Over the last 3 Sundays in this series, I’ve talked to you about three specific pillars of the Christian faith.

First salvation. It is the line of scrimmage, not the end zone. It is where your life with Jesus begins. You need to be saved and Jesus offers us salvation through the simple act of confessing him as Lord and believing the truth about Jesus in our hearts.

Second was a Spirit-led life. This is the daily act of crucifying our flesh and choosing to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. This is the power behind the process of sanctification in our lives where we root out anything that separates us from God and we completely embrace the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.

Third was the spiritual disciplines. These are 12 actions we find in the Bible that are sufficient for developing your relationship with God to maturity.
These actions are not the end, but the means by which you grow and nurture your relationship with God.

These three weeks have given a clear understanding of the core of what the Gospel does, to transform us from death into life, from lost into found, from orphan into sons and daughters.

However, these last three weeks have been individual choices, beliefs, and actions that have been designed to help you become everything you were created to be. One might think that is they only had these first three pillars, that would be enough. Yet, Jesus is clear that there is more to your faith than simply you and God in these Spirit led relationship growing moments launched from some salvation moment.

Matthew 16:18
…on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

What is Jesus building? The Church. What will the gates of hell not prevail against? The Church. Well, yeah, but Jesus means that as people respond to the Gospel that this family of believers will grow and we’ll all just experience Jesus and stuff. The church corporate is not what is important. It is you embracing Jesus individually that really matters. Not quite…Jesus clearly had more specific plans for the church, and one of those is a part of the Spiritual Discipline chat we had last week: guidance.

Matthew 18:15-17
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

Tell it to who? The Church.

Jesus’ plan all along was for you to not only embrace the power of the Cross, the direction and power of the Holy Spirit, the joy and benefit of the spiritual disciplines, but also the power of the Christian community called the church, of which, Christ is the head!

Colossians 1:15-20
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

We can look at this verse and get all pumped up because if we simply embrace Christ, we are reconciled, and the fullness of God dwells in us.

But we have to remember that the fullness of Christ means the fullness in everything in which is Christ. That means that when you are not actively engaged in a local church, you are simply missing out on the fullness of God in Christ Jesus. There are some things that God gives to the church that he won’t give to you individually. It isn’t because he doesn’t want you to have them, but because you are better able to embrace them in the context of the church body, not your in isolation.

So, to wrap up this series, why do you need the church?

1. You need a family to belong to
When I was a kid we went to a church where at the end of every service, we would join hands and sing this song:
We’re the people of God, called by his name, Called from the dark and delivered from shame, One holy race, saints everyone, Because of the blood of Christ Jesus the Son

This really stuck with me for some reason, and I tend to think it is the fact that we all came together in that moment, joined hands, and proclaimed the truth that we were a part of a family.

The only thing more impactful in your life than your relationship with God is your family. Some of you have an instant repulsion to that statement because your family of origin has been anything but positively impactful, but good or bad, it is true.

The family is actually the first institution God created when he spoke the world into being. Adam was born into the institution of a family. We see this in Genesis 1:26-27
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

“In our image and likeness” doesn’t necessarily mean family though, right?

Genesis 5:1-3
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.
Here we see image and likeness tied to sonship, but to further prove the point, look to Luke 3:38
the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

When you look at God’s original design for you, it is this:
God created a perfect you in perfection for the sole purpose of being in his family.

We teach a lot on the orphan spirit around here, and the reason is because sin isn’t our biggest problem, orphanhood is. Satan doesn’t have to kill, steal, and destroy if he can get you to embrace orphanhood, being family-less. This way, you’ll always be an outcast.

And we live in a culture where the traditional family is currently under attack. In the 60’s the government became a subsidizer of single parent homes. A Google search on “nuclear family” yields results talking about how to abolish, collapse, and destroy the nuclear family.

This is a direct affront to what the Bible teaches about family.

Psalm 68:6
God places the lonely in families

Research has consistently proven the power of a complete father, mother, and kids family unit, but also the results of when this system breaks down.
I won’t bore you with the statistics today, but when the home is broken, everyone in that home suffers, and even generationally. That suffering is not just the loss of a unified house, or societal results either, like education, behavioral, etc., but specifically in terms of your spiritual life.

You might think this is just exaggeration, yet we have politicians right now who have spewed Communist Marxist talking points from day one. Federal price controls, confiscating patents from companies, even using the media and political pressure to redefine the nature of the nuclear family with the end result of abolishing the idea of traditional nuclear families. Culturally, the family is being intentionally redefined and demoralized.

