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Recap of the sermon from March 27, 2011 (Ephesians 6:18-24)
1. “Even in his imprisonment Paul was not thinking primarily of his own welfare but of his testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Alfred Martin)
2. Why we need each other in the Body of Christ:
-Christian maturity cannot be achieved alone.
-Our most effective witness is our love for one-another.
-We need each other’s gifts to accomplish the work God has set before the church.
-To keep us on the right path (our perceptions, ideas, attitudes, beliefs)
-We need the ministry of other believers to us, such as: prayer, encouragement, material provision.
3. Qualities of friendship (from The Daily Walk Bible):
-Am I someone with whom others can share their deepest hurts?
-Am I someone who will listen without lecturing, comfort without condemning, encourage without criticizing?
-Am I someone who will defend others when they are not around?
-Am I someone whose greatest joy comes from other’s happiness?
-Am I someone who watches out for other’s well-being, even at the cost of my own?
-Am I someone who grieves when others are grieved, rejoices when others are promoted, bleeds when others are wounded?
-Am I someone who accepts others failings, who accepts them “warts” and all?
