The Hebrews writer admonishes us to “Let brotherly love continue”(Hebrews 13:1).  The words “let” and “continue” come from the one Greek word “menō” and is a verb in the imperative mood, telling us that we are being commanded to do something.  Being filled with brotherly love is not optional.  We must love our brethren in Christ.  If we do, we will be a helper to them in times of need.

We need one another in Christ.  We should not travel through life alone, for we are members of the greatest family in the world, and in this great family, we have a responsibility to one another. To meet this responsibility, we need to have affection and concern for one another in the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:25 (ESV)
²⁵  That there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

We ought to worry about each other.  We should give some thought time to our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Paul is a great example of this.  His epistles are filled with heartfelt words of care and concern for his brethren in various places (Ephesians 1:16; Philippians 1:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:8).  It is this kind of concern that will lead us to want to help brethren.  Now, what must we do to prove our love for each other?

First, we must show ourselves to be an encouragement to others.  It is easy to drift into a selfish state of mind in which all we think about is what is best for ourselves.  We must do our best to avoid this.  The Hebrew writer said, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works…exhorting one another; and so much more, as ye see the day approaching.”  

It is easy to laugh at a brother’s idea or to pour water on his enthusiasm.  It is easy to discourage!  The world is full of those who discourage.  Let us not be one of them.  As Christians, we help our brethren most when we are an encouragement to them.  Why not decide to be an encourager in the Lord’s church.  A word of praise here or a letter of thanks there, or, perhaps, an occasional complimentary note,  can go a long way to brighten someone’s day.  Our acts of encouragement might just help a brother remain firm in the Lord when he needs it the most.

On the other hand, sometimes what brethren need is to be admonished.  A well-timed rebuke, done with gentleness and love, can be a great help to a fellow Christian who is starting to slip back into the world.  An even greater help is to restore a brother who has already fallen (Galatians 6:1).  James reminds us how beneficial this is.

James 5:19-20 (ESV)
¹⁹  My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, ²⁰  let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Finally, we can be a great help to brethren by just being a consistently good example.  Many souls have been strengthened and built up in the faith by the good example set by others in Christ.  One of the best things we can do for others is to live by faith, walk in the light, and be an example of what true Christianity looks like.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.