All By Myself
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton
Text: Colossians 3:12-17
I. Why do I have to go to church?
A. After all, I can worship God all by myself.
B. After all, all Christians are priests - I Peter 2:9
C. I can read my Bible and I don’t need anyone else - Ephesians 3:3-4
D. I can pray all by myself - Matthew 6:5-6
II. But these aren’t the only acts of worship
A. Lord’s Supper
1. It is a part of coming together - I Corinthians 11:20
2. It is shared with others - I Corinthians 10:16-17
3. It is not a solitary act
B. Singing
1. I sing, but in the process I speak to others and am spoken to - Ephesians 5:19
2. I sing, but I teach and admonish others while they are simultaneously teaching and admonishing me - Colossians 3:16
3. I can’t sing by myself and fulfill this command
C. Come to think of it, you can’t even become a Christian without others
1. The command is “be baptized,” which involves others
2. I suspect that was purposely done
III. Christianity is not a loner’s religion
A. We learn to put ourselves behind others
1. Through love we serve one another - Galatians 5:13-15
2. We submit to each other, so we can learn humility - I Peter 5:5
3. We esteem others better than ourselves - Philippians 2:3-4
4. We give preference to each other in honor - Romans 12:10
B. We help each other
1. Bear each other’s burdens - Galatians 6:2
2. Same care for each other - I Corinthians 12:25-26
3. Comfort and edify each other - I Thessalonians 5:11
4. We pray for each other - James 5:16
C. We treat all Christians as equals
1. Have the same mind toward each other - Romans 12:16
2. Like-minded so we can serve God together - Romans 15:5-6
3. Be of one mind - I Peter 3:8-9
4. We are members of one another - Ephesians 4:25
D. Welcome each other
1. Receive each other - Romans 15:7
2. Greet each other - Romans 16:16 (also I Corinthians 16:20; II Corinthians 13:12; I Peter 5:14)
3. Be hospitable - I Peter 4:9-10
E. Love one another - John 13:34-35
1. This command is repeated at least 18 times in the New Testament!
2. Abound in love - I Thessalonians 3:12
3. Fervently love - I Peter 4:8
F. Be at peace
1. Have peace - Mark 9:50
2. Don’t cause others to stumble - Romans 14:13
3. Be kind and forgiving - Ephesians 4:32
4. Bearing with each other - Colossians 3:12-15
5. Everyone isn’t easy to get along with. This isn’t an option, but a requirement
G. Encourage
1. Pursue things that edify - Romans 14:19
2. Admonish - Romans 15:14
3. Exhort - Hebrews 3:13 (also Hebrews 10:25)
IV. To attain all the riches, we must be knitted together - Colossians 2:1-3
A. How good and pleasant when brethren live in unity - Psalms 133:1
B. Be like the early church - Acts 4:32
C. All by myself? I don’t want to be all by myself