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3. Bear the burden.That bearing will take on different forms depending upon what the burden is. The sentence construction says, \present/perfect tense, it's not just a \your way. The way the sentence is structured says, \takes.\sister gently.\a broken bone. If you've ever had a bone set, you know you want it done carefully, you want it done gently. Most importantly it's done for healing, not for punishment.If the burden is emotional, you bear it through counsel, hugs, listening and prayers. You may do that day after day after day, as long as that brother or sister carries the burden. If the burden is financial, the burden is borne by giving your money or other assistance. If it's a physical burden, you bear it through your time, effort, compassion, and energy. Whatever the cause, bearing the burden means carrying the load until the brother or the sister can walk unburdened on his own again. I love the old proverb that says, \joy. A burden shared is half a burden.\What does that demand?1. Real dedication to fellowshipIn a Peanutscartoon some time ago, Lucy looked at Charlie Brown and said, \on earth?\help other people.\why are other people on earth?\to mess me up? I don't want anything to do with them as long as they don't bother me, \and let live, stay out of my business. Look out for number one and let everything else go.\me tell you something, Christ challenges that. If we fall victim to that, then we're not God's church. We may be an organization, but we're not an organism. We're certainly not the Body of Christ. Fellowship meansmore than a handshake on Sunday morning. It means an integration of life.We need to be like the two dogs I heard about in Barnsley, England. There was a little dog named Nick, a terrier, and another little dog named Percy, a Chihuahua. One day Percy was hit by a car. Percy's owner thought that poor Percy was dead. So that owner, Christine Harrison, took that little Chihuahua body and put it in a plastic bag, went out back and buried it in the back yard. Nick, the terrier, was heartbroken. He went over and dug up the plastic sack. With his teeth he drug it over by the house. WhenChristine came out and picked up that sack, the heart was beating. Percy, the Chihuahua not only lived, he totally recovered.When I heard that story it reminded me that God is in the resurrection business. Christians are raised to a newness of life when baptized into that Christ. They are resurrected from their death to sin and given a new life pure and free from sin. We're committed by the same spirit that brought Jesus back to life, just pulling people from the clutches of death as we bear their burdens.Folks, the church is a hospital, but it doesn't matter

