The Promised Community

Jesus asks for us to lay down our whole lives before Him but for many people today, there are no huge consequences for putting their faith in Jesus. The biggest sacrifices are often inward changes: a new heart and a new desire to lay down our lives for Jesus. But, for some people, giving their lives to Jesus means giving up relationships. Even in New Zealand, a nation with freedom of religion, when people of other faiths come to Christianity, it can often mean breaking with their families.

Sometimes, at our church when we baptise someone, we cannot make it fully public or publish details online because if their family found out, that person would not be safe. You can imagine how isolating that can feel when someone has to give up relationships to enter into faith. Of course, we encourage people to hold onto relationships where they can but it's not always possible. For some people, this is because of religious differences, but it can also be for practical reasons like moving countries. Every church of a certain size has people who have lost or given up relationships to be where they are.

Jesus actually spoke about this to His disciples. After demonstrating the huge cost of discipleship, Jesus gives a promise. His promise is that whatever we give up in order to follow Him, He shall give us a hundred times more, not just in the next life, but in this life too. Jesus promises homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields, to all who have given up these things to follow Him. The fulfillment of this promise is supposed to be the Church or the Church as it should be.

As the Church, when we fail to care for one another and be family for those without family, we are failing to live up to who Jesus has promised we will be. Jesus asks for everything from his followers but He also promised that the Church would be everything for those followers. For those of us who have not given up family, this means making room within our families for new family members. We don't have to replace our families with the church family, our families just need to get bigger!

Thought Point

How are you helping to make sure people who are disconnected from family members find something better in the church? Do you know who in your church community is disconnected from family?

Prayer Point

Ask God how you can be a parent or sibling to people in your church. Ask Him to bring to mind and maybe give you a word for someone who might be disconnected from family right now.