Colossians 3:13).
Putting up with all kinds of different people. They're not all going to be lovely.
They’re not all going to be just your type, but you don't just keep to your type. You embrace all those who are in the body because everyone is important.
You may think they're a misfit, but no, in God's eyes, they're a fit. Because He wants to join every believer, “fitly joined together.” He's going to put every one into the body, into the building. Every one is important, even if we think they really are a bit of a misfit, and were better not in it. No, not in God's eyes, and He hasn't finished with them yet. Nor is He finished with us. So, forbearing with one another.
No. 14. FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER (Matthew 6:14, 15; 18:21-35; Ephesians 4:32; and Colossians 3:13). The Amplified Version states: “Willingly forgiving each other.”
You dare not hold unforgiveness. It will destroy you. It will destroy your family. Always forgive, no matter what people have done. It's often hard. It's difficult. You don't feel like it. But we don't live this life by our feelings. We live it according to the Word of God.
Matthew 4:4: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” We don't live by how we feel. We live by every word that God has given to us. It's always for our blessing. So He reminds us, forgive one another.
No. 15. LIVE IN HARMONY WITH ONE ANOTHER (Romans 15:5 TLB and RSV).
No. 16. HELP ONE ANOTHER WITH YOUR GIFTS AND YOUR ABILITIES (1 Peter 4:10 (GNB) and Hebrews 10:24).Use your gifts to help and bless others.
No. 17. HONOR AND PREFER ONE ANOTHER above yourself (Romans 12:10 and Philippians 2:3, 4).
No. 18. SHOW HUMILITY TO ONE ANOTHER (Ephesians 4:2; Philippians 2:3; and 1 Peter 3:8 (all GNB).
No. 19. PRACTICE HOSPITALITY TO ONE ANOTHER (Acts 2:41-47; Romans 12:13; and 1 Peter 4:9).
Let's go, shall we, to 1 Peter, chapter 4. I'll read you this Scripture. 1 Peter 4: 7: “The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things, have fervent love among yourselves . . . Use hospitality one to another, without grudging.”
Now let's look at this word in the context. Isn't it interesting, ladies, that Peter is writing, and he says, “Folks, the end of all things is at hand!” Now when you hear a message like that, if your preacher, your pastor was to get up and say to you on Sunday, “People, the end of all things is at hand!” we would expect the next words to come out of his mouth, “It's time to get right with God! If you've got something, if you've got sin in your life, you'd better repent! If you've got unforgiveness in your heart, you'd better forgive! You've got to get ready, because the end is coming!”
Well, we would expect that, wouldn't we? But that's not what the Bible says.
“The end of all things is at hand.”
“Be sober.” That means to get your thinking straight. It's not just meaning well, don't get drunk. It's to have a proper understanding of what is right.
“Watch and pray” and
“Love one another.”
“Use hospitality to one another without grudging.”
Hospitality, dear ladies, is the lifestyle of the Kingdom of God. Our God is an hospitable God. Oh, He wants His House filled! He wants eternity filled! In the parable where Jesus said: “Go out into the highways and the byways, and compel them to come in, that My house may be filled” (Luke 14;23). That's God's heart for His eternal home, that it will be filled. God is the God of the full house.
Now I believe if we are wanting to get God's house filled, we need to fill our houses along the way. Do you like to fill your house with the people of God? Can I ask you a personal question? Well, I think I can, because you can't answer me personally. So you can answer it in your heart, so you won't be embarrassed.
But when was the last time you invited some people to your home? To sit around your table for a meal? When was the last time? Was it a week ago? Or a month ago? Maybe a year ago? Oh, in the early church, in the lifestyle of the Kingdom of God, it was every day!
Now I have to confess, I don't have extra people in our home every day, well, they do, every day people are coming in and out. But around my meal table, I do try to have people at least a couple of times a week, more if possible.
But even if you can start out once a week, taking someone home for a meal on Sunday. Think about it. During the week, think of a family in your fellowship, just a young family maybe, who needs encouragement. Call them up and say, “Hey, how would you like to come home and have a meal with us after Sunday church? We'd love you to come!”
Now we are living in such inhospitable days that some people don't even know how to accept hospitality. Sometimes you've got to really work on them. “Yes, we'd love you to come! Please do!” Be excited about them coming. Then you can be preparing and thinking towards it as you get ready for Sunday.
