BROTHERLY KINDNESS
1 Peter 3:8-9 "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing."
rotherly kindness is difficult if not impossible for those who are still carnally minded. I believe this is one of the last things to add because it is one of the most difficult for a carnally minded person to add and to accomplish. We must have grown spiritually to the point that we have mostly overcome our physical nature. We should have grown by this time at least to the point we have gained enough control of our emotions and thoughts so we can stop and think before we act. Adding brotherly kindness involves also knowing enough so that we understand the things God wants us to do.When we begin adding compassion for each other, we should have grown to the point that on doctrinal issues we are of one mind.
We see adding brotherly kindness means we are to have compassion for our brothers and sisters in Christ. For someone to have compassion means they are to be able to place themselves in the position of someone else. I have heard a supposed old Indian saying, “We need to walk a mile in their moccasins.” This implies we must have a love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Having compassion, or adding brotherly kindness, means we are not to return evil for evil, but we are to return blessings (good) in return for evil. This is not easy to do, but this is why we are called by God. We are now getting to the difficult part of Christian growth. It goes against human nature, but it is required of us by God which means we must have by this point began controlling our emotions and desires.
1 John 3:16-19 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
Love can always be perceived. The way we know Jesus loves us, is He showed us through His death on the cross. How do we know we have love for our brethren? If one of our brethren has needs of this world's goods and we do not share, we are not showing compassion. We are not showing brotherly kindness, we are not showing love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are not to love in word only, but in action, our love should be seen. The way we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ shows forth very clearly if we are mature Christians or not.
Hebrews 10:22-27 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Because we have been baptized, we should have a pure heart, a good conscience, and true love for our brethren. This love should be able to be seen by our actions towards each other. One way our love should be perceived is in our desire to encourage each other to grow in love and good works. The motive for everything I do should be, “What can I do to encourage my brother to grow in love and good works?”
Another way brotherly kindness can be seen is by my attendance at the worship services. If I don't spend time with you, how can I encourage you to grow in love and good works? Christianity is not a selfish, self-centered religion, but rather is designed by God to be a means of encouraging and helping one another to grow spiritually. The fact is none of us can stand on our own entirely, but at different times we all need help and encouragement.
Acts 4:32-35 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
The first century Christians shared what they had with those who were needy. This is how the early Christians gave witness to the resurrection of Christ. They showed forth the fact Jesus Christ was resurrected in them. On an annual basis, the city of Jerusalem swelled to 10 times its normal size between the Passover and Pentecost. After Pentecost the Jews would typically return to their homes which as is stated in Acts was in all the nations under heaven. But when they converted to Christianity, the Jewish Christians remained in Jerusalem instead of returning home. So if the same percentage of people had converted to Christianity as made up the population of Jerusalem during this period of time, it would help explain why so many Christians needed help. The need became so great the Christians who lived in Jerusalem began to sell their properties to fulfill the need. If the same ratio of 10 foreign Jews to 1 native Jew that made up the population of Jerusalem at the time of Pentecost, also made up the Church there would have been 10 times the number of Christians who did not live in Jerusalem before the day of Pentecost as who had homes and places to stay.
Also we need to remember the Jews were, by nature, very prejudiced. If you were not a Jew, you were lower than a dog, if you were a Jew from the city of David, you were special your status depended on many things. Now suddenly, here were people who several months earlier would have had no use for each other, suddenly they were selling their property to feed their now brothers and sisters in Christ. They gave to the apostles and each other a great witness of the resurrection of Christ through the change of their lives.
Matthew 5:43-48 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
To add brotherly kindness to our lives, we must have grown in our spiritual life to the point we can bless our enemies, where we can do good to them that hate us and we can pray for those who treat us wrong. If we just do good to those who do good to us, how are we different from those in the world? When we are at the point in our Christian growth we are adding brotherly kindness to our lives, we are at the part in our spiritual growth where it does not matter who the other person is, we do what we do because of who we are and of who our Father is. We are showing forth the glory of God.
Matthew 5:39-42 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
When we have grown in our spiritual lives to the point where we are adding brotherly love, we should have also grown to the point we are not resisting evil. This does not mean we are not resisting Satan, but rather it means we do not use the same weapons evil uses to resist. If we are forced to do something for someone, we need to have grown to the point we can go beyond what they want. We are to have compassion for those who are in need, whether we like them or not. Compassion does not always mean we just give something to someone because they have asked for it, such as giving money to every panhandler standing on the street corner, but rather we help in such a way as to help them fulfill their needs. This means if someone is hungry, instead of taking the easy way out and just handing them money, maybe we should take them down to the local grocery store and buy them food or give them work to do, and help them by allowing them the dignity to earn money to buy food. Compassion is not always doing what the person asks, but rather compassion is always doing what is best for the other person. In many cases, the hardest thing about showing compassion and helping someone is determining exactly what is in that person’s best interests.
James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Pure Christianity or as it is called here pure undefiled religion, is to help those who are in need and to do it in a way that shows we are different from the world. The world shows compassion by taking the easy way out and throwing money at every problem. For us as Christians who are striving to add brotherly kindness to our spiritual lives to be different from the world, we need to make sure we are giving of ourselves our time and our energy to help in the way that best encourages the recipient of the help to grow unto love and good works.
