The Fast and Furious Family

Another Fast and Furious movie! There aren’t many movie franchises that make it to #7, but this adrenaline and turbo charged ride is about to reach that milestone. It is clear that these movies are popular (epecially when you consider their total box office revenue of $2.38 billion)!

There are many reasons why this series has done so well (pulling a behemoth-sized safe behind two turbo charged cars being my favorite one so far), but I believe what has contributed the most to viewers coming back again and again is the writers’ very wise move in shifting the focus from ‘tough dudes with awesome cars’ to family. If you have seen any of the films, you know that this theme is incredibly prevalent and really forms the credibility of the story lines. rite scenes so far.)

And for a film series that obviously never had aspirations of taking home any Academy Awards for theatrical performances, they have done very well in convincing us that through all the diversity and extreme challenges, family bonds can be formed and protected at all costs.

Is that how you feel about your family? Many of you (like most) have struggled with parents and siblings, and still others have had no choice but to find your family in the friendships you have formed.  At the end of the day, when you belong to a group of people who you know ‘has your back’ and would never turn their backs on you, it brings a completely different perspective on life.

And did you know that if you have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation, you are a part of the biggest family on earth? Listen to these words from the Bible:

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. (Ephesians 2:19, NLT)

Here on earth there are two ways you can get into a family: you can be born into one, or you can be adopted.  In Fast and the Furious, each member of that family was ‘adopted’ because of a common love for cars and a commitment to protect each other. For the Christian, you were born into God’s family when you received Jesus into your life, and you were also adopted because of a common love for the Savior and a commitment to serve each other!

And how should we treat each other? Here are some ways families should treat one another:

Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters. (1 Timothy 5:1-2, NLT)

What does all this mean? It means that whether or not you are far or near to your biological family (both physically and emotionally), if you are a believer, you have a family no matter where you go. Why? Because the church is not something you go to, it is something you belong to! The older men in our churches can (and should) fill the role of a father, the older women can serve as mothers, and our brothers and sisters in Christ can be, well, our brothers and sisters!

That means when the dangers come and the trials hit home, we don’t have to go at it alone. That also means, of course, that if we have friends and family who haven’t yet heard about how they can join the family of God, we need to, like Dominic Toretto, invite others into this amazing group of people who follow Jesus for THE Cause.

My friends, if you are feeling alone and abandoned, remember that the family of God is out there, and they will respond in a fast and furious way to save the day!

Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action

Sometimes we forget that we belong to the family of God, and when we do, we miss out on this great privilege that Jesus has granted us to live out our faith with our brothers and sisters in Christ. This week, pray for opportunities to have each other’s backs as we live out THE Cause!

Accelerant: Fuel for THE Cause

Pray: Jesus, thank You for calling us into this amazing family. Help us not take the adoption for granted, and please open doors of opportunities to serve each other as brothers and sisters.

Read: Ephesians 2:19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.

Get: Will God Ever Leave Me? Ever question if God will leave you because of what you’ve done? Check out this Youth Group 2 Go downloadable lesson on the hope we receive when we believe that Christ died and rose again for our salvation.