When "his problem" becomes your problem

The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."- Matthew 25:40

A fellow who works in your division is a rather radical, extroverted Christian. You are more of an intellectual and quiet person. What you dislike, however, is the way he presses the attack. He’s a What-Would-Jesus-Do (wwjd) sort of guy. He buttonholes people and asks them if they are ready to meet God. He keeps a Bible on his desk, and his car bumper is covered with stickers, displaying messages like "No God, no peace".

Then the man I’m describing gets fired and he’s out of the office in record time. His boss fabricates a story about the company’s having to cut back but you know it is untrue. You know the real reason he got the axe is because the boss is an atheist and he disliked the man‘s overt Christianity. His work is not the issue. It’s not your problem –or is it? Is there a responsibility that comes through a shared, common faith in Jesus Christ?

Writing to the Corinthians, Paul likened the Church, the body of Christ, to the human body. It is an apt analogy because when one part of your body hurts, the whole body is affected. Writing to the Ephesians, Paul says that Christ is the head of the Church. Then he says that "the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love" (Ephesians 4:16).

Fifty-eight times the New Testament uses the words one another in stressing our responsibilities to each other. Understanding the importance of our relationship to each other as fellow Christians breaks down the barriers of race, culture, even doctrine, beliefs, and whatever else separates us.