The enemy is specifically and aggressively attacking biblical familyhood.
Satan is heavily engaged in warring against the family, especially the presence of the father in the family.

CA Frosch at the NIH released research in 2021 on Parenting and Child Development finding that not only is the traditional nuclear family the deciding factor in the most positive outcomes for children, but that:
“All things being equal, when children can only have the residential care of one natural parent, well-being is better when they retain the father.”

This is not a dad flex on moms. It illustrates the core of why satan is working so hard to destroy your relationship with your dad.

If your relationship with your earthly father can be destroyed, it makes you embracing a relationship with your heavenly father exponentially more difficult.

I’ve had 3 Chrysler/Dodge vehicles. All three have had major transmission issues. This is partly why I drive a GMC. Does this mean GMC is better? No. But my bad experiences with Chrysler/Dodge products has created a mistrust of the product.

In the same way, if I had a bad relationship with my earthly father, and then bad relationships with father-like figures (coaches, pastors, leaders), it is going to create mistrust of God the father.

Why am I telling you all of this? I want you to see that your natural family plays a massive role in your success or failure.

If your natural family plays a massive role in your natural success or failure, doesn’t it stand to reason that your spiritual family plays a massive role in your spiritual success or failure?

The truth is: You NEED a church family to help you become everything God created you to be. But this is more than just needing a family.

You need to belong.

Psychology Today
Belonging is a fundamental human need that shapes our sense of identity, connection, and well-being through feeling accepted, valued, and understood.

Jay Shetty
Belonging is also shown to be a key support for physical health, while the lack of it is linked to ill effects on health and wellbeing. It helps us to manage stress and feel more resilient, which ultimately allows us to cope more effectively during challenging times. So something you can do to immediately help you belong is to stop looking for reasons why you don’t belong and start looking for reasons why you do.

Belonging is being known, loved, and challenged.
Most people welcome the first two, crave them even, and getting them is like sugar on our lips, but that last one can sometimes make us feel like we don’t belong.

A challenge often comes in the form of discipline, but remember
Proverbs 3:11-12
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

God will never lead you to a place where there is never a challenge. Only your flesh will do that. So if you are not being challenged, are you being led by God or appeased by your flesh?

You still belong even when you are being challenged. In fact, if you are being challenged, it is proof you belong.

We’re talking about belonging to a family. Hebrews 10:19-25 (my commentary)
19 Therefore, brothers (this denotes our familial relationship), since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, (this is what Jesus did to restore us from orphans into sons and daughters), 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, (this is Jesus our savior), 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (this is the result of that reconciliation) 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. (this is the bond of unity that holds us together) 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (this is what we do for each other).

Before I get away from it:
Family members: your job is to stir each other up to love and good works.
Those outside the family: if you’ll come into the family, this is what we do for each other.

This might mean encouragement. It might mean correction. It might mean anything in between. But if you claim Jesus as your Lord, it is imperative that you fulfill your familial obligation to stir each other up to love and good works. If you are not doing this, are you really in the family? Let me ask it like this: who have you stirred up to love and good works lately?

Back to the verse:
This passage in Hebrews gives us a super clear view of, not only the power of the Gospel, but of why it is so important you are in the family of God.
God leads with is intention - you in the family. He then explains what he did to restore you. He then gives you a confession that unites us. He then shows us the actions he wants his family to take with each other.

This is what the Christian family does, and you need this more than you could ever know.

Imagine, how would your life be different if your natural family did everything they could to stir you up to love and good works?
We aren’t always perfect at it, but this is what the Family of God is supposed to do.

When you are around people who love you, love God, know you, know God, and have your best interest in mind, it makes it easy to embrace God’s family so his best can happen in you, and yes in spite of a bad natural family, and yes, even in spite of past church hurt.

Don’t forget that most people who hurt others are themselves hurting.
That doesn’t excuse their behavior, but it does help us deal with their behavior.

If you haven’t fully engaged with the family of God yet, why? What is holding you back? How to do that? Start building relationships with people here. Find someone you’d like to connect with and go to lunch, hang out, etc.

