Summary:
We come for services, serve God, chat about the goings-on in our lives with those in church. But do we feel very lonely in our ministry? Do we have a lot of things in our hearts we feel we cannot share with anyone around us? Do we really have Christly companions? This sermon discusses 5 missing links in building strong companionship in Christ:

1. Do we truly believe two are better than one?
2. Look at people around you. Do we truly know their needs?
3. Being together inevitably results in some hurt, but we survive better when together. Are we prepared to take a little hurt to keep each other warm?
4. Be prepared to fight the enemy out there with strong companions
5. See the God factor when we build up strong companionship with each other

Given we have been made to stay home during the pandemic, the topic of companionship and friends would naturally come to mind. Human beings tend to miss what they don’t have anymore. We take for granted being able to gather together at Adam hawker after service. When we aren’t able to do things anymore, we start to miss our friends. We may also wonder deeper: Do I have close friends? Who are my companions around me? Have I been a good companion to the people around me?

“The trouble is not that I am single and likely to stay single, but that I am lonely and likely to stay lonely.” - Charlotte Bronte (author of Jane Eyre)

This is still very apt in our society today, even though Charlotte Bronte lived many years ago. In fact, what she said is even more true today! This is also very ironic, because the growth of social media should facilitate closeness. When we wake up, we have many messages/notifications. But does it help us to reduce our loneliness? We are much more connected in society now, especially in Singapore where travelling from place to place is convenient. It’s easy for us to meet each other physically, but does it mean we are less early? There are more activities that happen today than in the past, but does it mean we’re less lonely?

Recent studies have also shown the level of loneliness globally has increased. It’s ironic. We’re more connected; more social media; more friends. Yet loneliness has increased, across all ages. Even youths who are supposed to be more connected via social media.

What about for all of us? Is this also true when we are in church? This is something we need to think about.

We come for services, but do we really have Christly companions? We have friends. We laugh, we share the things we have, when we meet each other. But when we go back to our own homes, is there still a feeling of loneliness?

We serve God in church and are involved in many ministries (choir, youth service duties), but do we feel we don’t have co-workers and are very lonely in our ministry? We feel we have a lot of things in our hearts we cannot share with anyone around us. We can share what nice food we ate, what we did, but we aren’t able to share the pain in our hearts; we aren’t able to share our true feelings with one another. Our interactions then become very very superficial. We are just on the surface. We laugh, sing hymns, praise God, but what’s really inside?

There’s a feeling of loneliness and this feeling of loneliness increases over time.

Do we feel this way?

When we talk about companionship, let’s first understand the concept of companionship in the Bible. Let’s also talk about the missing link for us to be good companions and for others to be good companions to us.

The concept of companionship in the Bible is that the initiation is coming together as one body. The difference between companionship in the world and in church is we have the Lord Jesus as the cornerstone. And we are built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles.

Eph 2:19-20
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone

All of us are fellow citizens with the saints. We are all members of the household of God. So it’s not longer just you, no longer just me. Not just us as an individual, we are all on the household of God. Coming together that we have one another is a very biblical concept, and it’s built on the prophets and apostles, with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone.

One day, ‘you’ may say, “We’ve been putting on too much weight! Let’s have salad for dinner.”

Then ‘I’ say(s), “Salad?? That’s the worst meal! Yes we can eat less but let’s eat fruits instead which has more vitamins!”

“I want salad!”

“I want fruits!”

Soon after, the ‘you’ and ‘I’ engage in a shouting match. As ‘you’ and ‘I’ were shooting, ‘one another’ came into the room and watched ‘you’ and ‘I’.

“Why are you both shouting at each other? Why not just have fruit salad?”

And they sat down with ‘one another’ to have fruit salad.

We need one another in our midst. We need ‘one another’ to bring ‘you’ and ‘I’ on the same table. We have many different opinions, likes and dislikes. But we need one another in our midst, so we can think about each other’s needs. Actually the phrase ‘one another’ appears more than a 100 times in the Bible, 55 times in the Old Testament and 83 times in the New Testament.

