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All in the Family

And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians -- you are one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you. (Galatians 3:27-29)

A politician once made a very interesting remark in a campaign speech. I quote: "Wherever I have gone in this country, I have found Americans."

Well, this would have been an astute observation if he had been in another nation, but he was referring to America! One of those things that makes you go hmmm...

When I read that, it reminded me of an amazing aspect of the Christian life. Did you know that the minute you became a believer, you joined a worldwide family? It's true- you have spiritual brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers all around the globe. Here's what God has to say about it:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. (Ephesians 3:14-15)

When we trusted Christ, we were immediately adopted into God's family, giving us royal status and millions of new relatives. You can truly say: "Wherever I have gone in this world, I have found Christians..."

This truth was very apparent to me recently as I spent a week with 200+ believers from over 20 states. I had never met the majority of them personally, yet by the end of the week I felt like I was leaving my own family.

Why was that? Because we share something that is thicker than blood and deeper than names: the Holy Spirit. The very presence of the living God indwells every Christian, and when we meet up with other believers, there is instant friendship (or should be). There are no racial, social, emotional, financial, or national differences between brothers and sisters in Christ.

What does this mean? Well, lots of things- but let me mention just a few:

  1. We must be at peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ. If you are withholding forgiveness from your Father's children, then you can be sure that Daddy isn't listening to your prayers- just check out Matthew 5!
    1. As well, if you are unforgiving, He doesn't want you at His table either (I Corinthians 11)
  2. We must remember that we are never alone. If you are feeling isolated and abandoned lately, keep in mind that you have family all around you. The issue is: have you taken the time and effort to get to know other believers? Remember, you will be spending the rest of eternity with these people, so it would probably be a good idea to get a head start while here on earth.

Perhaps you could make it your goal this summer to get to know 3-5 new Christians in your church and/or youth group. Remember as well that no believer has the excuse that he/she has no one to turn to, because the problem with us is not a lack of relational relatives, but an abundance of silent saints- perhaps that's why we are commanded to "confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed" (James 5:16).

Come back home believer, we're waiting with open arms!

Questions:

  1. Am I at peace with my family? Why or why not?
  2. How could I be a better family member?
  3. Do I need to share my burdens with a brother and/or sister?