The apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Corinthians 12:24-26).

We can draw several lessons from this passage, but the overriding one is that Christians ought to care for one another. We need to develop and encourage empathy — what the dictionary describes as “the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another.”

There’s an old English expression that summarizes this same action: “fellow-feeling.” That’s a great word, one that deserves resurrecting in today’s vernacular, especially in the vernacular of today’s Christians. We should be a fellow-feeling people, with the capacity to feel joy with others when they have occasion for joy, sorrow in times of sorrow, and compassion in times of need.

Our brothers and sisters in the first century of the modern age were fellow-feeling folks. They maintained an atmosphere of sharing and mutual concern, providing for one another’s needs (Acts 2:44-46). Luke, our inspired historian, tells us, “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul” (Acts 4:32), and that none among them lacked anything, because the others all gave of what they had (Acts 4:34).

This principle applied not only to their material needs, but to their spiritual needs as well. A Cypriot Levite named Joseph not only contributed his wealth, selling a piece of property and giving the proceeds to the apostles to distribute, but was also called Barnabas — “son of encouragement” — for his efforts to edify the saints (Acts 4:36).

The fact that many early Christians actively demonstrated their empathy for others did not exempt them all from being reminded repeatedly how important it was that they continue in this behavior. Paul admonished the church in Rome, “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality” (Romans 12:10-13). Since the Holy Spirit is not in the habit of wasting words, we can be certain that those Roman saints needed that instructional reminder, even as we do.

It’s also no accident that when the apostle described genuine love to the Christians in Corinth, he did so using actions that define empathy: longsuffering, kindness, and unselfishness (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). If we truly love one another, we will exhibit the patience necessary to seek out each other’s needs, and minister to them kindly and sacrificially (James 1:27).

Part of fostering fellow-feeling among Christians is recognizing that every saint has value. We are each different from the others, but we all have qualities and talents that are essential to the life of the body (1 Corinthians 12:20-23). In the physical world, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link; a wall is only as sturdy as its weakest brick. Therefore, for the entire church to be sound and whole, we each need to shore one another up, so that even the weakest among us is made strong.