I Am My Brother’s Keeper

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35

Jesus, in this prolific statement to his disciples, let them know what would be the greatest indicator to
others that we are his followers – the demonstration of care, concern and compassion for one another.
It is the evidence of love not the size of the building, nor the eloquency of our preaching or the depth of
our doctrine that is to be the calling card of the body of Christ. Love draws the lost, sustains the saved
and unifies the church. If we truly want to save souls and keep souls saved, each of us must strive to be
loving Christians so that we might have a loving church.

One of the ways that we can demonstrate our love for each other is by looking out for those within our
congregation who may be new to or weak in the faith. We must become our brother’s keeper. When we
read passages like 1 Corinthians 12:23-27 and Galatians 6:1-2, it is clear that it is God’s desire that
members of the church become connected to each other and care for one another. If we are not looking
out for each other then we are not fulfilling the Lord’s command to love one another.

How sad is it for a soul to obey the gospel and be added to the body only to be left to fend for
themselves? Yet, this happens time and time again in many congregations. Our “babes-in-Christ” are
often left to sink or swim on their own and most of the time, they wind up sinking…back into sin.
However, imagine if those who are “older” in the faith and more mature in their walk with the Lord took
some time to look out for and help those who are new and just beginning their relationship with Christ?
Then, we would see the truth of Solomon’s teaching in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 that two are better than one.
I believe we would lose less of our new members if older members became our brother’s keepers.

Today, I want to challenge each member of the body of Christ to become more concerned about the
new members or new converts within the church family. Don’t be selfish with your love. Abandon your
cliques and step out of your comfort zone. Take time to speak to new members. Learn their names.
Show them how wonderful it is to be a disciple of Christ and that they are now a part of a group of
people that truly loves them. Become a big brother or big sister. Now that they are saved, let’s do all we
can to keep them saved.

Remember the teaching of Christ, “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.” Matthew
7:12. It’s only right.

By Anthony Campbell

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