Becoming The Brother Everyone NeedsSample

A Brother Who is Real

From an earthly perspective, God’s calling a bunch of imperfect people His very own makes no sense. What good could possibly come from holy God’s being associated with such a rag-tag assembly as we? Glory.

You see, God’s calling and adopting us into His family makes no sense to the world either, so they watch to see if the brotherhood that we claim to have with one another is, in fact, genuine. If it is, then they must consider the reality of a supernatural force at work in our hearts, the truth of the Gospel we proclaim, and what that Gospel has to do with them. If it is not, then they can dismiss the Jesus we profess as having been another really good guy worth admiring, but not following.

Is that a lot of pressure? Yes. That is why it is so important that we rely on the Holy Spirit we share to guide and empower us toward our common God-given goal, which is the spread of the Gospel, and toward the kind of inexplicable unity that sets us apart from the world.

• How much effort do you put into getting along with and encouraging your brothers and sisters in Christ?
• Do you put more effort into some relationships than others?
• Why is important to maintain healthy relationships with all of them?
• Are you helping or hindering the spread of the Gospel?

Read 2 Corinthians 4:7, John 13:34-35, and Ephesians 4:3-6.