Greetings to you, dear friends! Grace and peace to you from Father God and our Lord Jesus Christ!We will talk some more about accountability. Yesterday we discussed that accountability makes us stronger and unites us with other believers; it also prevents the erroneous thinking of us being ‘lone islands’; this mentality is still causing many problems in the Body of Christ.The Bible says that we are the Body of Christ – One Body with many members. Every physical body consists of many members that are equally important. For example, a human body does not have members that are more or less important. An eye cannot say to a hand: “I do not need you!”, and a head cannot say to a leg: “I have no need in you!»
«But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you”. (..) And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Corinthians, 12: 20-21, 26).
One of the ways for us to be accountable is to become a part of Christian fellowship in one of local churches. When we become church members we become accountable and it helps us to grow spiritually.The Church of Jesus Christ is the place of accountability and not where everyone does what comes to his mind. The New Testament contains many of God’s commandments that have the phrase “one another” in them. It tells us that we do not only walk before God, but also walk before one another. For example, it says in several verses that we should love one another. «A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another» (John, 13:34-35).
(See also John, 5:12, 17; Romans, 12:10; 1 Thessalonians, 4:9; 1 John, 3:11,14). It also says in the Bible that we should minister one another: «As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of he manifold grace of God» (1 Peter, 4:10).
There is also a commandment that tells us to teach and admonish one another: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians, 3:16).
Another verse of Scripture says that we should exhort one another: «…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the Day approaching» (Hebrews, 10:25).
The Bible also calls us to pray for one another: «Confess your trespasses to one another, and, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much» (James, 5:16).
When we willingly and readily, without being forced, do everything the Bible calls us to do, we will grow and change.God desires for the members of local church to be united. Often local churches are divided into small groups or home groups that help people to minister to one another more effectively. Many people do not become a part of these groups. They do not even realize what they lose by doing it.When you are a church member and also a part of a small group where you can practice Christian fellowship and be accountable to one another, you enter the system of accountability. If you just want to go to church and be ‘a free bird’, then you lose an opportunity to be changed through accountability and Christian fellowship. A home group is a small group of people that come together in order to fellowship, share their lives with one another and get to know one another so that they can help one another at a time of need.You know, just as much as you open yourself to others, they will be able to help you at a time of need. Jesus said: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John, 10:27-28).
Allow God to help you and to change you into the image of Jesus Christ through accountability and Christian fellowship. God bless you!Pastor Rufus Ajiboye
