LOVE YOUR SPIRITUAL FAMILY

EPHESIANS 1:5 (NLT) SAYS “HIS UNCHANGING PLAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO ADOPT US INTO HIS OWN FAMILY BY BRINGING US TO HIMSELF THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.”
That to me is one of the most amazing verses in the Bible. That God would want me to be a part of His family. And that He would create me just to keep me with Him for all of eternity. In the entire Bible this is the story of God building a family.

The fact is your spiritual family is going to outlast your physical family. Your physical family is only going to last here on earth. In fact, a lot of families don’t even last that long. They’re separated by divorce and death and all kinds of things. But your spiritual family is actually more important that your physical family because you’re going to be spending forever – forever and ever and ever – with your spiritual family. And God wants you to learn how to love your spiritual family.

The Bible says the church is a family. It is your spiritual family on earth. The church is going to go on forever.
CHURCH IS NOT SOMETHING YOU GO TO. CHURCH IS A FAMILY YOU BELONG TO.
1 TIMOTHY 3:14-15 (NCV) SAYS, “I’M WRITING SO THAT YOU’LL KNOW HOW TO LIVE IN THE FAMILY OF GOD. THAT FAMILY IS THE CHURCH.”

You get people who say, “I’m a Christian but I just don’t want to belong to any particular church.” That’s dumb. It’s like saying, “I want to play tuba but not be in any orchestra.” You’re going to be pretty bad sounding if you do that. “I want to be a bee without a hive.” The Bible has a word for Christians who do not have a local church family. You’re an orphan.

The Bible calls the church, “the bride of Christ.” How about if I were to say to some of you guys, “I like you. I just can’t stand your wife.” You’d be offended. And Jesus is too. Because the body of Christ – the church – is what He died for. So God says I want you to belong and be a member of My family.

How do you know if you’re on God’s family? Here’s the test. 1 JOHN 3:10 “ANYONE WHO DOES NOT LOVE OTHER CHRISTIANS DOES NOT BELONG TO GOD.” That’s pretty clear.

God has given us one condition. It’s this verse,
GAL 3:36 (NLT) “YOU ARE ALL CHILDREN OF GOD THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST.” That’s how you get into the family. You put your faith in Jesus Christ. You can do that right now.

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 6, 2010 at 11:42 AM

    It is so good to know that I belong to a great family in CRC PE and that the brothers and sisters give support. 1 issue we need to note is that "if we are not growing, we are dying". God's sole purpose for us is to grow His Kingdom, and I want to be a part of that growth.That is our challenge, are you fulfulling God's purpose on earth. Rob

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