One Another: Greet And Serve Series

One Another: Greet and Serve

Romans 16:3-16; 1 Peter 4:7-11

We continue our One Another Series to build up the body of Christ, to mature the family of God. So far we’ve looked together at Connect (or be members of one another), Love one another, Unite (or be of the same mind with one another), Honor one another, Accept one another and Admonish one another. This morning we’ll look together at Greet one another and Serve one another.

Let me pause here and introduce an activity. You’ll have to stand for this activity. There’s one restriction in this activity, and it is that you cannot talk to or touch anyone. Ready? Set. Greet one another.

If you were able to do the activity, you did it wrong. If you were confused and unable to do the activity, you understood the instruction correctly. Greet one another is only one of 40 One Another commands given in the Bible. And we need others to live out these commands. God grows His family members with the help of His family members.

I thought I was a loving and patient person until I got married. Then children came, and I discovered how far I had to grow in being a loving and patient person. Dan Allender’s book, How Children Raise Parents.

When alone, we can fool ourselves. With family members, we see and hear the truth about ourselves. God put us together in a family to help each other grow and mature.

This morning we will grow to greet one another and serve one another. We’ll first look at greet one another. We find this command in 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:26, 1 Peter 5:14, and Romans 16:3-16. (READ)

The young singles among us are thinking, “I would be more obedient to God’s commands if I knew about this one sooner.” Others of us are recalling the playground tease: Billy and Betty, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage.

Now I’m not trying to make light of the biblical command to greet one another. I also know this is more than the self-help instruction for a firm handshake to make a good first impression. We are called to build up God’s family through greeting one another.

Greeting people is hard, especially if you’re introverted or have had a negative experience. But I believe God’s Word gives sufficient motivation and spiritual power to help. Let’s look at Romans 16:3-16 more closely.

First, we see that Paul valued individuals he greeted. Paul greeted 26 people by name. He was not name-dropping. Paul learned and used people’s name to show they matter. They were more than a face in the crowd, a body in the congregation.

In John 10, Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd who leads his sheep by name. He is the God who knows us by name. Because we matter to God.

Some of us don’t greet one another because we have a hard time remembering names. Not that we don’t care or that you don’t matter. We just don’t want to ask your name for the fifth or sixth time. So here’s what I suggest: Help each other out by repeating your name each time you greet one another.

Let’s try this: “Hi, I’m Dana (your name).” Hi, I’m Pat. Hi, I’m Linda.

Learning and using people’s names in greeting is just one way to show you value people. Listening and giving eye contact after you’ve asked how they are doing is another way to show you value people. I’m sure you can think of other ways to say “you matter.”

Second, we see that Paul praised individuals he greeted. Most of us greet others out of unthinking habit. Paul greets with a purpose. As with all the One Another commands, greeting one another is for the purpose of building up the body of Christ.

Paul praised individuals for their love for Christ. For their hard work. For their faithfulness. Praise builds up the person and inspires the body of Christ.

Try it. Greet your Sunday school teacher with purpose. “Hi, Ron / Norman / Christine / Gary; thanks for preparing the lesson.” Greet worship team members, trustees, welcome team, AV team, ushers or one another with praise / thanks.

Third, we see that Paul loved individuals he greeted. We see this in his call to greet one another with a holy kiss. A kiss is a symbol of affection. 1 Peter 5:14 confirms this: Greet one another with a kiss of love.

I don’t think the emphasis is on the form, a kiss, but on the function, communicating holy love. I don’t mean to disappoint anyone, but we could probably communicate holy love with a big smile or a bear hug. In short, show the love of Jesus to those you greet.