Family Ties

 

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. 1 John 3:1a

 

Family

My 8 year old granddaughter recently asked me about when two women in our congregation were going to give birth to the babies they are carrying now. When I told her she was so excited, “It’s like getting two more cousins because church is another family for me!”

This little eight year old is taking God at His word. From her perspective, the people in the church who consider themselves brothers and sisters of her parents, and are having babies – they’re giving her cousins!

I was convicted by her innocent understanding about the truth of God’s family. Indeed, I should be considering these two new babies as grandchildren! She was the mirror of truth for me! When I looked in that mirror I saw a purer faith than mine.

Church Family

Our culture has created many distractions and diversions from the family as well as the family of God. Our husbands and children need to be a high priority in our lives. We cannot forget them.

But, the church family has importance as well. Pastors have the job of shepherding the flock. The sheep also have commands to love one another, encourage one another, serve one another, and admonish one another.

Pastors and elders would have no time for preaching and teaching if all of this fell on them alone. Biblically, we cannot get away from the fact that those commands are to every Christian, not just church leadership.

Many womens’ ministry leaders plan events but fear that the women won’t come because of competing events with the children, the school, or the workplace. Often, women do show up and participate willingly. Juggling events to prioritize the family of God sets an excellent example for the next generation.

Loving the Family of God

We know that the scriptures say we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. But the Lord has left additional instructions for believers, brothers and sisters in the faith. Here are two of them:

In John 13:35  Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The Apostle John wrote in 1 John 3:16, “By this we know love, that He laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”

Being adopted into the family of God through salvation gives us a personal responsibility to those with whom we worship. In fact, it gives us a responsibility to go to worship with them so we can know this family.

My granddaughter is off to a good start with her understanding and I stand convicted compared to her. All of God’s children are adopted into one family. How could you and I treat our brothers and sisters in the Lord more like we believe it’s so?