Getting Along In The Family

Getting Along in the Family

Eric A. Snyder, Minister, Farwell Church of Christ

July 7, 2002

The story is told of a little boy sitting on his front steps with his face cradled in his hands, looking upset. His dad came home just then & asked him what was wrong. The little boy looked up & said, "Well, just between us, Dad, I’m having trouble getting along with your wife.

I recently heard a story about 3 elderly widows who lived together. One sister got up to go to bed, half way up the stairs she stopped and asked "was I going up or was I coming down"

One sister replied with hint of aggravation, "you were going up to bed."

A second sister headed into the kitchen to make herself a sandwich. Once in the kitchen she hollered back to her sister who was still down stairs; "what did I come in here for"

The sister responded again with a trace of irritation, "you went in to make yourself a sandwich" after which she said; "I’m so glad I am not as forgetful as the both of you are" as she knocked on the end table.

And then she got up and walked over to the door and said "Who is it?"

The family unity is the oldest unit of society. I don’t know if you’re like me but I really enjoy history. Now don’t get me wrong I don’t really care for the dates and numbers so much but I do like to look at the circumstances around historical events.

I have always found it interesting that society can change. Technology can change, countries can change, and new systems of government are created and put in the place of archaic ones.

I do not subscribe to evolution but everyone has to admit that at the very least we have developed. But through the test of time we have always some constants. Things that we could predict no matter what. One of these things is the family unit. How amazing that despite our humanity and irritation with one another we still have families in tact.

So today’s message is not really anything new, But it does give us a refresher course on how to treat people in our families. Be it immediate, extended, or our church family.

Our text today is Ephesians 4. And Paul is writing this passage to help people get along in God’s family. So I hope that you will consider 2 things this morning. How to be a better family member to those who are part of your family, and how to be a good family member in the family of God here At Farwell Church of Christ.

Ephesians 4:1-6 1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. .

Prayer

There is one body and one Spirit.

In the same way, you were called to the one hope of your calling.

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in all.

God’s Family Values

God gives us some family values in this text that describes how He desires us to live our lives

Live in a way that is worthy of the calling.

First: Paul again refers to himself as a prisoner

He had been taken captive by Jesus and no longer was in control of his own life.

What we are speaking of here is something commonly referred to as “commitment”.

I can remember when I was younger and involved in a part time youth ministry in Niles Michigan. I was young and idealistic and like most young idealistic ministers I ran into a little snag in my ministry. I’m not going to tell you what happened but I will tell you that I was very disappointed in one of our leaders. And I began to think about whether I really wanted to spend my live in service to God through Ministry. Now the Niles Church was and is a good church but even in a good church sometimes things don’t always go the way that you want them to and I can honestly say I considered quitting. I was ready to walk away from it and find something else to do with my life.