We get to be a part of a huge, cross-cultural family, and I think it is time we start believing it. Use it to, Next time you sing, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God,”. In conclusion, thinking of the local church as a family can be a helpful analogy. While more could be said, a handful of Scriptures below describe what it means to be part of the family … Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. It is our mission to use writing to inspire young Anabaptists to follow Christ wholeheartedly. Hebrews 10:24-25 - And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: (Read More...) Romans 12:10-13 - [Be] kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; (Read More...) David holds a Ph. A harmonious family is built upon the foundation of family unity. We take on responsibility for the wellbeing of one man because he is a brother in our congregation, but we feel no familial responsibility for the believers in Uzbekistan because they don’t go to our local church. However, remember that it is only an analogy. We can never do anything to deserve it for it is His gift of love, mercy, and grace to us, yet, we are called to become sons and daughters of the Living God (Romans 9:25-26). You were adopted and reborn into His family when you decided to follow Jesus. Daniel 8:10-13. The main application made by those who talk about the local church as the family of God is that we are to feel a similar love for the brothers and sisters in our congregation as we feel towards our brothers and sisters in blood. Find a Meetinghouse . As used in the scriptures, a family consists of a husband and wife, children, and sometimes other relatives living in the same house or under one family head. Joe McKeever. After all, their local church is a part of the Global Church, so they aren’t wrong, they are just looking at a limited picture. Please enter a value. Pastor Duke Taber is an alumnus of L.I.F.E. Although the root word “storge” never appears in the Bible, there are a small handful of places where different forms of it are used. 6:14–18). This is a compound word joining “phileo” (friendship/brotherly love) and “storge.” Paul instructs the church in Rome not only to love each other as friends (phileo) but also to have protective, familial storge for each other. May we all respond in faith to His invitation! We feel compelled to alert our fellow church member about an issue we see in her life, but we feel no obligation to talk to our Christian coworker who goes to the church down the street and has the same sin in his life. The Gospel writer Mark tells us about a time when Jesus was teaching inside a building with a crowd of people surrounding him. Although the root word “storge” never appears in the Bible, there are a small handful of places where different forms of it are used. However, remember that it is only an analogy. Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers! Do you want award-winning journalism with a Christian worldview, delivered to your inbox? In English, we use the word “love” to describe a number of different emotions. One of these places is in Romans 12:10 when Paul instructs the church in Rome, “Love one another with brotherly affection. The Most Remarkable Scripture about Church Conflict. Romans 12:10. In all of these instances, the Biblical authors are referring to the Global Church. Through the difficult and intense moments in our life, it is our family, similarly to God, that can provide comfort and reassurance. CP VOICES do not necessarily reflect the views of The Christian Post. 1 Timothy 3:15 - But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Scriptures on Gospel Voice While more could be said, a handful of Scriptures below describe what it means to be part of the family of God. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. “Whoever does the will of God,” is a statement that includes all Christians everywhere. This inclusivity is continued in Galatians 3 when Paul states that whether Jew or Gentile, it is “those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.”[2], 1 John calls “everyone who practices righteousness…children of God.”[3]. We would love to hear from you! When you sing “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God,” do you imagine your local congregation, or do you picture the Global Church – the Bride of Christ? God obviously comes first: Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” All of one’s heart, soul, and strength is to be committed to loving God, making Him the first priority. Another positive is that family imagery can be a helpful way of thinking about the Biblical model of church planting. We are to "be imitators of God, as beloved children" (Eph 5:1). "And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope" (Heb 3:6). A family can also be a single parent with children, a husband and wife without children, or even a single person living alone. We "become children of God" (John 1:12), and to be called "children of God" is possible only by the "love of the Father" (1 John 3:1). There is a song written by Bill and Gloria Gaither that describes the Church as the family of God. on what you mean by “church.” We talk about our “church family” quite a lot, but I don’t think we often ponder what we really mean by that. The Church is a family bound together by love for God, their Heavenly Father, and for one another. This spiritual family is not bound by ethnicity, gender or social standing. Does it really matter that we aren’t using this analogy in the same way as Biblical authors did? Our local church should also be involved in each others’ lives and bearing each other’s burdens. His words cut me because I love him, and I want to marry him. Explore more topics. And this is no dysfunctional family, with family members estranged from one another. The Father and