LIVE | One Anothering | 1 Thessalonians 5:11 | Ascend Church

E pluribus unum opens a doorway into the church’s calling to “make one out of many,” an old Christian idea Augustine named and Scripture embodies. Acts 17:27 sets the summer’s beacon: God is near and knowable, and in him people live and move and have their being. From that center, the workout moves from grow to connect, and into the spiritual discipline of one anothering. First Thessalonians 5:11 speaks plainly: “encourage one another and build one another up,” and then adds a crucial phrase, “as you are doing,” so the body sees what is already alive among them and keeps at it with fresh grace.

Romans 12:5 then names the first aspect: belonging. “Though many, are one body in Christ,” and “individually members one of another.” The body of Christ is not only a sharing people but a people who are part of each other. Gene Getz’s insight helps here. Scripture’s “one another” is not only a pronoun to read but a verb to practice. Disciplines meet desires of the flesh head on, so one anothering confronts loneliness, isolation, and discouragement with belonging, acceptance, shared burdens, and the same mind in Christ.

Hebrews 3:13 names the second aspect: encouragement “as long as it is called today,” so no heart gets hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Encouragement gives courage. It puts strength where weakness sits and breathes life where sin is choking. In a culture trained to click on controversy and feed on critique, the decision to speak five-word courage becomes holy resistance.

Ephesians 4:11-16 lays out the third aspect: building up. This is more than kind words. God gives equipping gifts so the saints do ministry, grow into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, are no longer tossed by every wind, and learn to “speak the truth in love.” Building up is mutual. Each part works properly so the whole body builds itself up in love.

Romans 12:9-10 gives the fourth aspect: honor. Let love be genuine. Hate evil. Hold fast to good. “Outdo one another in showing honor.” The flesh wants a double portion of honor for itself or plays the trash talk game that wins by tearing down. Christ’s body competes to celebrate others, to esteem, value, and respect beyond what seems enough.

So the call lands on practice, not a checkbox. Before leaving, belong, encourage, build up, and honor, and then wake tomorrow and do it again. One anothering is the Spirit’s way of making one out of many.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Belonging makes one out of many Belonging is not sentiment. Romans says the church is “members one of another,” so identity gets relocated into Christ’s body. This reorders loyalties, expectations, and priorities, because parts exist for the whole and the whole for the parts. E pluribus unum is not nostalgia; it is a living body. [50:33]
• 2. Encourage daily to resist hardening Encouragement is time sensitive. “As long as it is called today” means delay invites deception, and deception calcifies hearts. Words that give courage are small obediences that tilt someone away from brittleness toward trust. Refusing to speak life is not neutral; it concedes ground to sin. [63:10]
• 3. Build others toward mature fullness Building up equips, develops, and tells the truth in love so people grow into Christ’s fullness. This is patient work that resists quick fixes and celebrity shortcuts. The goal is stability, not hype, and likeness to Christ, not likeness to a personality. Mutual contribution is how the body grows. [70:07]
• 4. Mutuality replaces consumer religion One anothering is an exchange, not a transaction. The body asks, “Who am I equipping, and will I let them equip me,” rather than, “Who is serving me well enough.” Mutuality starves gossip and entitlement because every part takes responsibility. Strength flows in both directions when humility opens the door. [74:34]
• 5. Outdo one another in honor Honor celebrates others, gives weight to their good, and does it abundantly. Competing to receive honor shrinks souls; competing to give honor enlarges love. The trash talk economy bankrupts community, but double portions of honor enrich it. Genuine love hates what corrodes and clings to what builds. [76:49]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [30:14] - E pluribus unum and the church
• [44:14] - One anothering as summer workout
• [45:28] - Beacon verse in Acts 17:27
• [47:20] - “Encourage and build up” in Thessalonica
• [50:33] - Belonging as one body in Christ
• [54:22] - Gene Getz and verbing one another
• [57:43] - One anothering against loneliness and isolation
• [62:27] - Exhort one another daily
• [70:07] - Ephesians 4 and mature fullness
• [74:34] - Mutuality, not consumer religion
• [76:49] - Outdo one another in honor
• [82:15] - Practice four acts before leaving
• [85:18] - Newcomers reception invitation

1. What two actions does 1 Thessalonians 5:11 command believers to practice, and what phrase emphasizes that this is already happening among them?
2. According to Romans 12:5, how does belonging to the body of Christ redefine individual identity? [50:33]
3. Hebrews 3:13 warns against hearts being hardened by sin. What daily action does it prescribe to prevent this? [01:03:10]
4. Ephesians 4:11-16 describes “building up” as more than kind words. What specific outcomes does this passage link to mutual growth in Christ?

1. Why might the phrase “as you are doing” in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 be both affirming and challenging for a church community?
2. How does the idea of being “members one of another” (Romans 12:5) confront modern cultural tendencies toward individualism and isolation? [57:43]
3. The sermon describes encouragement as “holy resistance” to a culture of criticism. What makes encouragement countercultural, and why is it urgent? [01:06:25]
4. Ephesians 4:15 emphasizes “speaking the truth in love.” How does this balance honesty and grace in relationships, and why is it critical for maturity?

1. Identify one person in your life who needs encouragement this week. What specific, five-word phrase could you speak or write to them to “put strength where weakness sits”? [01:05:46]
2. Belonging means seeing yourself as “part of others.” What practical step could you take to deepen mutual responsibility in your relationships (e.g., initiating a shared prayer time, asking for help, or addressing a conflict)?
3. The sermon warns against “consumer religion” where we expect others to serve us. How can you shift your mindset this week from “Who is serving me?” to “Who can I equip or learn from?” [01:14:34]
4. Romans 12:10 calls believers to “outdo one another in showing honor.” What creative way could you visibly celebrate or affirm someone’s God-given value this week (e.g., a handwritten note, public acknowledgment, or intentional time together)?
5. Reflect on a relationship where you tend to critique more than encourage. What is one area where you could replace criticism with a building-up truth this week? [01:07:01]