Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So one person sharpens another.
Most of us know that rubbing two iron blades together sharpens both of them. While our true privilege is to share the gospel, we are also instructed not to forsake gathering together. We sharpen each other in many ways but every time I hear this Bible verse, the first thing that comes to my mind is brothers and sisters in Christ discussing Bible verses together, praying about them, and walking away feeling a little more confident. When I was a new believer, I grew in knowledge by being around other believers who were strong in their faith. I’m grateful that I had a church family that cared about helping me grow in all knowledge and truth—that’s discipleship.
I remember hearing a story about a man who had stopped coming to church. The pastor decided to visit his house. He knocked on the door and didn’t say a word. The man opened the door on up and they walked and sat down on the couch. There was a big fire going in the fireplace, and the pastor got up, walked over to it, took the tongs, and pulled one log off the fire, setting it aside. Then he went back to the couch and sat down, staring at the fireplace silently for a few minutes. The fire and red coals on the log that he had pulled off started to die down. When the flames were gone, the log started to turn black. The pastor stood up again, walked over to the fireplace, got the same tongs, and put the log back on the fire. The log flared back up, and the entire fire was stronger. Then he started walking toward the door, and the man said, ‘Pastor, I’ll be at church on Sunday.’
The moral of the story is that you can’t do it by yourself we will become stagnant and the flame will die down. You’re not as strong alone—you need to be surrounded by other Christians who are on fire for God. It sharpens you, encourages you, and helps you grow. Best of all, it gives you knowledge and confidence to share the gospel. Since our main privilege is to spread the good news, we should spend time surrounded by other Christians. We can see strengths and gifts in them, and they can see them in us. We can help point out those gifts, which gives them confirmation to practice and strengthen them. We can be there to rejoice with them, mourn with them, and bear one another’s burdens. The people we surround ourselves with influence us in both good and bad ways. That’s why it’s so important not to forsake gathering together with brothers and sisters in Christ. Be faithful and consistent in attending Sunday school, church services, fellowship meetings, Bible studies, and prayer meetings. You cannot surround yourself with Christians and not discuss and learn God’s word because a Christian has the mind of Christ and loves discussing the Bible.
The Spirit of God uses the word of God to make us more like the Son of God, and that, my beloved, is sanctification.
What can we do to sharpen and be sharpened, just as iron sharpens iron?
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