Never Forget: Your Church is Your Family

God’s plan and design for the local church is that it be a localized presence of the universal body of Christ. Every true follower of “the Way” (as the Christian movement was commonly referred to in New Testament times) is a brother or sister in Christ, regardless of race, color, sex, location, or any other such consideration. But…

It’s not possible to engage in consistent, regular, ongoing fellowship with every believer on planet Earth.

Hence, the local church.

This is why, even in New Testament times, there was the church in Thessalonica, the church in Corinth, the church in Ephesus, the church in Rome, the church in Jerusalem, and so forth.

In the course of time (and there are even indications of this in the New Testament), these local churches were subdivided even further to where there were multiple congregations in various localities. (Again, there are hints of this even in New Testament times).

This is certainly the case today, particularly in regions of the world where self-identifying Christians make up a majority or sizable proportion of the population (such as in the United States). Therefore, unless you live in a very, very small town, you probably have dozens — maybe hundreds — of local, Bible-believing, Christian churches in your city, county, or town.

Put all that together and here’s the reality…

When you’re part of the universal church, you’re part of the family of God.

And…

Whatever local church or congregation you are a part of, God’s intent is for that to be your local family of God. This means, that if you’re part of a church, you should see yourself not simply as a church member or attender but as part of a spiritual family.

Unfortunately, the family reference doesn’t resonate as well these days as it should. So, let’s not think so much of the declining state of the family today, but rather what God wants for families. With that standard in mind, ask yourself this…

Do you love your family?
Are you committed to your family?
Do you agree it’s good to spend time with your family?
Do you agree that you should be an active part of your family (helping, serving, encouraging, etc.) to the extent you are able?

Hopefully, you answered “yes” to the above. 🙂 If not, you need to pray about that.

But, assuming you did…

Should it not be the same for your church family?

This doesn’t mean that your church family comes before your nuclear family, nor does it mean you’re trapped in your church and can never leave. 🙂 It doesn’t mean that there aren’t times when you need to take a break from certain ministries or even step away from the particular congregation you presently call home, but it does mean this…

Church isn’t something to take lightly.

Too many Christians today (or at least people who profess to be Christian) put church as a very low priority (if a priority at all). They attend or participate in church based on their convenience, and they leave churches or change churches more casually than they change jobs. In many cases, whether they leave or stay comes down to whether they like what they hear or whether they “feel” a certain way about the programs, events, or activities of the church.

It’s fine to have that perspective if we’re talking about restaurants, retail outlets, or the local bowling league. But that’s not what church is about. God doesn’t call us to be consumer Christians.

Might there be serious issues that arise which need to be dealt with or which might necessitate changing churches? Certainly. Might there be times when God calls you to a different local assembly? Of course. I’ll dedicate a future post to what some of those reasons for leaving might be. But…

Read this… and hear it in your heart…

You should never stop loving your church family and it should not be easy to leave your local church family.

In general…

If you’re not truly committed to the church God has you in, then you’re not doing church God’s way.

“Wait! I try to be committed, but I don’t feel like I’m part of the family. I feel –“

Hold on. If you’re honest, you have to acknowledge that sometimes you might not “feel” connected with your human family either. Like biological families, people get hurt and disappointed. Churches are made up of people. And…

People have feelings (as do you)
People are imperfect (as are you)
People bring problems to the mix (as do you)

There will be ups and downs in any church family (as with any family). There will be challenges, difficulties, problems, and on and on. Wherever there are people, there are problems.

Don’t let problems or difficulties get the best of you or turn you into a quitter.

There may be times — perhaps a lot of times — when you don’t feel fully welcomed or accepted or understood or whatever. Remember these words from Proverbs…

“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly.” (Proverbs 18:24a, KJV)

You need to put forth a solid, genuine, dedicated, persistent effort to “show yourself friendly” in order to make and keep friends. That’s the reality and it’s the case with any group or organization.

If you want to make friends in church or be a welcome part of the church family…

Love your church
Pray for your church
Take the initiative to meet and get to know the people in your church
Look for opportunities to connect and serve in your church
Be patient

The purpose of the church you are a part of isn’t to please you or satisfy you. Its purpose is to glorify, please, and satisfy God.

The church does this by producing disciples of Jesus Christ.

That is the measure of a healthy, God-pleasing church!

If you find yourself lackluster, apathetic, disheartened, drained, frustrated, or discouraged with respect to your church, please take some time to pray and fast on that. Ask God for clear instruction, guidance, and direction. While you’re seeking Him out on that, take the time to read through the New Testament — focusing on passages that directly pertain to the church and its purpose.

And then talk with your pastor (or, if it’s a bigger church, one of the pastors) and/or one of the deacons.

Make sure — prayerfully with the Holy Spirit as your conscience — that your wants, needs, and expectations with respect to your church are in alignment with biblical teachings on the church. And make sure they are realistic with respect to the capacity of your church.

On that latter point, that’s a wise thing to keep in mind in any situation. Expectations should be based on propriety and capacity, not desire (or even need).

Allow me to close with these words from the Book of Hebrews…

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25, KJV)

Your local church is God’s family present in your community. Be an active, God-honoring, positive part of your church family. And let God bless you accordingly.

For more on this, check out…