2. Life Principle 15 Connected to the Body of Christ

3. 20 Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Philippians 4

4. Philippians is not the only letter Paul ends with the exhortation for church members to greet those in other churches. Out of thirteen epistles Paul wrote, six have instructions to greet specific believers by name. Let’s look at these other five epistles

5. Paul identifies 36 individuals by name, here are a few 12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brethren with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. Romans 16

6. 19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. 20 All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. I Corinthians 16

7. 10Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him); 11 and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me.

8. 12 Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

9. 14 Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas. 15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house. Colossians 4

10. 19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, but Trophimus I left sick at Miletus. 21 Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren. II Timothy 4

11. 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, 24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers. Philemon

12. Is there any relevance for us today for all the greeting stuff that Paul does at the end of these six letters? Or, is it more like the bread in meatloaf which just takes up more space? The short answer is that there is nothing in the Bible that lacks significance and application.

13. Life Principle 15 Connected to the Body of Christ

14. A greeting in Biblical times was more than a “Hi there!” It usually involved a blessing. In the second verse of Philippians, Paul opens with the following greeting… 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is saying, before we even begin with this letter, “I am desiring that God’s unmerited favor and His supernatural peace flow into each and every Christian’s life in Philippi!”

15. The Greek word is aspázomai ( ἀ σπάζομαι), it is used sixty times in the NT, meaning in a generic sense to… 1. Welcome 2. Embrace 3. Be happy about 4. Glad to see 5. Desire good wishes

16. It means to: 1. Agape love them 2. Accept them as family 3. To stay in touch 4. To care how they are doing 5. Desire to see them grow as believers 6. They are valued 7. To see them as those to whom Christ died

17. One day a pastor was approached by a homeless man who asked him for $20. The pastor pulled out his wallet as fast as he could and gladly gave it to him. The homeless man was confused and asked him why he so easily gave. The pastor replied that he had gotten off cheap. If the man had become a Christian he would have owed him his whole life.

18. Some Relevant Theology

19. Christianity is not a religion, it is a personal relationship with Christ. One might say that the vertical beam of the cross symbolizes this. What is often missed is that the horizontal beam symbolizes our personal relationship with other believers.

20. 12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. I Corinthians 12

21. Have you ever heard of someone who thought they were an only child, only to realized that their father had been married before and that they were part of a huge family that loved them and accepted them? Well that is us!

22.  Right hand of fellowship – Galatians 2.9  Holy kiss the brethren – Romans 16.16  Greet every saint – Philippians 4.21-22  Embrace (hug) – Acts 20.37  Face to face – III John 14 (Skype ?)  Call each other by name – III John 15

23. Out of this theology come the concept of the ALLELOUS, that is about thirty “one anothers” as listed in the Bible as to our responsibility to other Christians as members of the body of Christ, the church.

24.  Wash one another’s feet – John 13.14  Love one another – John 13.34  Be devoted to one another – Romans 12.10a  Give preference to one another – Romans 12.10b  Be of the same mind toward one another – Romans 12.16  let us not judge one another – Romans 14.13  Building up one another – Romans 14.19

25.  Same mind with one another – Romans 15.5  Accept one another – Romans 15.7  Admonish one another – Romans 15.14  Greet one another with a holy kiss – Romans 16.16  Wait for one another (communion) – I Corinthians 11.33  Same care for one another – I Corinthians 12.25

26.  Through love serve one another – Galatians 5.13  Bear one another’s burdens – Galatians 6.2  Show tolerance to one another in love – Ephesians 4.2  Be kind to one another – Ephesians 4.32  Be subject to one another – Ephesians 5.21  Regard one another as more important – Philippians 2.3

27.  Do not lie to one another – Colossians 3.9  Bearing with one another – Colossians 3.13  Comfort one another – I Thessalonians 4.18  Encourage one another – I Thessalonians 5.11  Seek what is good for one another – I Thessalonians 5.15  Consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds – Hebrews 10.24  Do not complain, brethren, against one another – James 5.9

28.  Confess your sins to one another – James 5.16  Pray for one another – James 5.16  Fervently love one another from the heart – I Peter 1.22  Be hospitable to one another – I Peter 4.9  Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another – I Peter 5.5  Love one another – I John 3.11,23;4.7,11,12; 2 John 5

29. What are some practical ways we as the Body of Christ can get the ball rolling on the one anothers?

30. Learn to be BOLD otherwise you will live out your Christian life on the bench

31. Get to know people by learning their name. Unless you have a photographic memory write it down. Is this really important? Question: What are the last five words of 3 John? “Greet the friends by name”

32. Connect with others: 1. Phone them 2. Write them 3. Text them 4. Send a card to them 5. Visit them at church 6. Invite them 7. Introduce them to others

33. Genuinely care for others 1. Ask, “How are you?” 2. What can I pray for you about? 3. Ask others about their lives 4. Invite them to get together with you

34. Purposely reach out to those who have nothing to offer you rather than trying to advance your social standing. See Romans 12.16 James 2.1-4