THE CHURCH – A FAMILY
(Mat 12:47-50) 47, Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
48, But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
49, And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
50, For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
(1 Tim 5:1, 2) 1, Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;
2, The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.
When we think of the church, we most often think of a place like this where we come to worship and to study and be taught God’s Word, but before the church was the institution, as we know it today, the church was a family. It was and is a place of fathers and mothers in the faith, brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as, elderly saints and newborn babies in the faith.
John Calvin
“The church is the gathering of God’s children, where they can be helped and fed like babies and then, guided by her motherly care, grow up to manhood in maturity of faith.”
HOW IS IT THAT THE CHURCH IS LIKE A FAMILY?
· The church is a place where you find love.
(John 13:35) By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Edmund Clowney
“Christians in community must again show the world, not merely family values, but the bond of the love of Christ.”
There is no place in this world where a person should find more love than within the church.
There should be such a love within this church that the lost world is tripping over themselves to come and experience it.
Remember deputation churches where no love was present.
“Looking for love in all the wrong places.” You didn’t find any love there. They should shut the doors.
We as Baptists are not known for our love, and that is not to our credit.
Most of the arguing done among us is not about things that matter anyway.
· The church is a place of peaceful refuge.
For many people, their home is a place of refuge from life’s daily activities. The church should likewise be a place of peaceful refuge. I know some of you are saying, “that’s not the way it is at our house.”
Your house may be hectic, but it is still a refuge from the world. The church can be a busy place as well, but it is a refuge.
What should we find in this refuge? We’ve already touched on love.
Peaceful attitudes.
(1 John 2:10, 11) 10, He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11, But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
What do people do that dislike or hate each other? They argue and fight.
The church is not a place for arguing or fighting. No church split is a good split, because it shows that someone was acting in the flesh.
Peaceful actions.
(Phil 2:3, 4) 3, Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4, Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
A godly family will put others in front of themselves.
Not when the bullets start flying.
They don’t blame each other for problems. They don’t criticize each other for shortcomings.
The pastor and deacons are not the complaint department. If you have a complaint, look at yourself first, then see what you can do to improve what you don’t like, and if all else fails out of sincere concern consult the pastor. (Go to the mirror and point your finger at the person you see there. Ask him/her if you are the cause of the problem.)
Many a church member thinks that they have a clause in their membership that says, “I reserve the right to tell the preacher what I don’t like.” No such clause exists.
You want to kill a service? Complain to the pastor just before he preaches. The devil will rejoice.
Do a husband and wife ever accomplish anything when they complain? No, only when they work together.
· The church is a place of encouragement.
(Eph 4:11, 12, 29) 11, And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12, For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
29, Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
A pastor’s message should not be used as a time to beat you up, rather it should be used to encourage you.
Family members need encouragement. The word “edify” is an architectural term, which means to build up. When you encourage one another, you strengthen their faith.
Much of what happens to you as a Christian is so that you can be an encouragement to others.
(2 Cor 1:3, 4) 3, Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4, Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
When you have experienced some trial that another person is now experiencing, you waste the work that God put in to bringing you through your experience if you don’t use that to encourage others.
If you live through cancer or some other illness, and you know of someone else who is experiencing the same thing. You should go and be an encouragement to that person.
(1 John 2:12-13) 12, I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
13, I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
· The church is a place of nourishment.
What do people like to do most at home? Not sleep, eat. Those spiritual TV dinners are bad for you. You need to come and get the real food.
Most church families love to eat together. Eating together builds unity. Likewise, we come together to feed on God’s Word. You can and should feed on God’s Word on your own, but there is no substitute for coming together.
· The church is a place of sharing.
(Heb 13:15, 16) 15, By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
16, But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Praising God is one form of sacrifice, but the writer admonishes us not to forget to do good and “communicate” or share with one another. This is another form of sacrifice that God is pleased with.
If you see someone in need, and you can meet that need, it is your Christian responsibility to help.
(James 2:15, 16) 15, If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
The Early Church had all things in common because so many of them had lost all when they became Christians. God doesn’t demand that of us, only the willingness to share.
We should share our prayers, our needs, and our weaknesses with one another just like in a family.
How can someone pray for you is they don’t know what you need?
(Gal 6:10 NIV) Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
· Finally, the church is a place of healing.
(Mat 5:23, 24) 23, Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24, Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
One writer said, “We are all healers who can reach out and offer health, and we are all patients in constant need of help.”
(Luke 4:18) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
There are a lot of brokenhearted people out there. Some may be setting next to you. You can be a physician that helps heal their hearts cry.
Within this church, we should act like a family. Not a dysfunctional family, not a separated family or one where fighting goes on, but a godly family.
This should be a place of LOVE. It should be a place of PEACEFUL REFUGE, where we enjoy PEACEFUL ATTITUDES and PEACEFUL ACTIONS. It should be a place of ENCOURAGEMENT, NOURISHMENT, SHARING, and HEALING.
Maybe you have not been a positive family member. Maybe there is a family member that you need to express love, encouragement, or something you need to share with someone. Maybe there is some healing that needs to start.
