I have been searching for a church family for a very long time. Growing up, we would usually sing a Gaither song, The Family of God, to close our church service.
I’m so glad I’m a part of the Family of God,
I’ve been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood!
Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod,
For I’m part of the family,
The Family of God.
When I was younger, I never really thought about what the lyrics meant. I just knew that the opening chords to that song were my cue to start gathering all my things from the pew…
(If you would like to hear the song, click here to listen to Bill Gaither…)
But, as I grew older, I was always searching for that feeling of family whenever I went to church.
Brad and I tried a lot of churches in a lot of cities as we moved over the years. Every now and then, we would think we finally had found “the one” only to learn something as we went along that just didn’t sit well with us. Or, we ended up moving and had to start the whole process over again…
What does The Family of God look like?
When Brad and I were studying the Bible, one of the lessons was about discipleship and living the life of a disciple as Jesus calls us to do. The passage that stood out to me the most was in Acts. Luke wrote about how, following Jesus’ death, about 3,000 people who heard Peter’s sermon were baptized. These believers then went on to form the first church.
They joined with the other believers in regular attendance at the apostles’ teaching sessions and at the Communion services and prayer meetings. A deep sense of awe was on them all, and the apostles did many miracles. And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything with each other, selling their possessions and dividing with those in need. They worshiped together regularly at the Temple each day met in small groups in homes for Communion, and shared their meals with great joy and thankfulness, praising God. The whole city was favorable to them, and each day God added to them all who were being saved. Acts 2:44-47
This really epitomized what it looked like to be truly engaged – all in. It was exciting, yet somewhat terrifying all at the same time…
Do you want to be part of The Family of God?
In all honesty, the first time I read that I thought, boy, that’s a lot of time with these people…
And, it is a lot of time with them. But, as I wrote in my very first post, ”A Faith-Filled Family,” the people in our church are truly happy and full of joy.
(Now, we’ve been around them now for over a year, and I can assure you that they are human. People still have a rough day now and then, but even those don’t seem as bad!)
But, seriously, why wouldn’t I want to be surrounded by, and spend time with, people like that?
Throughout all of our moves to different cities and states, I have been searching for that feeling of Family. In fact, in one job interview I was asked what I was looking for, and the first thing I said was, Family. I wanted to work in a place where people were happy. Where they stood up for each other and actually liked each other – they were friends!
I was assured by the person interviewing me of the friendly and family like atmosphere, and it really was a pretty nice place to work.
But…it is nothing like the sense of family you can get at church.
So, do you want to be a part of The Family of God?
Absolutely.
How is The Family of God different?
We realize we are all in this together.
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 1 Corinthians 12:26
Regardless of any problems that might come my way, I know that I have a ton of people who would literally drop everything and come to my aid.
And, when great things happen, I know I can tell people who will be truly happy for me!
Again – we are all in this together.
This past weekend, we had our annual church camping trip. It was absolutely amazing. There were just a few campers on Friday night. Once everyone had set up and eaten dinner, we all just gathered around the campfire and shared camping stories from when we were kids. (Pretty sure each one involved some sort of bear…)
Then the storms rolled through after we went to bed. They were supposed to continue throughout the weekend. But, we never saw another drop. The storms surrounded us to the north and south, but the sun shone on us the rest of our time together. We were even able to get in the kickball game and a whole lot of swimming, fishing, and great fellowshipping.
What have I learned about The Family of God?
One of the things that stood out to me was how this group of people – which was diverse in all ways – had the most important thing in common: each person was part of The Family of God.
If someone was hungry, they were fed. If thirsty; given a drink. There was communal bug spray, sunscreen, coffee, and even s’more materials. (That was probably the most amazing of all!)
It truly felt like we were living the way God intended as was described in Acts 2.
Everyone shared everything with each other and prayed together, and, on Sunday, had one of the most powerful outdoor church services I have ever attended together.
In the end, we have been spending a lot of time with these people. But, it has not been out of a sense of duty or obligation. We want to spend time with them. We have developed some really great friendships. They are real and have substance.
So, now when I think of being a part of The Family of God, I am reminded of the verse from the song I used to sing. It definitely has a much deeper meaning, and I am So Glad…
You will notice we say “brother and sister” ’round here,
It’s because we’re a family and these are so near;
When one has a heartache, we all share the tears,
And rejoice in each victory in this family so dear.
Your Thoughts?
What does it mean to you to be part of The Family of God? I would love to hear your experiences and what you have found. I can’t wait to hear from you all!