In my opinion, it is better to give food to a person who is hungry than give them money. I also believe it is better for the Church in many cases, when there are able body men and women in the congregation who for legitimate reasons such as being laid of work temporarily have need of help to pay those members to do work that may need to be done, such as painting the building, or cleaning homes for the widows and elderly within the congregation than to just give them money.
John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
In John, Jesus gives us a new commandment. A commandment is something we have to do or we sin. This commandment is we as Christians are to love each other as Christ loved us. This is how the world will know we are Christians by the love we have one for another. This means this level of love must be perceived by the world through our actions, or the works we do for each other. This means our works must be readily seen, if the world can tell by the love we have for each other that we are disciples of Christ, it has to be much more than just going to Church and shaking hands. This means the relationship we have between us as Christians is to be obviously such a caring helpful relationship that people who come in contact with us see Christ in us. This was obvious in the first century Church because the Bible tells us members of the Church sold property or houses and gave the money to the Lord’s Church in order their brethren would not go hungry or starve.
1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
We are to have pure motives in our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. This means the only reason we are helping them is because we care about them. This does not mean we own a house so we rent it to our brother or sister in Christ. I am not saying there is anything wrong with renting to a brother or sister in Christ. The point I am making is the pure natural love we have for our brothers and sisters in Christ is not talking about treating them as we would the world. If I rent a house to my brother in Christ in exactly the same way I would to a stranger in the world, while it maybe a nice thing for the brother in Christ to have a landlord they trust, this is not the type of thing that is being referred to here.
Because I have obeyed the gospel by being baptized into Christ and because I am transformed by becoming like Jesus, I am commanded by God to love my brethren. In addition I am commanded to treat them in such a fashion the world can tell I love them in a brotherly way. There is to be a fervor or passion or emotion seen in this love. This emotion is to be shown by our deeds brought about by a pure heart.
LUKE 10:25-36 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Jesus is being tempted by a lawyer. The lawyer starts off by trying to flatter Jesus and maybe thought he would get a swelled head and answer the question wrong. The question the lawyer asked was supposedly a simple one, he asked ‘How can I have eternal life?” Jesus answers him with the obvious simple answer, “Keep the law.” And he quotes some of the commandments. The Bible goes on to say, the lawyer wanting to justify himself, asks another question, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus in reading his heart has quoted some of the commands of God that made the lawyer uncomfortable. So Jesus proceeds to tell His famous parable about “The Good Samaritan.” He concludes by asking the lawyer a question, “Which one of these men was neighbor to him that fell among thieves?” The lawyer answers “He that showed mercy.” Jesus then tells him, “Go and do the same.”
Through this simple story, Jesus has put the lawyer in his place and taught an important lesson at the same time. Whoever acts like a neighbor is a neighbor. In the same way to be a neighbor, one must act like a neighbor. We see in order to be perceived as a Christian, we must do the things a Christian would do. We need to have compassion for the people we come in contact with on a day by day basis. Even the lawyer who was trying to tempt Jesus knew what a good neighbor should do. In the same way, we know if we are acting like Christians. The question is “Will I go and do like the Samaritan?” Should I use the things I have to help others?
Matthew 25:31-46 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Christians will be judged by how they help their brothers and sisters in Christ. My eternal destination depends on whether I add brotherly kindness to my life. If we are facing God and He asked the question, “Does your life show you have brotherly love in our lives?” How would we answer that question?
BROTHERLY KINDNESS IS NOT TO BE LIMITED TO BRETHERN ONLY
Matthew 5:39-42 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Adding brotherly kindness does not mean we just treat our brothers and sisters in Christ right. Brotherly kindness includes treating our enemies in the proper fashion. Have we treated even those who have not treated us right in such a way we returned unto them good for evil? The answer to this question tells a lot about where we are at in our spiritual growth.
Matthew 19:16-22 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
This man comes to Jesus and asks him what he needs to do to have eternal life. Jesus tells him to Keep the commands of God, which he had done his whole life. Jesus told him to sell his good and give them to the poor. In other words, Jesus told him to add brotherly kindness to his life. He turned away sorrowfully, for he had great possessions. This is where many fall short. They do not understand the fact their possessions belong to God, they are only on loan to us.
BROTHERLY KINDNESS IS NOT ALWAYS SAYING YES
2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
Having compassion does not mean always giving money. Sometimes just as God told Paul NO, when he asked for his thorn in the flesh to be taken away, we have to say NO. This is the reason why when someone asks the Church for help, if they can work, we should give them work. But we have to make sure we are guided by compassion. If we do not have compassion for others, how can we claim we love our brethren, let alone God the Father?
Chapter Summary
1. It is important and necessary to Add brotherly kindness to our Christian Lives
2. Adding brotherly kindness means adding compassion to our lives.
3. Adding brotherly kindness means we will stop and think about what is best from their perspective.
4. Adding brotherly kindness means we will put whatever is best for others ahead of what we want.
5. Adding brotherly kindness means we attend the worship services of the Church.
6. Adding brotherly kindness means we use what we have for the glory of God.
7. Adding brotherly kindness means we share what we have with others.
8. Adding brotherly kindness means we give of our time for others.
9. Adding brotherly kindness means we have compassion for others.
10. Adding brotherly kindness means we have pure unacted love for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
11. Adding brotherly kindness means we are affected by the problems of others.
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