They are taught that in relationship with others in the church, at home and in society, their new life and new walk must show lowliness:
Love
‘With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love’ (Ephesians 4:2).
‘Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor’ (Ephesians 5:1-2).
‘We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also’ (1John 4:19-21).
‘Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me’ (John 17:20-23).
‘For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him’ (1Corinthians 12:12-18).
‘That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another’ (1Corinthians 12:25).
Peace Among Each Other
‘Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace’ (Ephesians 4:3).
‘Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord’ (Hebrews 12:14)
‘And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient’ (2 Timothy 2:24).
‘Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men’ (Romans 12:17-18).
I remember those days, as a young born again, new convert, immediately we finished bible study for the day, with zeal, I will go into my bible, repeat the bible quotations, read it over and over and examine my life with those bible references. Anyone I do not understand, I will go to my pastor, any leader and ask question. I make note of every bible study.
In fact, what I am telling you now is from my old bible study notebook, taught by my first Pastor Kumuyi at Gbagada Deeper Life Bible Church Gbagada, 1984. As we leave the church from every fellowship, we come out to practice it before our parents, schoolmates, neighbors, fellow believers and anyone around us. We use the bible to test ourselves to see if we are really born again. We watch how we react when others provoke us, tell lies against us.
We are happy when we suffer or denied our rights because of Christ. Those days, membership was not a mixture of wheat and tares but only those who were purchased with His own blood (see Acts 20:28). Church attendance and church membership are two different things. True church members hate sins; ignore sins, treats sins in the midst of sinners as if they do not exist. But people who just attend church respond to sin, play with sin and are alive to sin. Truly born-again church members are dead to sin and do not respond to the demands of the flesh. A nation does not count the dead and foreigners when citizens are being counted. Neither does a family count the dead and the fetus as part of the family. It is proper, legitimate, necessary and helpful for any church to know their members provided the dead; the foreigners and the fetus are not counted
‘Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls’ (Acts 2:41).
‘Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand’ (Acts 4:4).
‘And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith’ (Acts 6:7).
‘And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law’ (Acts 21:20).
