Renew: We Belong to One Another
January 18th, 2026
Introduction: Two Patterns, Two Kingdoms
Romans 12:2 sets a clear contrast before us: on the one hand, there is “the pattern of this world.” On the other hand, there is the kingdom of Jesus. And one of the clearest signs that my mind is being renewed is this: the kingdom of Jesus is marked by humility. So, when I am growing in humility, I am leaning into Jesus kingdom. Let’s take some time to consider what humility is and is not.
1) Humility is not thinking of yourself more highly than you ought
Paul warns us against the kind of pride that quietly convinces me I’m more important than I really am. Pride is especially dangerous because it can make a person blind to reality. Have you heard the story of MacArthur Wheeler? He is a great example of this. One day, he and his friend Clifton Earl Johnson got it into their heads that lemon juice could make a person invisible to security cameras, sort of like invisible ink. So Wheeler rubbed lemon juice all over his face and took a Polaroid photo to “test” if it would work. But the photo didn’t develop properly, and when it came out, his face wasn’t visible. He took that as proof: “It works!” With that “evidence” in hand, they went out and robbed two banks in the Philadelphia area, genuinely confident the cameras wouldn’t record them—only to be arrested shortly afterward, because, as you know, lemon juice does not make anyone invisible.
It’s funny to laugh at the absurdity of their actions, but the pattern of this world tempts me to overestimate myself too: to assume that if I feel sure, I must be right; if I feel important, I must be the center. But renewal produces a different posture. Humility says, “Lord, I’m not the measure of all things. I’m a creature, not the Creator.” It’s not thinking less of myself; it’s thinking of oneself accurately, with sober judgment.
2) Humility is recognizing the gifts God has blessed others with
Romans 12 reminds us that one body has many members, and not every member has the same function. A renewed mind can celebrate gifts that are not my own. Whereas pride feels threatened by someone else’s strength. Humility can honestly say, “That’s not my gift—but I’m grateful God gave it to you.”
Back in December, I stopped by at Life Restoration Church’s Christmas outreach (the Nigerian congregation that meets in our building Sunday afternoons) and saw the joy they had during their time together—right down to that giant Christmas tree cake that seemed taller than some of the children. I remember thinking: “These folks know how to have fun!” And that is not a trivial thing. Joy and welcome are gifts God uses to open hearts to the gospel.
Humility recognizes: God has blessed others with gifts I may not have, and I don’t need to feel diminished by that. The point is not that I have every gift; rather the point is that the body has what it needs.
3) Humility is recognizing that in Christ we belong to one another
Romans 12:5 brings it home: “in Christ… we form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” For years, I mostly heard Romans 12 applied to individuals within a single local church, but I’ve come to see something larger, too: local congregations—though many—belong to the one body of Christ. Unity is the work of the Holy Spirit, and humility sounds like this: “Your church is not my competitor. Your success is not my threat. Your need is not my inconvenience. In Christ, we belong to one another.”
Conclusion: The “God Factor” in Our Unity
When I started pastoring at First Mennonite Church last year, I noticed that our facility had surplus capacity, and I prayed for wisdom, asking the Lord to make clear what we should do. But I didn’t tell anyone, as some things belong in the prayer closet.
Then one day at the office, I received a phone call from a strange man, named Pastor Kingsely, who had a church that had been renting space but was now looking for a new place to gather for worship. Then, as the Church Council, we brought this request to our congregation, and we found minutes from a congregational meeting back in the summer of 2024 where there had been a directive to search for a congregation to share our worship space with—even though follow up to find another congregation had taken place.
Three different moments: each “in Christ” overseen by a God who orders the details of our lives! Pastor Kingsley later told me that when he found out Life Restoration would need a new gathering place, many people were asking, “Where are we going to gather?” But he committed it to prayer, trusting the Lord would provide.
One day, he saw our brick building in the neighbourhood, thought, “I’m not familiar with Mennonites,” but felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to call and inquire. Months later, after everything had been approved by our congregation and they had been worshipping in our building for some time, I asked Pastor Kingsley, “How many places did you call before you called us?” He said, “Just one.” Wow—the Lord saw each of our needs and answered our prayers by bringing us together.
There are moments like this where you realize that belonging to one another is something we get to participate in, but “in Christ” also means there is a God factor at work, a unity Jesus creates that we cannot manufacture. Today,
Bringing Our Needs to the Lord in Prayer
You might be facing challenges that feel overwhelming. You might be praying prayers that feel unanswered. I want to affirm for you today that we serve a God who knows exactly what you are facing, and who has the power—sometimes through one phone call, one conversation, one providential moment—to meet the need of his people.
So let’s believe that together today. Let’s resist the pattern of this world because the kingdom of Jesus is marked by humility: not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought, but instead recognizing the gifts God has blessed others with, and living as people who truly belong to one another in Christ.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, renew our minds. Conform us into the image of Christ. Make us one. Amen.