You can prepare the day before, food that you can have ready, so you're not trying to fuss around and get it all ready when they come. Just stuff you can heat up or bring out to the table. You don't have to make it all so amazing and perfect, and some new dish you've never cooked before. In fact, that's the worst thing to do! Never try out a new dish on visitors! That's the worst thing, because it just might be a flop.
Always do your good old favorites, because then you know they’ll be a success. You can have it ready just to heat up. You can add salad and extra bread and so on to the table. People are not there to see how good a meal it is. They are there to feel loved.
Oh, there are so many families who have never been invited for a meal! How can we live in the Body of Christ and never be invited to another home for a meal? That's not the lifestyle of the Kingdom of God. We're living a false lifestyle, ladies! Come one, that's got to change! The end of all things is getting closer. So let's do what the Bible says! That is to show hospitality to one another.
Well, maybe you grew up, and you were never used to hospitality in your home. And I will admit I'm sure it must be much harder to do when you haven't been used to it. Praise the Lord, I was used to it. I lived in a hospitable home. Anybody who knocked at my door, my father would be there. He'd open the door.
“Hello! Welcome! Come on in! Come and sit at our table! Oh, we'll get some food out!”
My parents loved to feed people. We fed hundreds of people at our table as I grew up. So to me, as I got married, it was just normal to feed hundreds of people at my table. In fact, Colin and I started hospitality, guess when we started? Did we wait ‘til we got everything together, and got our home just right, and all this will be nice to bring people to?
No, we started on our honeymoon! We went away up north of New Zealand. We didn't think we'd see anybody we knew. But there, we went out on a boat for a day, and there were some people from our church! Wow!
“Oh, hi! How great to see you! Hey, come home and have a meal with us!” So we just didn't know how to say anything different. That was our lifestyle! So we had people for our house at a meal. We made a meal for them on our honeymoon.
I remember, because when we were first married, Colin and I went to the Philippines as missionaries. I remember when we came back. We came back and we got this house. We were living out of suitcases. We had three little babies. We just lived out of our suitcases. We didn't have enough chairs, but we still invited people.
“Come home with us!” So we'd get boxes out of our garage for them to sit on. We would borrow utensils and cutlery. No, you call it the silverware here. Back Down Under, we call it the cutlery. We would borrow them from the church to bring home.
But it was all so simple! You see, it's simplicity. What does the Bible say? “He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity” (Romans 12:8).When you're showing hospitality, you are giving. You are giving of your life. You're giving of your time. You're giving of your home.
Now you do it with simplicity. It doesn't matter if your home's not perfect. It doesn't matter if your table's an old rickety one. Oh, it doesn't matter if you haven't got enough chairs. Find boxes to sit on! We've done that so many times. So do it with simplicity. Just cook a simple meal. The main thing is to cook plenty of it!
Yes, hospitality is the lifestyle of the Kingdom of God. Hospitality is a biblical doctrine that begins in Genesis and weaves through the pages of the Bible, right up until Revelation. Hospitality is an extension of your mothering and homemaking ministry. You see, you cook for your family. Part of what you do every day is serve them at your table.
So hospitality is just an extension of that. You just cook a bit more. Just put a bit more in the pot. When you're having people, you just cook what you cook for your family. Just make more. It's simple.
But it does take some extra work. It does take serving. And it does take cleaning up. When they're all gone, and you've had children too, well, there's a mess to clean up. There are dishes to do. But, darling ladies, this is the lifestyle God loves! And when you're cleaning up the mess, and when you're finding broken things, and when you're doing the dishes, rejoice! You are in the perfect will of God. You are in the very heart of serving God. You're doing as much as some preacher preaching from a pulpit. In fact, most probably more. I'm sure it touches God's heart even more.
Romans 12:13 says that we are to be “given to hospitality.” That means that we, it's our lifestyle. We just, oh, we can't help ourselves! We can't help ourselves saying “Come!” The Living Bible of that Scripture says, “Get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner. Or if they need lodging for the night.”
1 Corinthians 16:15 says: “You know the house of Stephanas,” says Paul, “they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.” This home of Stephanas and his wife and family, they were addicted to hospitality. Addicted to having people in their home! Addicted to ministering to the saints! It was their life!
That's what it's meant to be. It's not just going to church. Church is so important. But we go to church to meet the people, to come together. From that we are going to minister to them, and bless them, and show hospitality to them. How can you show hospitality to people when you don't even meet them?
Hebrews 13:2 says: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Amen.
If you haven't asked anybody to your home for a long time, talk to the Lord about it. Just say, “Lord, who would You want me to invite?” The Lord will show you. In fact, I usually have so many on my heart, I have a list. I write them down as God puts them on my heart. Then I have to just, OK, I can look at my little list. Oh, who will I have this time? Because I have so many on my heart! I can never get through my list of all the people I want to have in my home.
