What Is the Church?Ihe Atụ

The Church Is The Family of God

“You can choose your friends but you sho' can't choose your family, an' they're still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge 'em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don't.”

Harper Lee wrote these words in To Kill a Mockingbird, but they have incredible relevance to the Church.

We typically start our prayers like this: “Father…” One of the great truths of the Gospel is that when God’s grace saves you, you are also adopted as a child of God.

And as one of my mentors told me, “Kirk, if God is your Father, then I am your brother.”

This truth is a consistent theme throughout the New Testament. The Church is the family of God. As God’s children, we have complete access to every blessing and privilege that comes from being part of this family.

These truths are incredibly encouraging, but they are often treated as nice thoughts rather than realities that shape our daily decisions.

If you have ever been to a family reunion, you see all kinds of family dynamics. There is a common bond, but people end up breaking into smaller groups of people who talk, laugh, and play together. Some relationships might be dysfunctional, while others are thriving. These reunions are a great illustration of what happens in the Church.

The family of God is huge. There are people from every country, cultural and ethnic background, and economic sphere. The other churches in your community are family. But we also break off into smaller groups called our own “local church,” and even within our local church, we typically feel more closely connected with a smaller group of people.

Those relational dynamics are normal, but they don’t change the reality that we are part of a much larger family.

The one thing you can’t do is pretend you aren’t part of the family. As Harper Lee said, “You look right silly” when this happens. Galatians 6:10 says that as family, we are to seek out the good of the entire household. Your decisions impact the whole family. When we seek to do good for the household of faith, we are considering how to contribute to the well-being of our family.

Be the person in God's family you would want others to be in your own family. Make time for the family, contribute, and love others well.

Prayer: God, help me to love and enjoy Your children, my brothers and sisters. Amen.

Reflection: What would it look like for you to “do good” for the household of faith?