Family Ties

Introduction

“The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song, An American History” by Henry Louis Gates who is the the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.

Andrew Young, the civil rights icon, former mayor of Atlanta, and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the Jimmy Carter administration, understands that faith and a sense of identity go hand in hand. “Your personhood didn’t depend on the government or the social order,” he says. “It depended on God and your own spiritual bloodlines.”

Another civil rights activist, Vernon Jordan, uses a vivid example to illustrate the point: “If you’re working downtown in Atlanta in 1942, white boys called you ‘boy.’ And you did not have the best kind of job nor a job consistent with your capabilities, and you were looked down upon and frowned upon. But you put on your Sunday go-to-meeting clothes, and you walked in the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, you not only were somebody, you felt like you were somebody.”

Otis Moss, Jr., a friend of Martin Luther King, Jr., and his father, echoes this sentiment: “In that Black worship experience, somebody called you sister, brother, mother, Mr., a whole community of dignity and recognition and somebody-ness.”

Oprah Winfrey sums it up succinctly. The church, she says, “gave people a sense of value and of belonging and worthiness. I don’t know how we could have survived as a people without it.” Worthiness. Personhood. Somebody-ness.

Religion has fed generations of African American souls in this country, through the brutal trials of slavery to a new hope within a new nation, through the struggle for liberation, economic freedom, education, and the fight for full citizenship in the country we helped build. “We had to have some individual and institutional armor,” says Cornel West, “in order to preserve our sanity.”

Transition To Body- You Once Walked...

Ephesians 2:1–10 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Body

Our Previous Position Of Alienation (vv11-12)

Ephesians 2:11–12 ESV

11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Alienate- estrange, feelings of isolation

It means you don’t know God. You are not a citizen of heaven.

You don’t feel like you belong in the church or you can even feel like you don’t belong in this world. You don’t feel a connection to God.

Strangers- to being unfamiliar because of someth. being unknown, strange

Pastor Nikki had some classmates in seminary who moved here from other counties being asked what was it like when the moved here and didn’t know the language. They said it was like they were a baby. They felt kind of helpless, not understanding the signs and how to communicate with others. It was like they were starting over at the beginning.

Matthew 25:35 ESV

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,

Having no hope

Hope- the looking forward to someth. with some reason for confidence respecting fulfillment, hope, expectation

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 25.59 ἐλπίζω; ἐλπίς, ίδος

to look forward with confidence to that which is good and beneficial—‘to hope, to hope for, hope.’

You had no standing before God!

What is it like to not have standing? Standing can mean a stable place to place our feet. Or in another sense, having a stable foundation to stand on in terms of how you make your decisions, If you are not in God, your life is not based on the truth of God’s Word. Another meaning for standing has to do with the Supreme Court and whether you even have the right to sue. Do you have a right to have your disagreements aired in court? Not everyone has this right to have their issues aired out in court just because they are angry about it.  When I looked up the term, standing, I found out it’s not about the issues, but about who has the right to bring to the courts the issues. If a Supreme court decides that a state does not have the right to sue. Even if lower courts believe that the state has standing, it doesn’t mean the superior court does.

Standing in TABCOM or UBC

No matter who thinks they have standing, the only one that matters is God. Your case will go no further if God dismisses it. But with God, if God decides you can have a hearing, no one’s opinion can take that away. You can bring your requests to God, your issues to God, those who are in Christ Jesus will receive a hearing from the Lord. God will listen to you and give you a just judgment.

Power of Christ’s Blood (Eph. 2:11-13)

Romans 14:10–12 ESV

10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

{

Our Previous Position Of Alienation (vv11-12)

but also...

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Our Present Privilege Of Reconciliation (vv13-18)

Ephesians 2:13–18 NIV

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Preached Peace to those far off

Christ Our Peace (Eph. 2:14-18)

Galatians 5:22 ESV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

2 Thessalonians 3:16 ESV

16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Access in one Spirit to the Father

“Membership has its privileges” is an advertising slogan made famous by American Express starting back in 1987. You may remember some of the commercials full of expensive things, exotic vacations, etc. The commercials would always end with the slogan “Membership has its privileges.” The implication, of course, was certain things were available only through the use of the American Express credit card. So if you wanted to get in on all the rewards, you had to be a “member.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV

6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Psalm 46:1 ESV

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

{

Our Previous Position Of Alienation (vv11-12),

Our Present Privilege Of Reconciliation (vv13-18),

and finally...

}

Our Progressive Process Of Identification (vv19-22)

Ephesians 2:19–22 ESV

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Fellow Citizens with the Saints & Members of the Household of God!

When you’ve trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you become part of the church. You’re in God’s family. Now you have brothers and sisters in Christ. You can walk together in love with people who are not your blood relatives, but your blood bought relatives. Bought by the blood of Jesus.