But maybe if you're not used to it, you don't even feel you could maybe cope with a big family, or even a little family. You can always cope with one person. Even to reach out and invite one lonely person. A widow. Someone living on their own. A student maybe, away from home. A single mom and their child. An older person.
You can embrace one person, even as Jesus sat the well and spoke to that woman. And out of that, a whole town came to know Jesus. Sometimes Jesus ministered to the crowds. Sometimes just to one. Start with one. You'll build up your confidence to be able to invite more.
All right. Number 20:
No. 20. BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER (Romans 12:10; Ephesians 4:32; and Colossians 3:12).
No 21. LOOK OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER’S INTERESTS, not just your own (Philippians 2:4 (GNB) and 1 Corinthians 10:24.
That's a good thing to do, isn't it? So easy to get caught up in what we're doing. Get caught up in just what we're involved in. I can do that. I mean, I find that I am so busy in the ministry of Above Rubies. It takes every day of my life. I pour out my life to encourage the mothers of the world.
But I have to watch that I'm not just taken up with my ministry, although I don't like to think of it as my ministry. I like to think of it as God's ministry, because He wants so much to encourage and build up mothers and wives. But there are times when I have to stop and think, OK what are other things that others are doing, that I know? I need to encourage them. I need to take time and bless them in what they are doing.
I remember way back, even back in New Zealand days, where I started Above Rubies, back in New Zealand. When I started it, of course, I was very much taken up with doing it all. God really spoke to me. He said, “Nancy, what about what others are doing?”
And I thought of a lovely family in our church who were fostering children. I said, “Wow, what a great ministry!” So I took time out and went to visit her, to just take some food to her, and just sit down with her, and bless her, and tell her “Oh, what a great work you are doing! God is so pleased with you.” And encouraged her. So we need to take time to think of others.
No. 22. LOVE ONE ANOTHER (John 13:34; 15:12; 17:26; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 3:8; 4:8; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; and 2 John 1:5.
No. 23. Have PEACE WITH ONE ANOTHER (Mark 9:50).
No. 24. PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER (1 Samuel 12:23; Romans 1:9; 2 Timothy 1:3; and James 5:16).
No. 25. SERVE ONE ANOTHER (Matthew 20:26-28; Galatians 5:13; and 1 Peter 4:10). Wash one another’s feet which is symbolic of serving one another, no matter how servile the task (John 13:14-17).
Did you notice that word? Serve? S-E-R-V-E? Serve? Well, that starts in the family too, doesn't it? Serving our husbands. Serving our family. Serving them meals. All serving. Motherhood is a serving ministry! That's what it's all about.
But God loves serving. Even Jesus did not come to be served, but He came to serve and to give His life (Mark 10:45). And so serving is a very beautiful part of our one anothering. As we learn to serve in our family (we don't grudge it in our families), well then, it will just overflow to others, to reach out to others, invite them into our homes and serve them. It will be our delight to serve.
No. 26. SING TO ONE ANOTHER (Ephesians 5:19).
No. 27. STIR UP ONE ANOTHER TO LOVE AND GOOD WORKS (Hebrews 10:24 AMPC, ESV, Moffat, RSV).
That's Hebrews 24. I want to look at that, to remind us again that that Scripture comes immediately before Hebrews 25. So let's read it. Well, of course it does, 24, then 25. But you'll see when I read, why I'm saying this.
Chapter 10, verse 23, King James; “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering.” That's 23, sorry. Verse 24: “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:”
It's not a full stop, ladies! No, it's mid-sentence. Mid-sentence! “Provoke one another unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but encouraging and exhorting one another: and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.”
Now God's Word is very plain and strong that we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. The word “assembling” and the word “together” are the same Greek word. They both mean “coming together, assembling together.” Not in isolation, not in our homes on our own.
Yes, you can have home churches. Home churches are wonderful. Home churches are biblical. But they're not a home church with just one family. No, you're not isolating yourself as one family if you're having a home church. You fill your home with other families and bring them into your home.
So the reason for our “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” is that, when we get together, we will be able to stir up one another to love and good works! You see, we can't fulfill all these “one anothers” unless we meet together. You get it?
Verse 24: “To provoke and stir one another up to love and good works” comes before 25. And it's in mid-sentence, “not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together” so you can do it! You can't do it unless you get together. Amen? Yes.
