Serve One Another Within the Family of God
(Form groups small enough for edifying interaction and total participation)

Also: Spiritual Gifts Mentioned in the New Testament that believers use to serve one another,
And, Pastoral Duties that Are Necessary to Expedite Intensive Interaction

Galatians 5:13 reveals the reciprocal nature of Christian ministry: “For you, dear friends, have been called to live in freedom, not to satisfy your sinful nature, but to serve one another in love.” There are many such ‘one another’ verses in the Bible. New Testament church body life requires small groups that allow interaction between all participants. We listen to each other and deal with those spiritual disciplines that our Lord and His apostles command. With the aid of the Holy Spirit, each participant uses their God-given gifts to help others grow and serve (do not force shy people to talk until they are ready).

New Testament ‘One Anothers’

Study the commands that you need most urgently to practice. Let your group discuss which ones to study.

Building loving fellowship one with another (within and between groups)

Love:
Love one another: John 13:34-35; 5:12, 17; Rom. 12: 10; 1 Thess. 4:9; 1 John 3:11,14, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 1:5; 1 Peter 1:22
Love one another to fulfill the law: Rom. 13:8
Increase our love one for another: 2 Thess. 1:3
Abound in love for another: 1 Thess. 3:12
Love each other deeply, to cover a multitude of sins: 1 Peter 4:8

Interact with care:
Have fellowship one with another: 1 John 1:7
Forgive one another: Eph. 3:13; 4:32; Col. 3:13
Greet one another with a holy kiss (an embrace in some cultures): Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Peter 5:14
Wait for one another to break bread: 1 Cor. 11:33
Bear one another’s sufferings: 1 Cor. 12:26

Serving one another (within and among groups)

Serve:
Serve one another with the gifts each person has received: 1 Peter 4:10
Serve one another in love: Gal. 5:13
Be kind to each other: 1 Thess. 5:15
Care for one another: 1 Cor. 12:25
Bear the burdens one for another: Gal. 6:2
Wash one another’s feet as a sign of humbly serving: John 13:14
Work with one another: 1 Cor. 3:9; 2Cor. 6:1

Teach:
Teach one another: Col. 3:16
Instruct one another: Rom. 5:14

Encourage:
Encourage one another: Col. 3:16; Heb. 10:25
Exhort one another: Heb. 3:13
Speak the truth to one another: Eph. 4:25
Lay down our lives one for another: 1 John 3:16
Spur one another to love and good deeds: Heb. 10:24

Edify:
Edify (strengthen, build up) one another: 1 Thess. 4:18 & 5:1, 11
Edify one another gathering together each one with a hymn, a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or its interpretation: 1 Cor. 14:26

Give spiritual care:
Confess our sins one to another: James 5:16
Pray for one another: James 5:16

Cultivating unity one with another (within and between groups)

Act with humility:
Honor one another: Rom. 12:10
Be of one mind one with another: 2 Cor. 13:11; Rom. 12:16; 15:5
Do not criticize one another: Rom. 14:13
Do not speak bad one of another: James 4:11; 5:9
Submit to one another: Eph. 5:21
Be clothed with humility toward one another: 1 Peter 5:5

Live in harmony:
Have patience one with another: Eph. 4:2
Live in peace one with another: Matt. 9:50
Receive one another with hospitality: Rom. 15:7; 1 Peter. 4:9
Glorify God together: Rom. 15:6

Spiritual Gifts in the New Testament that Believers Use to Serve One Another

Relate the biblical examples and explanations listed by each gift that need clarification. Some are too long to read; you might recount by memory the relevant parts.

Gifts listed in Romans 12:6-8.
Mark gifts in the box o that need to be developed in our group. You will probably need to arrange for help from other groups (and give help to them in areas in which your group is strong).
o Serve: Samuel, 1 Sam. 1:20-28; 3:1-21; Deacons, Acts 6:1-7; Dorcas, Acts 9:36-41
o Prophesy--messages from God for strength, consolation and encouragement; 1 Cor. 14:3
o Give--Abigail, 1 Sam. 25; guidelines: 2 Cor. 9
o Teach--Ezra: Neh. 8; purpose, Eph. 4:11-16
o Encourage--exhort: Paul with the Ephesian elders, Acts 20:17-38
o Lead--servant leader who helps others to minister: Moses, Ex. 18:13-26
o Show mercy--The sheep and goats, Matt25:31-46; Good Samaritan, Lk10:30-35; David with Saul, 1 Sam. 24

Additional gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 27-30
o Counsel with wisdom--Solomon, 1 Kings 3:5-28
o Base decisions on knowledge (facts)--Bereans’ searching the Word, Acts 17:10-12
o Help--Aquila and Priscilla, Acts18:1-5, 24-28
o Go, as an Apostle (sent one with itchy feet)--Rom. 5:20-21; Paul and Barnabas, Acts chapters 13-14
o Discern--Nathan, 2 Sam. Chapters 11-12; Paul, Gal. 2:6-21
o Heal--Jesus and the paralytic, Mark 2:1-12; Peter and John heal the crippled man, Acts chapters 3-4
o Administrate--Nehemiah: Neh chapters 2-3
o Do miracles--Elijah: 1 Kings 18:16-46; Elisha: 2 Kings chapters 2-5
o Speak in tongues--Cornelius’ household, Acts 10:44-48. Use this gift with the following:
o Interpret tongues--see cautions in 1 Cor.14
o Use faith (all need it but some stir it in others)--the leper and the centurion, Matt. 8:1-13; Old Testament faithful, Heb. 11

Additional gifts listed in Ephesians 4:11
o Announce the Good News (evangelist)--Philip; Acts 8:26-40
o Pastor (shepherd) -- Acts 20:28-34; 1 Peter 5:1-4 (see Vital Pastoral Duties, below)

Pastoral Duties that Are Necessary to Expedite Intensive Interaction

Mobilize. A shepherding elder, more than anyone else, is responsible to see that each member of his group uses his or her gifts in ministry to edify one another within the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-16).

Aim for Balance. Do not over-emphasize any of the gift-based ministries (1 Cor. 12:14-30). A church’s greatest weakness is usually its strongest ministry taken to excess.

Network with Other Groups. No small group has all the spiritual gifts it needs, to be self-sufficient. New Testament group body life requires interaction between groups. Poor Christians in Macedonia, for example, had the gift of giving and used it to strengthen the Lord’s work in other places (2 Cor. 8:1-5, compared with Acts 18:1-5). If your group is weak on evangelism, don’t go looking around for another method to witness. Look rather for who can help you, someone in another group or church who is willing to help you as you in turn help them in another way. Almost nothing is more powerful to build ministries than this voluntary, loving interaction between believers, cell groups and churches. We organize it in our own way by building on relationships, so it happens easily and joyfully.

Oversee New Testament ministries. Review regularly all ministries required by the New Testament. Beginning with the command to love God and man, we practice the "one another" dynamics of the New Testament--not only within groups but also between them. Persons encourage one other, pray for each other, confess faults to one another, etc. We cannot do this in large meetings; we also organize small group meetings--home groups or cells.