Because we have one another, and we ought to have one another, Christians are not meant to be alone. We can be single, because Jesus has brought us into His body. We have one another. We are not meant to be alone, even if we are single.

What are some ‘one another’s in the Bible?

Rom 12:4-5
For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

We do not belong to ourselves, we belong to one another. We often try to associate ourselves with certain people, organisations, objects. For some of us, we like to say we belong to ‘this school’, we identify with ‘this company’. But here says we belong to one another in Christ. This we can only do if we practise v3 - not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but to think soberly.

When talking about the companionship with one another, it requires humbling ourselves before one another.

Eph 4:32
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

We have to be kind to one another. We have to be tender hearted to one another. To forgive one another. This is essential in companionship. Are we kind in our words to the people around us? Are we tenderhearted? Do we forgive people?

1 Thess 4:18
Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The context: Paul was comforting a bereaved family

But we also takeaway that we ought to comfort one another.

Lazarus died. Martha and Mary were very very sad. Their friends came to comfort them in their difficult time. Jesus came as well and raised Lazarus back to life.

When we talk about companionship, it’s about comforting one another.

There are many other verses.

John 15:17 talks about loving one another.

1 Thess 5:11 talks about encouraging one another.

The concept of companionship is a very Biblical one. Because Jesus has brought us together in one body, we have one another. We hence shouldn’t be thinking of ‘you’ and ‘I’ but ‘one another’. How should we speak tenderly, comfort, love, encourage one another, with Jesus Christ being the foundation and cornerstone?

We know all these things. What is said is not new. We know we need to do all these things. But what’s the missing link for us to have Christly companionship with one another?

Eccl 4:9-12
Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Based on these verses, what are the missing links on different levels?

1st missing link: Do we truly believe two are better than one?

At an individual level, do we truly believe two are better than one? Do we just take it as knowledge? Or do we truly believe in our hearts it’s really better?

Reflecting on this, our world is very competitive. In school, we try to outdo each other; to get better results. It’s all individual assessments and results. The general trend is very focused on ‘I’. How can I be better than the other person? These trends in society are all things we deal with in our day. If this is the case, would we unknowingly not really believe two are better than one in our hearts? This is something we can reflect in prayer. It’s not about whether we have companions or not. It’s believing whether two are better than one and if we need companions. Not at the stage of looking for companions.

If we believe that, the v9 says “because they have a good reward for THEIR labour”.

If this is what you want, this is what you do. If this is what you do, this is what you get.

This is simple logic we should remember.

If you truly believe two are better than one, we will labour, and labour for one another. And if we do, we will get a good reward.

The first missing link is: do we truly believe two are better than one?

2nd missing link: Do we truly know the needs of those around us?

v10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.

Do we truly see the needs of our companion when they fall?

We graduate from looking at ourselves to looking at others. Do we truly understand the people around us to know what their needs are? Don’t know their needs, don’t know when they fall, how to lift them up?

[Watch video ‘Derek Redmond’s Emotional Olympic Story - Injury Mid Race] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2G8KVzTwfw&ab_channel=Olympic

Derek Redmond is a British man. He qualified and ran the 400m sprint in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

After watching the video, ask yourself: Observe what the father, official and spectators did. Do you identify yourself as Derek, his father, the officials, the spectators, or the final group - the rest of the runners who just ran on?

The Olympics is about Sportsmanship. But if we look at the video/5 different groups of people from the perspective of companionship, are we like the other runners who continue running when we see someone fall? We meet with many people in our lives. We may be participating in the same activity. We may be working together in Christ e.g. in the choir. When one of our members falls, do we continue singing?

Or are we onlookers/spectators? Spectators cheer us on. We may not be like the father who ran towards Derek, but we are the ones who encourage them and do our part to support them in our prayers?

Or are we like the official? Trying to stand in the way of the one trying to offer help and assistance.