After having experienced being an alien or stranger? Now we can feel connected, loved, accepted, able to communicate with our God and understand the language of the faith. Instead of disoriented, we feel the comfort and direction of our relationship with the Lord.

(What can make us not feel this way as a household member of God? Being disconnected from the family of God, nor spending time in our relationship with God, and feeling obligated to do stuff for God no matter how foreign it feels and grasping onto some distant calling when you don’t really believe you’re called by God anymore, instead of enjoying God in Christ Jesus and all of those spiritual blessings it talks about God gave us in the 1st chapter of Ephesians, which I believe would be more pleasing to God.)

Being Joined (Unified) together

Unity in the household of God is evidenced in the people of God working together for God’s kingdom purposes. God’s is working by His Spirit and by His grace to enable God’s children to work with each other to lift up the Lord as the great King, showing that the kingdom indeed did come, and God’s will is being done. God’s household is able to expand and show the world more and more of God’s wondrous grace in this world, through our kind, generous actions, through our holy living, set apart to God, through our building one another up, strengthening each other in our difficult days and comforting one another with words we’ve been comforted with, letting our sister and brother know, Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning (Ps. 30:5). (100 others like). For you’ve turned my mourning into dancing (Ps. 30:11)  In God’s presence there is fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11). The Lord is my strength and my shield, in him will I trust (Ps. 28:7), for ​​For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, (2 Cor. 4:17).

Grows into a Holy temple of the LORD

In Christ Jesus, the Bible says our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus, as we grow in our relationship with the Lord, through his Word, through our obedience to Jesus Christ, in loving fellowship with other disciples of Christ, we show we are worshiping God, as God designed for his people to do since the early days. Through our holy living, we show we are holy temples. And as we grow together, not just separately, we grow into a holy temple.  By showing that our bodies are set apart for God, and with our mouths we lift up the name of Jesus, we are growing into a holy temple. When we stand and proclaim with our lives and our mouths that there’s no greater name than Jesus, we grow together into a holy temple! When we jointly lift the Savior up, showing the awesomeness of our God, we grow together into a holy temple.

Being built together into a dwelling place of God

The home or place where the Holy Spirit lives is holy, that was built when God gave the church the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, after Jesus rose from the dead and commissioned his 11 apostles to go and make disciples of all Nations, teaching them to obey all that he has commanded us and Jesus would be with his disciples always. Yes, disciples, that means those who are learners of Jesus. Learners of His Word, so we can obey it and help others do the same.  (Lord help me to be a better disciple, a better learner!)

By who? The Holy Spirit

Christ Our Cornerstone (Eph. 2:19-22)

note greatness of of the cornerstone- memorial stone- stone that directs the church

Cornerstones are an architectural term used in a building usually laid with bricks, stones, or concrete units, that are bound together with a workable paste called mortar. At one time, these cornerstones were the first ones set in the foundation of the building. The cornerstone determined the position of all other units that made up the structure. Later, cornerstones were ceremonially set in a prominent place on a building and the construction dates of the building along with the name of the architect, builder, or other influential individuals were written on them. Today even some churches made with wood have stone cornerstones.  In this text, a cornerstone is used as a metaphor for Jesus. We cannot build our security on ourselves. We need Jesus, the Messiah, the anointed one, the precious one prophesied about in (Isa 28:16 &  Zech 10:4), where the Sovereign Lord said, “See I lay a stone in Zion, that’s the city of God.And from Judah will come a cornerstone.” This is Jesus Christ, our Lord. It means Jesus is crucial to this building of the holy temple of God, the church.

Jesus is determines where all parts of the temple are positioned in his holy temple, the church. As the architect, builder, and the important one identified by the cornerstone, Jesus’s name is the higher name that we call on. Jesus’ name is the significant name that we identify with the church. The apostles are  part of the foundation for the holy temple of God, the church, which makes up the rest of the building, that is held together by Jesus Christ.

Transition To Close

“Becoming the Church: God’s People in Purpose and Power” by Claude R. Alexander Jr.

The church is God’s idea. It is what Christ is building upon himself. It is that into which God calls every person who accepts his Son by faith.

I contend that the reason why many who’ve been added to the church don’t move to being the church that God intends, is that they never understood what God intends for the church to be. You can’t be or become what you don’t understand.

As I write to you, I have been a part of the church for fifty of my fifty-seven years of life. I have learned that we who make up the church are both being and becoming. We both are the church and are still in the process of becoming the church. John, an apostle of Jesus, speaks to this: “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2 NKJV).

Close- Peace of Jesus

Children of God who are becoming

1 John 3:1–3 ESV

1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Receive the Holy Spirit!

John 20:19–23 ESV

19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”