What Is A Church Family?

Family Reunion

May 30 2001

Before we look at what is a church family this just came in: ( Read Dough Boy)

What is a Church Family?

Jesus asks the same question! Doesn’t He?

While He was still speaking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.

Mat 12:47 And someone said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You."

Mat 12:48 But He answered the one who was telling Him and said, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"

Mat 12:49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold, My mother and My brothers!

Mat 12:50 "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."

It is interesting isn’t it that Jesus’ Mother and Brothers wanted to speak to Him, I think fundamentally many of us speak more to Jesus than we listen to Him!

Anyway, I do not want to talk about listening tonight but about Family!

A topic about which I have a great deal of passion and enthusiasm and maybe that is why God made me a family minister here at CCC.

I consider myself a family man both in my immediate household family and in this family God’s family the church.

The questions I want to answer tonight are:

1. Who is my family?

From the text tonight the word brothers is used

As those of us beloved or closely united with another in affection (2 Sam. 1:26; Acts 6:3; 1 Thess. 5:1).

Many scholars who look at this passage tend to spend more time looking at who Jesus’ birth brothers and sisters and half brothers and sisters are then they do looking at what Jesus is really saying.

What we need to know is that:

All of us can be in Jesus’ family. Praise God!

None of us are too bad or too Good to be a family member.

2. How do I become a part of that family?

Paul teaches that God, by the manifestation of His grace in Christ, brings men into the relation of sons to Himself, and communicates to them the experience of sonship.

The word sonship applies equally well to the slave who is redeemed from bondage. It applies to the Greek oe the Jew, the male and the female.

Adoption as God’s act is an eternal process of His gracious love, for He “fore-ordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Eph 1:5).

That’s what we are predestined for! To become sons of God and Family members. Isn’t that WONDERFUL!

12:48 Jesus is not being discourtesy in His reply to either His mother or His brothers. However, Jesus who is forever the teacher did capitalize upon their presence to convey to His hearers the truth that spiritual relationships within the family of God assume greater importance than earthly family ties, even as important as the latter are.

“Each week we rub shoulders with people whom we may barely notice. But if they share a birth in Christ, they are our dearest relatives. How precious is the family of God!’

I love this church family- every single one of you have welcomed us, encouraged us and loved us just like we were born and raised here. And that brothers and sisters is what FAMILY DOES!

And I know Jesus is right, the relationships formed here are more important than any other, because we are His bride, we are a holy nation, we are the priesthood of believers. We belong one to the other and have been placed in this body by God. That is why I counsel people just do not leave the church family unless you are positive God is moving you. Because it is God who made us a family.

That is what He says in:

1 Cor 12:18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.

Do you believe that God wants the church family preserved, He wants our unity kept. Unity is not something you build- God has established the unity our job is to maintain it!

Listen to Jesus’ own words about biological family!

Didn’t Jesus say “that because of Him biological families could be divided, would be divided and should be divided?

Mat 10:21 "And brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death.

Mat 10:22 "And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.