Or, most importantly, are we like the father? It’s of course against the rules to go onto the Olympic track, that’s why the official tried to stop him. But Derek’s father’s actions showed he truly cared. When his son fell (because he snapped his hamstring), he still tried to complete the race. But it was so painful. He tried to finish the race and his father was there supporting him. He walked with him for the rest of the race. When Derek broke down and cried, he offered his shoulder for him to cry on. He offered his encouragement. We can’t hear what he said but we can see his mouth moving.

This is something we need to ask ourselves. In reflection of this video: what roles are we playing?

Eccl 4 First, reflect on ourselves: do we truly believe two are better than one?

Second, do we really see the needs of others? And if we see the needs of others, what’s the role we play? The role of the father, spectators, the rest of the runners who continued the rest, or the official who tried to obstruct.

Something to think about.

Remember the parable of the sheep and the goats.

Matt 25:31-46 This parable shows that people who are eventually named and saved are those who are aware of the needs of their brethren.

v35-36 “for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”

Two dimensions to consider:

1. Physical dimension
   Meet the physical needs of the people around us, including the least of our brethren.

2. Spiritual dimension
   What spiritual dangers are the people around us suffering? Do they need the spiritual drink of the Holy Spirit?

Look at these dimensions and then it’s for us to meet their needs. When we come together, we should see and meet their needs.

The problem is that we are so engrossed with our own problems we don’t open our eyes and think about the problems others are facing.

Spiritual companionship requires us to know about one another‘s needs are.

3rd missing link: Being together inevitably results in some hurt, but we survive better when together. Are we prepared to take a little hurt to keep each other warm?

Third, come together to keep each other warm.

A story: In the coldest winter, many animals will die. The porcupines realise they have to come together to keep warm. It’s the only way to survive. But because of their spines, they poke each other. So they tried to separate again but it was too cold to survive. They decided to gather again, despite poking each other.

When we come together, expect to hurt each other in some ways. It’s very natural. All of us have our own idiosyncrasies. Some of us have peculiarities. To be companions with one another, we need to live with those idiosyncrasies. And we are exposing ourselves, we must be prepared to be wounded by other people. But this we do because we believe in our heart that we’re better together and survive better together.

Husbands and wives are supposed to be best companions. But even they have their own idiosyncrasies. Coming together they also hurt each other. But they know they’re better together. That’s the only way to keep warm and survive the bitter cold winter.

Third point: are we prepared to take a little of these wounds because we’re better together? Christly companionship. Know we receive some hurt but we know we’re better together.

1. Do we truly believe two better than one?
2. Look at people around you. Do we truly know their needs?
3. Are we prepared to take a little hurt to keep each other warm?

4. Be prepared to fight the enemy out there with strong companions

Fourthly, after we can keep each other warm, then we can think about the external forces. If one gets attacked the other can come to his rescue.

v12 “Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.”

We know when we fight solo battles we lose. Spiritual battles especially. Like temptation we are trying to overcome for example. Do we have a spiritual companion to accompany us in prayer so we can withstand the battles together? We ought to have.

5. See the God factor

Last thing, do we see the God factor? Jesus Christ is the foundation of us having one another. It’s not just ‘you’ not just ‘I’ but having Christ together with us. Because a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Song:
Friends are friends forever if the Lord is Lord of them

We want to build good friendship and strong companionship but we also want Jesus Christ together with us. Because when we do, we have at least a common language to talk about. When someone is wrong, we use the word of God to say it’s the standard.

Missing links to build strong companionship:

1. Do we truly believe two are better than one?
2. Look at people around you. Do we truly know their needs?
3. Being together inevitably results in some hurt, but we survive better when together. Are we prepared to take a little hurt to keep each other warm?
4. Be prepared to fight the enemy out there with strong companions
5. See the God factor when we build up strong companionship with each other

Although we say faith is individual, the practice of our faith is on those around us. Our faith requires us to have love. It’s demonstrated in how we love other people. Our faith also requires us to comfort one another. We actually have to demonstrate to the people around us. This is done through companions God has put around us. Later on in our prayer let’s start off thinking about ourselves. Thinking about: do we truly believe two are better than one? Look around and think about the people around us. Do we know their needs?