The New Living Translation says: “Motivate one another to outbursts of love and good works.”
Other translations say: “Stimulate one another to love and good deeds” . You've got to be together to do this!
Oh, and I love the Living Bible: “Let us outdo each other in being helpful and kind to each other.” Isn't that great? Outdoing one another.
Going back to hospitality, back in our church in Palmerston, New Zealand, where we were pastoring before we went to Australia, and then before we came to the States, this was just such a wonderful church. This church, it multiplied on hospitality.
Colin and I had a lifestyle of hospitality, and so did many of the other elders in this church. We encouraged the church in hospitality. The whole church was filled with people showing hospitality in one another's homes. On Sunday, we encouraged people to take someone home with them, to enjoy a meal together when they went home.
By the way, you never really truly get to know someone until they put their feet under your table. Oh, you can even take them out for a meal, and that's lovely. We enjoy that too. But there's nothing more incredible than bringing people into your home. That's where they really know who you are. Oh yes, they really find out the “tin tacks” (New Zealand saying) there. They find out you're not perfect, of course. But that's all part of life. We're not perfect people. We're imperfect people, showing love to one another.
I remember how we got to the stage where you couldn't find someone to take home for a meal! Because everybody, someone else had asked them. Oh, you go to someone else. And unless you called up during the week, you wouldn't get anyone to take home, because everybody was asking everyone else! See, isn't it exciting? They were outdoing one another!
The New English Translation says: “Spur one another on to love and good works.”
No. 28. SUBMIT TO ONE ANOTHER (Ephesians 5:21 and 1 Peter 5:5).
No. 29: TEACH AND ADMONISH ONE ANOTHER (Ephesians 5:21 and 1 Peter 5:5).
No. 30. BE TENDERHEARTED TO ONE ANOTHER (Ephesians 4:32).
No. 31. THINK MORE HIGHLY OF ONE ANOTHER THAN YOU DO YOURSELF (Philippians 2:3 AMP).
Ladies, there are the 31 “one anothers” that God wants us to do to one another. We have to come together to do these “one anothers.
As I close this podcast, can I read a little quote? It's from an old theologian, John Gill. He lived back in the 16th and 17th centuries. But he was a great expositor of the Word of God. In fact, he was the first man to write a verse-by-verse commentary of the whole of the Word of God. Someone wrote of him that he had “a heaven-instructed pen.” I love to go to the old theologians. I love to read Ellicott and Alexander Maclaren. I enjoy reading John Gill.
Here's just a little comment of Hebrews 10:25 from John Gill. Talking about our assembling together, he says:
“It is the duty of saints to assemble together for public worship.
“One, on the account of God, Who has appointed it, Who approved of it, and Whose glory is concerned in it.
“And two, on the account of the saints themselves, that they may be delighted, refreshed, comforted, instructed, edified, and perfected.
“And three, on the account of others, that they may be convinced, converted, and brought to the knowledge and faith of Christ.
“And fourth, in an imitation of the primitive saints. And an assembling together ought not to be forsaken; for it is a forsaking God, and their own mercies, and such are like to be forsaken of God; nor is it known what is lost hereby; and it is the first outward visible step to apostasy.”
Well, pretty strong words from someone back in the 17th century, where they preached a little more powerfully than perhaps we do today. Someone wrote of John Gill, “Pastors are not preparing children to go to the playground, but rather, they are sending out soldiers of Christ to head off to war.” I thought that was a very powerful quote.
May the Lord bless you, lovely ladies, as you seek to put these 31 “one anothers” operating in your lifestyle, in your home. Also, then in the extended fellowship of the people of God. Shall we pray?
“Dear Father, we love You. We praise You. We thank You that You are our God. You are our Savior. You are our Deliverer. You are our Healer. We thank You for Your Word, which is our light to our path, and our lamp to our feet. It shows us the way. Thank You for showing us, Lord, the lifestyle You want us to live.
“Oh, God, many of us, Lord, are far from living this kind of lifestyle. But we pray that You will help us, little by little, to come into the fullness of how You want us to live, Lord, as family, and as the extended family of the people of God, in our church life, in the body of Christ life.
“We ask that, Lord, You will help us. We know that as we seek to live this kind of life, that we will see the great and mighty things that happened in the early church. This was their lifestyle, and they saw miracles. They saw mighty things happen. They saw persecution. But they saw great things happen.
Lord, we pray that we will also come into this lifestyle and begin to see miracles and mighty things taking place. We ask it in the precious Name of Jesus. Amen.”