The church is the gathering of God’s children…

Welcome! Glad that you all can join in our Family Fellowship today. “Family” because we are a family in Christ. Before the church was the institution, as we know it today, the church was a family. “While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matt.12:47-50)

It was and is a place of fathers and mothers in the faith, brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as, elderly saints and newborn babies in the faith. The church is the gathering of God’s children, where they can be helped and fed like babies and then, guided by her motherly care, grow up to manhood in maturity of faith. If you are born again, washed by the blood of Jesus, trusting in Christ alone for your salvation, then you are a brother or a sister in Christ.

Beloved, there is a deeper and stronger relationship we have as Christians than our natural families who are unsaved. Isn’t that true? I’m sure you already have noticed that. I’m really closer to you than my cousins or my other relatives who do not know the Lord! I have shared the gospel to most of them but until they accept Jesus, we really have nothing in common where we can really share and have fellowship. Now our Lord was not suggesting that believers ignore or abandon their families in order to serve God, but only that we put God’s will above everything else in life. Certainly it is God’s will that we care for our families and provide for them (see 1 Tim. 5:81 Tim. 5:8
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. house: or, kindred  

WP-Bible plugin), but we must not permit even our dearest loved ones to influence us away from the will of God.

So what is it that characterizes the person who is spiritually related to Christ? What is the indication that we are indeed part of God’s family? Because we go to church? Is it because we carry our Bible? Is it because we speak Christian lingo? No, if we hear God’s Word and put it into practice! That’s always the challenge for every hearer of God’s Word. Many church-goers tend to regard sermon-listening as an end in itself. Others look at it as an “escape” or a “substitute” for obedience. But God wants transformation from listening into living! And there’s one key ingredient for this to happen – faith…believing in what God has said, for we cannot really apply God’s Word without believing it. What moves us to obey is because we believe God will do what He said He will do! Faith in God’s Word moves us to action. You see, the Word of God feeds faith (Faith comes from hearing and hearing the word of Christ -Rom.10:17), and faith leads to obedience (Rom.1:5)!



God wants transformation from listening into living! And there’s one key ingredient for this to happen – faith…

May we, who call on the same Father, trust the same Savior Jesus Christ, in the fellowship of the same Spirit, come together now and offer Him our love Him and worship and live a life of obedience that He may be glorified in us!