General Subject：Loving the Lord and Loving One Another for the Organic Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ
Message Six The Lord’s New Commandment Given to Us— That We Love One Another
Outline
F. Loving one another is a sign that we belong to Christ (John 13:34-35); if we desire to have the ability to influence people concerning the Lord and to bear fruit, we must have love for one another and become one in the church life; the best way for us to bear fruit is to love one another by taking Christ as our person and life (v. 35; 17:21, 23).
John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 13:35 By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 17:21 That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that You have sent Me.
John 17:23 I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected into one, that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.
G. The genuine preaching of the gospel is a matter in fellowship (Phil. 1:5) because it is a matter of the Body; the branches of a tree bear fruit in a way of fellowship (John 15:5, 12, 17); the more we live in the Body life and have the reality of the Body life, the more we will be fruitful.
Phil. 1:5 For your fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now,
John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another even as I have loved you.
John 15:17 These things I command you that you may love one another.
H. The condition of the vital groups in the church life is that of loving one another in oneness and with one accord; for the practice of the vital groups, the saints need to be trained how to have fellowship that is altogether based on oneness and one accord—Acts 1:14.
Acts 1:14 These all continued steadfastly with one accord in prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
I. In the church life of brotherly love (Rom. 12:10; 1 Thes. 3:12; 4:9; 2 Thes. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:22; 4:8), we receive one another (Rom. 15:7), have the same mind toward one another (v. 5), pursue the things for building up one another (14:19), bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2), bear one another in love (Eph. 4:2), comfort and build up one another (1 Thes. 5:11), confess our sins to one another and pray for one another (James 5:16), forgive one another (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13), and are subject to one another (Eph. 5:21).
Rom. 12:10 Love one another warmly in brotherly love; take the lead in showing honor one to another.
1 Thes. 3:12 And the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we also to you,
1 Thes. 4:9 Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for me to write to you, for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another;
2 Thes. 1:3 We ought to thank God always concerning you, brothers, even as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly and the love of each one of you all to one another is increasing,
1 Pet. 1:22 Since you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned brotherly love, love one another from a pure heart fervently,
1 Pet. 4:8 Above all, have fervent love among yourselves, because love covers a multitude of sins.
Rom. 15:7 Therefore receive one another, as Christ also received you to the glory of God.
Rom. 15:5 Now the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind toward one another according to Christ Jesus,
Rom. 14:19 So then let us pursue the things of peace and the things for building up one another.
Gal. 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ completely.
Eph. 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing one another in love,
1 Thes. 5:11 Therefore comfort one another, and build up each one the other, even as you also do.
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The petition of a righteous man avails much in its working.
Eph. 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ also forgave you.
Col. 3:13 Bearing one another and forgiving one another, if anyone should have a complaint against anyone; even as the Lord forgave you, so also should you forgive.
Eph. 5:21 Being subject to one another in the fear of Christ:
J. The proper church meeting is a “one another” meeting, a “round-table” meeting, in which we speak to one another (v. 19), teach and admonish one another (Col. 3:16), consider one another and exhort one another (Heb. 10:24-25), and listen to one another (1 Thes. 5:20); we need to learn to have a proper mutual care in the meetings (1 Cor. 12:25-26).
Eph. 5:19 Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and psalming with your heart to the Lord,
Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God.
Heb. 10:24 And let us consider one another so as to incite one another to love and good works,
Heb. 10:25 Not abandoning our own assembling together, as the custom with some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more as you see the day drawing near.
1 Thes. 5:20 Do not despise prophecies,
1 Cor. 12:25 That there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same care for one another.
1 Cor. 12:26 And whether one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it.
K. We need to be dealt with and built up by the Lord (8:1) so that our administration of the church and our ministry of the word will result in the brothers and sisters spontaneously loving one another for the building up of the church; when the saints genuinely grow in their spiritual life, the experience of the divine life will result in an increase of love, because love is the issue of life (1 John 3:14); this will cause the church life to be living, prevailing, functioning, and powerful.
1 Cor. 8:1 Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers. He who does not love abides in death.
Morning Nourishment
John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another even as I have loved you.
John 15 tells us that all the branches should bear fruit (vv. 1-5). A tree has not only one branch; it has many branches, and all the branches bear fruit in a way of fellowship. This is why later in that chapter the Lord Jesus tells us that we have to love one another (vv. 12, 17). If we love one another, the people of the world will see that we are the disciples of Christ (13:34-35)... In order to be fruitful, we have to love one another. (CWWL, 1965, vol. 1, “Preaching the Gospel in the Way of Life,” p. 281)
Today’s Reading
All people deep within are seeking a life and love in real mutuality. This desire for mutuality is in the human nature as something created by God. Not one human being truly wants to live by himself or herself individually...When we live by Christ, in Christ, with Christ, and for Christ, we have love for one another, and this mutual love becomes a strong testimony. This is the outworking of the inner life and the power to bear fruit.
In order to be prevailing and fruitful in the preaching of the gospel, we must pay our full attention to the Body life. The more we live in the Body life and have the reality of the Body life, the more we will be fruitful. Such a life will be a strong testimony to our relatives, friends, schoolmates, and neighbors. When all these people see the kind of mutual love we have among us as Christian brothers, they will be very impressed and influenced. This will pave the way and open the door for the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts. To have the real Body life helps us to be prevailing. I believe that this is the very reason why the apostle Paul uses the word fellowship in Philippians 1:5. All the branches bear fruit together, one with another. Not one branch bears fruit individually. (CWWL, 1965, vol. 1,“Preaching the Gospel in the Way of Life,” p. 281)
The condition of the vital groups is that of loving one another in oneness and with one accord (John 13:34-35)...We must admit that although we do love one another, we may not love one another very much. Because we meet together day after day and year after year, we surely have human affection for one another, but the condition of loving one another in the vital groups should be more than this.
We not only love one another, but we love one another in oneness and with one accord. In John 17 the Lord Jesus said that when His disciples are one in the Triune God, the whole world will believe that He was sent by the Father (vv. 21, 23). This is the way to gain people... If two or three of us go out as one man, the people whom we visit will realize that there is a dynamic power among us. There will be the impact, and they will be convinced. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “Fellowship concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups,” pp. 407-408)
If we will give up all the hindrances, bonds, and frustrating elements, the Holy Spirit will have a free way to move. When the Holy Spirit has the free way to move, many things will begin to happen... Many new believers will be brought into the church. Another thing that will happen is that the saints will genuinely grow in their spiritual life, and their spiritual gifts will begin to be manifested. In addition, the saints will begin to love one another more. The experience of the divine life will result in an increase in love, because love is the issue of life (1 John 3:14). This will cause the church life to be living, prevailing, functioning, and powerful. This is what God’s people are longing for. Deep in their spirits they are longing for this. (CWWL, 1963, vol. 4, “Contacting the Lord, Being Filled in Spirit, and Having Proper Christian Meetings for the Accomplishment of God’s Eternal Purpose,” pp. 42-43)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1965, vol. 1, “Preaching the Gospel in the Way of Life,” ch. 9; CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” ch. 8
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