When you can belong to the family, you can embrace the second point:

2. You need a family to help guide you
Too many people are quick to tell you want to do, but that is not what guiding a person is. Guidance defined: advice or information aimed at resolving a problem or difficulty. Guidance Biblically defined: divine wisdom and direction that God offers through his word and the church body to lead a person through the complexities of life and into God’s perfect will.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

We love this verse because it is a promise that everything is gonna work out. But how? We have to trust God, not embrace what we can comprehend, but acknowledge him, and he’ll work it out. We love direct communication from God, but what if God uses a middle man to accomplish this verse? You cool with that? This is one of the roles of the Church Family.

The church family reminds you of at least three things:

You don’t always have the right perspective.
2 Samuel 12, Nathan the prophet tells David about a rich man who stole a poor man’s only beloved sheep, one he treated like his own kid. The rich man killed and cooked the sheep for some guests, unwilling to use one of his own. David flipped and demanded the rich man found and executed. Nathan said, “You are that man,” talking about David and Bathsheba.

You don’t always have the right perspective on a situation, and thankfully, you have people in your spiritual family who God can use to help correct your perspective.

You don’t always have the best plan.
King Xerxes needs a new queen after he angrily banished the last one. He chooses Esther to be queen, and suddenly she’s living a completely new life in which one knows her background. The plot thickens quickly for Esther — one of the king’s royal officials, Haman, hatches a plot to have all the Jews killed. Mordecai finds out about the plot and asks Esther to petition the king to stop it. But she’s afraid — no one is allowed to approach the king without a summons or they’ll be put to death. If the king extends his scepter, the petitioner can live, but there’s no guarantee. Even as the queen, speaking out would put Esther’s life in danger. She just wants to stay silent, even though it means death for her people. But Mordecai challenges her in Esther 4 that if you don’t act now, all is lost.

We don’t always have the best plans, but remember Proverbs 11:14:
Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

You don’t have to do any of this alone.
We could talk about how the family can help develop you, help you grow, help you deal with the past or issues you’re currently facing. Yes to all of that. But there’s this mindset that you have to do everything on your own. I know, because I have to fight that, too.

Genesis 2:18
It is not good that the man should be alone.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

Going it alone gives you privacy, but no amount of privacy can offset the heaviness burden that you are bearing.

You have to choose:
conceal the issues and be crushed by them, or reveal the issues and be relived of them.

The family can help you belong, it can help guide you, and honestly, a million other things. We just don’t have time today to go through all of the facets by which this family can benefit you.

But there’s one more I want to share with you that could be the most important of all.

3. You need a family to help love you.
Nothing feels better than being loved. When someone loves you, they want you, care for you, think about you, they even need you in their lives. There’s a reason Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13 that while there are faith and hope, the greatest is love.

Why do we need to be loved?
We’ll do almost anything for love. I say almost because Meatloaf clearly taught us this in the 90’s. He’d do anything for love, but he won’t do that. Learned just this week what that was: He wouldn’t forget how he felt about her. Says it every chorus.

We act like idiots, we spend untold amounts of money, we endure heartbreak, all of this is so we are loved. WHY!?!!?

It is because deep down inside of you being loved is why you were created.
You are the object of God’s affection. And he loved Jesus so much that creation, including you, burst forth. You exists simply because God the Father wanted more sons and daughters to love. And you will never have that need for love satisfied in your heart until you embrace the love of God the Father.

Remember, John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.

You can embrace God’s love through his son, Jesus.
You can experience God’s love through his family, the church.

Close your eyes for just a moment and simply say, “I am loved.” Now say, “I love you.” This flow of received and reciprocated love is what the church should be known for.

John 13:35 paraphrased:
You’ll know you are in the family by how well you receive and reciprocate my love.

Yes, you need the Gospel that leads to salvation.
Yes, you need the Holy Spirit to live the life God called you to live.
Yes, you need to engage in the Spiritual Disciplines to help you grow and mature in Christ.
And yes, you need the church family.

No matter how good the family is, there is always the potential for hurt, but if we are more focused on stirring each other to love and good works than we are looking for problems, our lives will change forever. Our families, cities, and nation will as well.

Are you in the family of God?
How? Say yes to Jesus. That simple.

Have you been engaging with the family of God like he wants you to?
Maybe you attend, but are you building relationships, growing, being challenged? This is a Sunday and Pueblo’s is just across the street. Who are you going to eat with? DGroups launch next week. Who is in your DGroup? Men’s and Women’s meet every Tuesday and Wednesday. Are you coming?

Colossians 3:12-15, Ephesians 4:15-16
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

How can you better engage with the body of Christ to see this passage become a reality?

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message?

How does he want you to respond?