To be a Christian is to be part of God’s family. It involves having a relationship with God and with His people. In fact, the New Testament does not know of a Christian who is not part of a local assembly of believers, in other words, a local Church. When the Holy Spirit inspired letters for God’s people, they were addressed not to individual members in their homes but to local Churches. It was simply assumed that when the letter was read to the gathered Church, the people of God would be there to hear it. Christianity is not just all about you; nor is it just about you and Jesus; its about you, Jesus and all of God’s people.
To be an obedient Christian, one needs to foster relationships with God’s people. None of us can DO Christianity by ourselves. We need one another. Here are 40 New Testament verses which cannot be obeyed in isolation from the Body of Christ:
Stimulate one another to love and good deeds (Heb 10:24)
Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16)
Build up one another (1 Thess 5:11)
Be of the same mind as one another (Romans 12:13, 15:5)
Comfort one another in the face of death (1 Thess 4:18)
Employ your spiritual gifts in serving one another (1 Peter 4:10)
Pray for one another (James 5:16)
Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
Be at peace with one another (Mark 9:50)
Encourage one another (1 Thess 5:11)
Greet one another (2 Cor 13:12)
Don’t become boastful in challenging one another (Gal 5:26)
Be kind to one another (Eph 4:32)
Abound in love for one another (1 Peter 1:22)
Live in peace with one another (1 Thess 5:13)
Love one another (2 John 5)
Fervently love one another (1 Peter 1:22)
Have fellowship with one another (1 John 1:7)
Don’t judge one another (Romans 14:13)
Take communion (the Lord’s Table) with one another (1 Cor 11:33)
Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
Regard one another as more important than yourself (Phil 2:3)
Bear one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2)
Admonish one another (Rom 15:14)
Serve one another (Gal 5:13)
Do not lie to one another (Col 3:9)
Bear with one another (Col 3:13)
Forgive one another (Col 3:13)
Teach and admonish one another (Rom 15:14)
Care for one another (1 Cor 12:25)
Cloth yourselves with humility toward one another (1 Peter 5:5)
Be hospitable to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
Do not complain against one another (James 5:9)
Show forbearance to one another (Eph 4:2)
Speak to one anther in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Eph 5:19)
Give preference to one another (Rom 12:10)
Don’t bite and devour one another (Gal 5:15)
Submit to one another (Eph 5:21)
Seek the good of one another (1 Thess 5:15)
Don’t forsake assembling with one another (Heb 10:25)
To be a Christian is to be part of a family, the family of God.