Top 10 Tips for Getting Along with Church People

Truthfully, I love my church family for a number of reasons, but mostly because we have a good mix of every age in our church family, and we take care of each other and our community. Our church motto comes from Matthew 22:37-39, “Love 1 God. Love ALL People.” We admit that we aren’t perfect, but we do our best to love like Jesus loved.

I have been studying the book of Galatians, and today I am going to cover the final chapter in the book. In the first five chapters, Paul took a pretty stern stance against the division that was going on in the church family of Galatia. I can imagine the leaders in most churches have felt this same frustration occasionally. My favorite book (other than God’s Word) that addresses unity in the church is Releasing the Revival Flood by Greg Frizzell.

Paul was frustrated because the Galatian believers had been taught the truth of the gospel, but they were choosing to slide back into their old habits. The summary of his argument against the church is found in Galatians 6:12-16. In synopsis, “Do not go back to your old life of slavery to the law. ‘What counts is [becoming] a new creation.’” New creation is a theme throughout all of Paul’s writings. Here are just a few examples: Romans6:4, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:24, Colossians 3:10.

Galatians 5:26-6:10 is all about living in Christian community. How can a diverse body of believers get along, take care of one another, and make disciples? Let’s take a look at Paul’s top 10 tips for getting along with church people.

1.      Do not be conceited, which stirs up trouble and envy.

2.      Gently restore anyone who falls into temptation.

3.      Build an accountability system.

4.      Carry each other’s burdens.

5.      Don’t be self-centered, and don’t compare yourself with others.

6.      Do your part, and be involved in the church family.

7.      Share with each other whatever God teaches you. Even teachers can learn from their students.

8.      You reap what you sow; therefore, sow to please the Spirit, not the sinful nature. (See my study of Galatians 4 & Galatians5.)

9.      Avoid burnout.

10.  Do good to all people, especially your church members.

What if we all lived by these concepts? We just might become the church that changes our generation.

My paraphrase of the ending to the book of Galatians is, 

“Peace out, people! And stop causing me so much grief already! 

Love ya, 

Paul”