Bear With One Another Series

- Building Up One Another -

Bear With One Another

Ephesians 4:2

Introduction

I doubt that any of us feel worthy of the life that the Lord has given. We are in great need of his grace and help every day. Still, Apostle Paul urged the Ephesians to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Ephesians 4:1). That idea of ‘worthy’ isn’t that we can live in such a way as to deserve what Christ has given us, rather, it is a challenge to do all we can to live up to our calling. The next verse is our ‘one another’ passage for today.

Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Other translations: “forbearing” (KJV), “showing tolerance for” (NASB), “making allowances for each other’s faults” (NLT). Each one of the ‘one another’ passages we have studied have presented a challenge for Christian living. The fact that Paul has to encourage us to ‘bear with one another in love’ lets us know that not all of our relationships are going to be easy. Not every Christian is easy to get along with.

Sometimes it is personality.

Sometimes that person has hurt you; is not yet forgiven.

Sometimes it is a different perspective on matters of life.

Sometimes it’s just that we haven’t gotten to know them.

Sometimes it’s that they have walked a painful road and there are some struggles.

Seven Ways We Can Bear With One Another in Love:

1. Always Start with Yourself: Be Completely Humble

You know how they say that every family has a crazy member, and if you don’t know who it is in your family, probably YOU!. In humility we remember that each of us are far from perfect.Three times Peter reminds his readers to be humble:

1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.

1 Peter 5:5 … All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud

but shows favor to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Humility says, “I won’t expect more from others than I expect from myself, and I know I’m not perfect.”

2. Treat Others As You Want to Be Treated: Be Gentle

The Golden Rule is often forgotten when there is some kind of conflict or issue. Matthew 7:12 “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” “Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.”- Francis de Sales

3. Give The Other Person Some Time: Be Patient

Getz: “Not one of us is perfect. All of us fail, particularly in human relationships. How easy it is to expect more from other Christians than we expect from ourselves!”

When we are tempted to be impatient with others, we need to remember how patient Jesus Christ is with us. Colossians 3:12-13 “Therefore… clothe yourselves with …patience."

4. You Do Not Know the Pain of Others: Be Compassionate

Colossians 3:12 “Clothe yourselves with compassion…”

“You’ll never understand a person until you have walked a mile in their shoes.”

All people are the way they are because of the experiences and difficulties of their lives. Let’s cut people some slack and recognize that we seldom know the whole story. It’s easier to be compassionate with people when we know and understand more about them.

5. Brighten the life of the Other Person: Be Kind

Colossians 3:12 “Clothe yourselves with … kindness”

Spurgeon said, “Kind words bring no blisters on the tongue that speaks them, nor on the ear which hears them. Kind words are never wasted. Like scattered seeds, they spring up in unexpected places. … He who expects kindness should show kindness.”

6. You May Have to Let Some Things Go: Be Forgiving

Colossians 3:13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.

Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Getz: “How ungrateful for a Christian to hold a grudge against a fellow believer when Christ has canceled our own debt of sin.”

Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a decision. Corrie Ten Boom: “Forgiveness is the key which unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred. It breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness. The forgiveness of Jesus not only takes way your sins, it makes them as if they had never been.” If we wait until we ‘feel’ like forgiving others, we may be waiting a long long time.

7. You May have to Try Harder: Make Every Effort

Ephesians 4:3 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”