We are Family
Ephesians 2:13-22
February 2, 2014
Ron’s story is a great story about his healing. Many of you will remember this event and many of you most likely prayed for Ron and helped his family. But the story about the church is what I want to focus on.
At the end of the interview, Gloria Gaither was talking, partly to the people there, and partly to herself, and she wondered ~
Would they do that for us? They weren’t at church every Sunday as they traveled. They considered themselves not very good church members. They don’t bake for the bake sales, would they do that for us?
Finally she concluded —
We may be orphans here, but we belong. They’d do that for us.
No longer an outcast, a new song I sing
from rags to riches,
I’m not worthy to be here, but praise God, I belong.
Aren’t those great words?! They should be great words of comfort and great words of power for us.
You remember the great old program CHEERS? The beauty of that program was what? It was a place where everyone knew your name. That’s what really made that program so great. When Norm walked in, everyone yelled, “Norm!” Deep down, that’s what we all want. We want to be recognized for who we are.
You see, we all need a place to belong. A place that fits you like your favorite pair of jeans, that’s as welcoming as your snuggly recliner. That’s the way we were created. Not to be isolated. Not to be alone. But to be together — experiencing life with others. Church isn’t a place — it’s people. Church isn’t just something you attend; it’s something you are!
The United States is reported to be the loneliest country. It’s estimated that up to 40% of Americans are lonely. That’s a huge number. It’s been said more people identify with characters on a TV series than with their neighbors. Everywhere you look, people are hungering for fellowship, community, and a sense of family.
I read about an older woman who waited in line at the post office to buy two stamps. One day, as she got to the counter, the postal worker told her, “you don’t have to wait in line to buys stamps. You can buy them in books of 20, from the machine.” She responded, “but the machine doesn’t ask about my arthritis.” People long to be connected.
The Bible uses a lot of metaphors to describe the church, but the most persistent is we are a family. In the New Testament, believers call each other brothers and sisters and, in his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul wrote these words ~
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Most of you who are very regular sit in the same row, same pew, partly because you are home in that seat, and I think the pew has become perfectly formed to the shape of your bottom. Maybe you’re as comfortable in here as you are in your favorite old sweats and sweatshirt. On the other hand, maybe you’ve never felt like you really belong somewhere. Maybe you’ve never known the blessing of being a part of something as big as the family of God!
Maybe you’d ask the same question Gloria did —
would they do that for us? And then she answered ~ We may be orphans here, but we belong. They’d do that for us.
Let’s go back to verse 19. While Paul was in prison, he wrote this ~
19 you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Those are such great words for us to hear this morning. You see, Paul basically repeats himself. He’s reminding us that we are no longer in a foreign land, we don’t need a green card or a visitor’s pass or some visa. Paul wants us to know that in Christ, we’ve been brought near by the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the cornerstone. He’s the foundation upon which the church exists.
Because of the suffering of Jesus, we belong.
We are no longer strangers
we are no longer temporary citizens
Instead, when we proclaim Jesus, when we are in Christ –
we become citizens, bearing full rights and privileges
with the saints, with those great leaders of the church
and we become members of the household of God.
In the Greek, the household was defined by being immediate family
you were a blood relation. You weren’t an outsider.
So do you see what Paul is saying about you and I?
We are the household of God, and it’s because of the blood of Christ. Because of the cross, His life and His death. Because He is the Son of God, when we proclaim Jesus as the Christ . . .
not only do we get eternal salvation,
we find eternal life begins now
we find forgiveness of sins
we find grace and mercy
we experience His healing and power
we find a purpose and plan for our lives
we know that nothing can separate us from God’s love
we trust He will never fail us nor forsake us.
But add to that, we come to a church, and we find a community
we find we too, are part of the household of God —
or should I say we are part of the FAMILY of GOD.
You see Jesus suffered for us. And part of that suffering was so we would not go through life alone.
The Jerusalem church in the book of Acts was a hodgepodge of believers from a variety of backgrounds, with different personalities, and sometimes conflicting opinions, yet they found a way to work together. They understood there’s strength in numbers. And because they did, lives were changed — history was changed. And as you follow their example, the same will happen.
Whether you want to feed the hungry, or house orphans, or rebuild tornado ravaged towns, or clean up your community, or share the gospel — none of us can do alone what all of us can do together. Belonging to God’s family provides us with the strength to get more done by working together.
Everyone needs a place where they belong, where people smile when you arrive and say, “See you soon!” when you leave. Maybe your family is far away, maybe you're feeling alone, or maybe you could just use a new friend or two.
God doesn’t just call us to believe; he calls us to belong. The entire Bible is the story of God building a family that will support, strengthen, and stir one another up to love and good works for all eternity — and He created you to be part of it.
If you are a believer in need of a place to belong, please talk to one of your neighbors here today and get connected with a church family. If you’ve never joined God’s family, I’d love to talk with you about being born again. Believe me, there's nothing like belonging to God’s family. So as we stand and sing, if there is any way I can help you find a place to belong, please talk to me.
