I moved to Oregon in 1994 from Texas. Texas was my home for my first 24 years and was the only culture I knew. In a country as big as the United States, it’s hard to imagine the vastness of different cultures. But when I moved to Oregon, I was in a bit of culture shock. This was not due to the language or that people ate their pizza with ranch (which I still don’t understand). It was because of the isolation (due to geography) in Douglas County.
For some background, the small suburb (Ovilla) I grew up in outside of Dallas has long neighborhood streets with big yards. Those yards were used for neighborhood football and tennis-baseball games. Everyone was welcome. In Ovilla, if someone’s porch light was on, they were home and open for visitors. If you went there unannounced, there were no concerns, and usually, sweet tea and an apple pie met you at the table.
The church I grew up in was warm, welcoming, and hospitable. In our youth ministry, every Sunday lunch and Sunday night, we gathered at someone’s house to eat, play cards, sing, and hang out. Usually, that’s where we talked about end times (and got spooked) or prayed for each other. Hospitality, caring for each other, and being in a community were important things to that culture.
This was part of my culture shock. It wasn’t that this part of the world wasn’t hospitable or caring. It was that people were used to being geographically isolated, and generally (not in all situations), if people didn’t know you, you weren’t trusted or warmly received. It wasn’t a long arm’s length, more like a short one.
I noticed the same dynamic when I started attending churches in our community. The ‘one another’s’ in the Bible weren’t ignored but weren’t readily seen. Usually, people did not appreciate a drop-in visit, and their immediate family (Christian or non-Christian) were the people they hung out with and were close to. None of this is bad; it was just different.
I say all this because when CLF started in 2003, one of our burdens was to ‘do the one another’s’ well. We hoped that we would serve each other, love each other, encourage each other, and exhort each other. We wanted to care enough for one another that no one had ‘lack’ (Acts 2:42-47). This was because in a culture like Douglas County, a church that did this well would stand out like a city on a hill.
Part of the theology behind this desire is found in several places, but we saw it on Sunday in our study of James 2:14-20. In Vs. 15, James gives an example of a Christian brother or sister in desperate need. James’s concern is about Christians seeing another Christian in need and closing their heart to them. Using John’s language, “how can the love of God abide in him (1 John 3:16-17)?” We know from the context that James deals with how good deeds make our faith visible to the world. However, a principle derived from this is that we must care for other Christians. In other words, we must do the ‘one another’s’ well.
Here are some sample texts to help you see what I’m talking about (italics are mine):
- Romans 12:10: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”
- Romans 15:14: “I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
- Galatians 6:10: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
- 1 Peter 4:10: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace…”
I could go on with a long list, but you get the point. But allow me to add one other thing to do this. The Biblical principle is about preferring one another as Christian brothers and sisters more than non-Christians. This does not mean we ignore non-Christians, far from it. But it does mean, when push comes to shove, we prefer our Christian brothers and sisters more than our non-Christian friends.
Let me give you an example of this, and you can look up the principles in Romans 14-15 on your own time. You and a Christian friend visit a non-Christian friend’s house for dinner. Your Christian friend has a conscious issue with eating pork ( I know, they need to read Acts 10 and see how Jesus changed the food laws…plus they’re missing out on bacon). When you get to the house, you go to the kitchen with your non-Christian host, and they tell you that they have made the biggest pork loin known to man for dinner. What do you do? Do you laugh off the Christian friend’s conscience issue? Do you privately challenge him to dump his issue for the “sake of the gospel?” Scripture would say that we prefer our Christian brother enough to do a couple of possible things: we could abstain from eating the pork with them or ask them if they’re ok with us eating while supporting their decision not to eat. Then, after dinner, we could talk privately with them about why eating pork no longer violates God’s laws and attempt to instruct their conscience. But what we can’t do (biblically) is sarcastically deride them, make them feel awkward, or make them feel stupid in front of the non-Christian. Why? Because Jesus said that our love for one another will show that we’re His disciples (John 13:34-35).
I realize this is an example that probably won’t happen in Douglas County. However, this point shows how much preference we should have for caring for Christian brothers and sisters.
Finally, this is one of the many reasons I am grateful for God’s work among us at CLF. For the most part, CLF does this very well. Regularly, I hear stories about how our people are serving the Lord and one another. This glories God, and it proves that we’re His disciples. It’s one of the unique ways we share the gospel together.
From the Cheap Seats
- All right, Beavers…enough. Same with the Aggies. I can’t imagine a more disappointing season by a college baseball team than Texas A&M. Pre-season was unanimous #1, and now it is 13-14. Unreal.
- The ‘torpedo’ bat. The Yankees had 15 homeruns oepning weekend. Read this about the bats they’re using: https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/31/sport/torpedo-bats-mlb-yankees-explained-spt/index.html. They have an MIT scientist on the payroll for this.
- You’ve got to see this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmBmLhAlwYY
I don’t want to finish this without mentioning what a great Sunday we just had. Family Sunday with communion was inspiring as I watched families take communion together. Then the three bpatisms were amazing to be a part of. What a joy to watch God work in us.
Have a great week! Christ is King!
In Christ,
Dave York
