Authentic relationships

Building Authentic Relationships
Acts 2:42-47


Do we see the inner hurts that others carry? The church must have a structure to minister to wounded and needy members in the community on a personal level.

What do we do when our church starts to grow? In Acts, the people gathered to the temple to listen to the apostles. After that, they would gather in homes to continue fellowship. Church should not be restricted to the four walls of the church building. Regularly attending sunday service is not enough. We need to be able to open up our lives to others for accountability to see growth in our spiritual lives.

5 essential practices to building authentic relationships:

1. Self-disclosure: To know and be known

We need to expose ourselves to other people. It should go beyond superficial thoughts to deeper opinions, problems, aspirations etc. Deep down inside, we want people to know who we are. We can only share our stories in smaller settings. Self-disclosure is important for us to experience intimacy with each other and with God.

At the same time, we have to share things at the appropriate time and setting, lest we stumble others. We must not want to know people's secrets and struggles for curiousity's sake but out of love.

2. Care-giving: To love and be loved

1 John 3:16-17 We need to practically meet the needs of others. The word 'fellowship' used in Acts 2 meant the sharing of lives. We need to accept one another's differences. In Christ, we become one body, to the point that we should feel one another's pain. If we are to minister to a lost arting world outside the church, we are to truly have fellowship with each other for support.

3. Humility: To serve and be served

Jesus set the supreme example of humility. (John 13:4-5) He washed the feet of his disciples to show the full extent of his love. As the master, he took on thr posture of the servant for his disciples. In the account of the cruxifiction, Jesus, our God, allowed himself to be stripped down to his undergarments. He endured humiliation with all humility for our sake.

4. Truth-telling: To admonish and to be admonished

Admonition is often linked with teaching and encouraging. This ministry calls people to change and provides them with help to do so. We all have blind spots in our lives; flaws that can only be seen by others. They hinder our transformation and even relationships with others. Loving criticism from each other can help eradicate these blind spots from our lives. Withholding truths can stunt spiritual growth in people's lives.

5. Affirmation: To celebrate and be celebrated

We need to be reminders in each other's life and celebrators. Affirm and encourage each other even for the smallest progress.