Our series this month is entitled ONE ANOTHER.
The idea behind the series is to explore the family rules that God expects of His children – those who call themselves Christians – to live by.
Just as a natural family has certain expectations, God's family (the Church), has specific guidelines that guide our attitudes and behaviors. These are identified in Scripture by the phrase, One Another.

Week one - Love One Another
We learned about Biblical love being a "committed action of sacrifice on the behalf of another, regardless of the circumstance and reaction."
Week two - Build One Another Up, where we looked at being intentional in our actions to care for others and help people reach their God-given potential.
Week three - Greet One Another, we looked at how to improve in the area of making others feel accepted, valued, and loved.

Aren't you amazed when you see something that you had no idea would happen and then somehow the circumstances and the situations seem to work together perfectly?
Look back on your life and think about the times when God worked in such an incredible way that the only explanation is God.
Romans 11:33-36

With that in mind, here is one truth that we should remember if we remember anything about today's sermon
God has His WAY, to do His WORK, in His TIME, for His good PLEASURE.
Today we'll look at Romans 12:16 and the idea of living in harmony with one another.

God's desire for followers of Christ:
Psalm 133:1
Philippians 2:2-3
1 Corinthians 13:11
2 Corinthians 1:10

How do we live in harmony with one another?
If we think of harmony in the area of music, we know we find joy, satisfaction, and a sense of delight when we hear a beautiful, perfect harmony.
When there is harmony in the fellowship of the church, there is also a sense of joy and well-being.
Satan is always active in bringing disharmony into the fellowship of God's people because he knows that where there is discord, sin can creep into the church and therefore the witness of the church is impaired. John 10:10

We need to appreciate how important it is that harmony should be the characteristic of the fellowship we belong to and be certain that we are not the cause of any disharmony.
If all people lived out the gospel and the salvation they have received in Christ, then harmony would be the result.
For Christians to be in harmony they must be one in belief concerning the truth. True harmony can only result when the church fellowship is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, the fundamentals of the teachings.

The mercies of God call us to practice humility.
Paul keeps hammering the theme of Romans 12:16.
Romans 11:20, 25; 12:3; 15:5
Philippians 1:27; 2:2; 4:2
Paul isn't insisting that we all think alike or agree on every issue, which isn't going to happen in this life.
Rather, he is calling us to unity based on our common salvation, our shared purpose in the gospel, and our shared hope in Christ.

Ephesians 4:2-3
We should be carried away with doing lowly tasks.
We should reach out in love and make those who are beneath our educational or economic level feel accepted.
Proverbs 3:7 "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil."
"The person who is wise in his own eyes is rarely so in the eyes of other people." - Leon Morris
Jeremiah 9:23-24

Today we'll use an acronym for the word "harmony" to help us in understanding how to work together and live in harmony with one another.

H - honest
Proverbs 12:17
Romans 7:17-25
People in the church like to wear masks in the sense that we want people to think there is nothing wrong with us and that we are perfect with no flaws. If Grace Church is going to live in harmony with one another we need to be honest with each other.

A - affirmation
We've covered this a lot in the last few weeks.
This is words and actions that build up instead of tear down, looking for the best in others, and being kind instead of being right.
Romans 15:2
1 Corinthians 3:10; 14:12
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Who can you give affirmation to this week?

R - respectful
It is a mutual acceptance of our differences and uniqueness. It's not pushy, not condescending, not rude; it's listening carefully and responding correctly.
1 Thessalonians 5:12

M - mature
Helping one another mature; to reach the place where God wants them to be. Grace Church has a mentoring program to help others grow.
2 Peter 3:18
We are not to stay in the same place spiritually, we should be growing. We can walk with each other in the process of maturity.

O - optimism
Always looking for the best, glass half full-not half empty, taking the hard times of today and turn them into the hope for tomorrow, working through things instead of wanting change.
Joshua 1:9
Romans 8:28
Philippians 4:13

N - necessity
The Church is to be those who come together, who share with each other, who love one another, that build each other up and greet one another. We are the body of Christ, we are a family, therefore it is of necessity that we work and walk with each other.
Romans 12:4-5
Galatians 6:10

Y - yielding
We should be willing and able to express our opinion, listen to the other persons opinion, and be willing to walk with them even though you might not agree.
Ephesians 5:21 "Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."

Discussion and Application:

1. Talk about a time when you saw God work in a way that didn’t humanly make sense, but it happened.

2. What do you learn about God in Romans 11:33-36?

3. Read Romans 12:9-22 and look at the qualities mentioned. Choose one to do a word study on that will help you grow in your faith.

4. As you observe verse 16, what does God want you to be aware of in your role as part of your family and your church family?

5. When you reflect on the Acronym for Harmony which one is your strength, and which one do you need to work on?

Birthdays and Anniversaries:

Monday, May 25 - David Berkimer, Henry & Cathy Felder
Thursday, May 28 - Krissa Johnson, AJ & Ashley Meehan
Friday, May 29 - Lori Orton
Saturday, May 30 - Dominik Stephens, Richard & Nikki Yargeau