His Children. Bible verses related to The Church Family from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance. The Church Has Always Been the Family of God, Do you want award-winning journalism with a, Christian-owned funeral home pays $250K in settlement over transgender employee firing, Ohio church gathering thousands of gift cards to donate to every foster teen in the state, Gay adoption battles keep children parentless, experts say, End COVID lockdowns, say over 49,000 doctors and scientists, The 2020 election, untethered prophets: What does healthy prophetic 'reflection' look like? When Scripture uses the analogy of family, it seems to specifically do this in regards to the Global Church. This point is correct and has even more value when we think about what type of love we ought to feel towards our church family. Change ). However, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t any interconnection between these new churches. In 1 Timothy 5, Paul refers to the young and the old because he expects the church to consist of these categories. While one logically becomes a part of the Global Church family when he is born again, it seems odd to say that a new convert is not a part of God’s family until he decides to become a member of a local congregation. In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed, Gen. 12:3 (Gen. 28:14; Abr. Wheaton: Crossway, 2001, 2007, 2011. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Bring the whole family to church. I love my wife, but I also love my mom, and I can even use “love” to express how I feel about grilled chicken. In this way, your local church family is a small branch in the Global Church family tree – the root of which stems from the cross. On the other side, does it really matter if everyone thinks of their local church as the family instead of the Global Church? And moreover, when members of our family are going through hardships we can provide assistance to them. When being countercultural is our goal, we may be nearer to colluding with culture than changing it. Forever Families. What Is the Church Community Like? Invite God’s family around you into more than just your Sunday morning life. "The Family of God" I'm so glad I'm a part of the Family of God, I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood! The significance of our relationship with family is often mentioned in Scripture. The Father declared of Christ Jesus, "This is my beloved Son" (Matt 3:17), and we are "his offspring" as well (Isa 53:10). Next in “Family” 5 keys to raising a strong family. Christians should be part of a "church family" and not try to live spiritually on their own, says Saddleback Church senior pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren. Misconstruing this has substantial consequences on how we live our lives. It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them down. Mark 3:31-35. Relationships in our biological family guide us for how to interact with other members of the family of God: "Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity" (1 Tim 5:1–2). So what’s my point? "The one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family" (Heb. This inclusivity is continued in Galatians 3 when Paul states that whether Jew or Gentile, it is “those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.”[2] 1 John calls “everyone who practices righteousness…children of God.”[3] In his letters, Paul uses the terms “brother” and “sister” to refer to different people from numerous congregations. To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Bible College and Multnomah Biblical Seminary. The church family is called to grow spiritually together, spurring one another on. Is the church a family? When those children got married another family unit was formed. John 13:34 - A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye … There are simpler definitions, but in my opinion, they either are not comprehensive enough or they miss the mark in other ways. Here the word “love” is “philostorgos” in Greek. 1 John 2:29-3:1 The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. On one side, it bothers me that we so commonly limit this analogy. The Gospel writer Mark tells us about a time when Jesus was teaching inside a building with a crowd of people surrounding him. However, we can look to the Scriptures and find general principles for prioritizing our family relationships. Translations and Formats. Unable to get through the crowd, Jesus’ family sent word to him that they were outside. This point is certainly true on both the local church and Global Church levels. As I think about this question, I feel my mind teetering back and forth like a seesaw. In his letters, Paul uses the terms “brother” and “sister” to refer to different people from numerous congregations. In this way, our local church certainly is a family. However, it seems that most of the time I hear the term “church family” thrown around, it is being limited to the context of one’s local congregation. The answer to this question is not a simple “yes” or “no.” First of all, it depends on what you mean by “church.” We talk about our “church family” quite a lot, but I don’t think we often ponder what we really mean by that. “Whoever does the will of God,” is a statement that includes all Christians everywhere. When we are adopted into God’s spiritual family, the Church, God becomes our Father and Jesus our Brother. D. in Applied Theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Use it to describe the doctrine of church, not to derive your doctrine. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. This is a compound word joining “phileo” (friendship/brotherly love) and “storge.” Paul instructs the church in Rome not only to love each other as friends (phileo) but also to have protective, familial storge for each other. My parents raised children with the expectation that they would someday raise their own families. This often comes through small groups, Bible studies, teaching from the pastor, Sunday school lessons, and so on. Location. In eternity past, God "predestined us for adoptions as sons through Jesus Christ" (Eph 1:5), and when we believe and receive the Spirit, this adoption actually takes place, confirmed to us by the Spirit (Rom 8:14–17; Gal 4:4–7). E cclesiology is the study of the church. When we receive God's Spirit at salvation, we are adopted into his family. The church, the universal body of believers, is called the family of God. When Scripture uses the analogy of family, it seems to specifically do this in regards to the Global Church. I am still a part of my parent’s family even though I now also have my own family. Families are a big part of God’s plan for our happiness. 2:11). Elsewhere, he refers to the church as the household of God and gives the general principle that all parts of the body are to be valued. The mission of Religious Affections Ministries is to help churches conserve and nourish historic, biblical Christianity by clearly articulating the teachings of the Bible concerning truth, goodness, beauty, and rightly ordered affections in life and ministry. This collection of Bible verses about family will help you focus on the various relational aspects of a godly family unit. They never sat down and drew a blueprint for a bigger house that would be able to hold all of their married children and their families. With these reservations in mind, I need to tip the seesaw to the other side and acknowledge some positive aspects of the family analogy, even when applied in a different way than suggested by Scripture. Please click here to learn how. Christ is also the elder Brother to all believers, so to speak, prominent as "the firstborn among many brothers" (Rom 8:29) who is "not ashamed to call them brothers" (Heb 2:11). Regular family scripture study is a powerful way to help your family learn the gospel. Expand your vision of church family. I think there is real danger in reading what the Bible says about the Global Church and thinking it is only talking about local congregations. Everyone's welcome. ( Log Out / So in order to achieve family unity, no matter what happens in our family, we should honor God as great, follow God’s guidance, and understand and tolerate each other in God’s love. In conclusion, thinking of the local church as a family can be a helpful analogy. “Be a Shining Example” (August 2015 Friend) Elder Bruce D. Porter shares stories of how his children were examples of faith, kindness, reading the scriptures, and courage. The psalmist in Psalm 71desires to … When you sing “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God,” do you imagine your local congregation, or do you picture the Global Church – the Bride of Christ? Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. This point is certainly true on both the local church and Global Church levels. This familial relationship is something of the nature of God, and we, too, as believers have become part of this family. As you make scripture study an important part of your family life, you will help your family members come closer to Jesus Christ and build their testimonies on the foundation of His word. How much and how long you read as a family is not as important as being consistent in your efforts. General. We are "heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him" (Rom 8:17). Being a part of the family of God is the greatest blessing bestowed upon believers and one that should drive us to our knees in humble adoration. But it’s hard to think that serving in the church will be more important to him than me and our children. One of these places is in Romans 12:10 when Paul instructs the church in Rome, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Sign up now and we will deliver posts to your inbox! Email. God the Father has always been God the Father, and God the Son has always been God the Son. In Greek, there are four different words that we translate into English as “love” – agape, eros, phileo, and storge. As Paul says, "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. When a husband and wife take another’s child into their home to raise, that child becomes family through adoption. His concentration in Christian Leadership focuses his contributions to pastoral and practical theology. When we first believe, we are "newborn infants" who "long for the spiritual milk" (1 Pet 2:2) and should eventually mature into those who eat "solid food" and have the ability to teach others (Heb 5:11–14). 2:11). God the Father has always been God the Father, and God the Son has always been God the Son. He knows that I have been raised to believe that family is your first ministry. The Bible reveals that family relationships are important to God. We are to "do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Gal 6:10). The answer to this question is not a simple “yes” or “no.” First of all, it depends. About the Scriptures. David pastors First Baptist Church in Rockford, IL. He does the same in Titus 2 and here there is reference to interaction between the older and younger women. Bible Verses About Family Unity. This is often referred to as the Church Age. Storge is the protective, familial love. It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown … We get to be a part of a huge, cross-cultural family, and I think it is time we start believing it. He has been in pastoral ministry since 1988.Pastor Duke specializes in healing hurting churches and bringing revival, renewal, and restoration of the presence of God to the body of Christ in America to make the church spiritual again.Pastor Duke has a few limited dates available to speak in other churches.