Dear Church,
One of the most beautiful truths about God’s design for His people is that He didn’t just call us to attend – He called us to belong. When the Scriptures describe the church, they don’t speak of an audience; they speak of a family.
Jesus said, “Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50). That means when we gather together, we are more than friends sitting in pews – we are family sitting around the same table of grace.
But somewhere along the way, there are times where it seems that we have drifted. We shake hands at the door, exchange polite greetings, and sometimes even sit beside one another for years without truly knowing each other’s hearts. We share a building, but not always our burdens. We commune together, but not always in spirit.
Let it not be this way. Families aren’t perfect – they argue, they stumble, they disappoint each other – but they stay connected because love binds them together. The same must be true for us.
Paul told the Thessalonians, “We were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children… we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:7–8).
That’s the picture of family in Christ — not just sharing the gospel but sharing our lives. Sitting in hospital rooms together. Praying over one another’s struggles. Rejoicing when one returns home. Mourning when one drifts away.
When the world looks at us, they should see a love that can’t be explained by shared interests or personalities – only by a shared Savior. They should see people who bear with each other, forgive quickly, and refuse to let differences divide what Christ’s blood has joined.
So, dear church, let’s be a family again. Let’s call one another brother and sister – and mean it. Let’s open our homes as freely as our Bibles. Let’s replace criticism with compassion, and suspicion with service.
Because when the church acts like a family, the Father is glorified, the Son is honored, and the Spirit is at home among us.