Jesus said, “37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38).
When it come down to love, the way that we great one another is vitally important. There are all kinds of greeting methods – the handshake, the first bump, and my choice the good old fashioned hug. Bottom line is that the greeting needs to be sincere, and with genuine care and interest for the other person.
In the case of your brothers and sisters in the body, Paul said, “Greet one another with a holy kiss. [a]The churches of Christ greet you.”, (Rom. 16:16). He also said, “13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done with love. 15 I urge you, brethren—you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints— 16 that you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and labors with us. 17 I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, for what was lacking on your part they supplied. 18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men. 19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. 20 All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss” (1 Cor. 16:13-20).
Bottom line, all the churches, all the members must have the kind of love for each other that motivates the greeting. And as we will learn—that greeting no matter what the method is—must be sincere, genuine, loving and with purpose. And Let me tell you, there was a lot of greeting going on in the early church: Not counting, words like welcome, meet, and salute, there are at least 29 New Testament verses on the subject of greetings.
It is my desire in this lesson to emphasize the importance of developing our method and practice of greeting one another…understanding it is much more than hello!