"You were formed for God?s family".
"And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in (one Spirit to the Father). So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but (you are fellow citizens with the saints), (and are of God?s household) having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus being Himself the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a Holy Temple in the Lord; In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit".
1 Timothy 3:15 tells us that; "God?s family is the church of the living God, and the pillar and foundation of the truth.
You were formed to be a vital member of God?s family which is the church.
Rick Warren says in the chapter about protecting your Church; "There is nothing on earth more valuable to God than His church".
- To Jesus the church is His bride. Is there anything more precious to a groom than his bride (THE CHURCH IS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST).
- The church is also the body of Christ. Therefore is one with Jesus. 1 corint.6:17 says; ?he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit?.
- The church is Gods institution on earth that?s why God calls us ambassadors.
Paul called it; ?The church of the living God, and the pillar and ground of the truth?.
1. Through Jesus we all as God?s special family have access to father God through the same Spirit.
- The Holy Spirit hold?s us together.
- The HOLY SPIRIT also has given every member of Gods family gifts;
2. You are no longer strangers and aliens but fellow citizens with the saints in God?s kingdom. You were formed to be citizens of God?s kingdom on earth which is the church.
- In a kingdom no one operates on their own.
- You have the king, his leadership, and his people; no one is independent even though everyone is responsible for his own actions.
3. You are of God?s household. You are special.
- You have special privileges when you are from the house.
- You are family.
Jesus shows us how special the church is to Him by giving the church gifts;
Ephesians 4:11-13
"And He gave some Apostles, and some as Prophets, and some as Evangelists, and some as Pastors and teachers, for the equipping of Saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Chist; until we all attain the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature wich belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result you are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried away by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love".
- notice that each individual part (each individual member) causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
- The love spoken of here is agape love.
- Agape love is unconditional
- Agape love is sacrificial
-agape love is not lip service alone but it?s accompanied with action.
Someone said that love is spelled T.I.M.E.
- Rick warren says that a good way to measure how much you love something is by the amount of time that you give to it. Your marriage, your kids, your career, how about the church.
- How about the body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek it?s own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails;"
