Becoming a Church Family

Few other stories in Scripture like the turnaround story of the man once called Saul, but later became the Apostle Paul.

Acts 8:1–3 “Saul agreed with putting [Steven] to death. On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria. Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.”

When Saul was persecuting the church he had what I like to call a “Mal-formed Life”, or as Paul would later call it “living in the flesh (sarx - means simply living life APART FROM the Holy Spirit).

Summary of Acts: God sent the Holy Spirit so that his power and his life can transform our lives today.

Until you yield your life to the Holy Spirit, you will continue to live out of your own fears, your own ego, your own desires, your own anxieties, etc…

This is not a question of “trying harder!” It’s not about how hard you try to be “good”!!

The work of the Holy Spirit is not about “trying” its about surrender and obedience.

(I want you to see this…) This work of Transformation in the life of the believer takes place in one primary way: Within the Family of God (The Church)

Saul did have a “Damascus Road” encounter with Jesus. But it wasn’t until the church took him in that the Holy Spirit could transform him from Saul the tyrant into Paul, Apostle to the Gentile world.

Acts 9:10–12 “There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” “Here I am, Lord,” he replied. “Get up and go to the street called Straight,” the Lord said to him, “to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so that he may regain his sight.””

I’ll skip this next part but essentially Ananias says back to God, “Are you crazy!!!”

Acts 9:17–19 “Ananias went and entered the house. He placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. And after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul [remained] with the disciples in Damascus for some time.”

Principle: We don’t get made into Christ alone. It takes a Jesus-Centered Family

God has had one model for making the world from the beginning: A Family

Genesis 2:18 “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.””

Jeremiah 30:22 “You will be my people (translated literally “family”), and I will be your God.”

John 17:21 “May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me.”

Hebrews 2:11 “For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,”

Revelation 7:9–10 “After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

The Church fails to be God’s family when…

(1) We forget that every generation has a place in the house of God.

(2) We carry a prodigal son mentality (“I want what’s owed to me!”).

(3) We don’t make room for the messy-ness of family life.

(4) We value our traditions over the dynamic life of the Holy Spirit.

(5) We turn the church into a Convention Center rather than a Covenant Family.

Becoming a Church Family

The Spirit Draws All into a Family (blackhole force): The Spirit’s work pulling all of us into a loving place of care and formation.

Psalm 68:5–6 (NLT)

5 Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy. 6 God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

I am convinced the missing link to formation in the life of believers and unbelievers is an intimate connection with mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters who can love us into the next seasons of our lives.

The Spirit sends All Out to Serve the World (Calling/Vocation): The sending or launching out for all of us that invites into the mission of the Holy Spirit in the world

John 20:19–23 “When it was evening on that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because they feared the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” Having said this, he showed them his hands and his side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.”

After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.””

When the Holy Spirit works through the Family of God…

(1) Fear, Anxiety, and Division are overcome by Peace, Love, and Joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 14:17 “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Most of the things that break apart families is driven by FEAR:

(2) Hurts and Wounds can be Healed in the care of the Family of God.

Proverbs 4:23 “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.”

The church family should be a place where the hurting can feel this is a safe place to recover and be restored….

We pray for them and give the Spirit the space to do what only he can do in their life. (we have to learn to trust the work of the Spirit)

My brother’s battle with addiction…there were times it was hard to believe God was doing anything!

(3) Sons and Daughter get clear on their Identity and Purpose .

Instead of fighting a culture war on identity, I wonder if we might focus on creating more Holy places where our children can find Jesus and let him speak to them about their identity in Christ!

We need more men who will be fathers in the house of God and more mothers who will be mothers in the house of God.

(4) We become a people mobilized for God’s mission to love and redeem the world.

Two years ago I committed to walking through the Bible with the men at HC every Wed…..we were looking for specific men and women that would speak to the life of recovery and overcoming addiction…

When I arrived in the book of Romans (Paul’s most dense letter), I realized he doesn’t name people or examples really. Just the meaning of Jesus…

Until you get to the very last chapter…after all the deep theological truths, the revelation of Jesus Christ, the meaning of everything, Paul takes the entire last chapter and goes on and on naming person after person. 38 individual people not counting groups of people!

Principle: Never underestimate how many people if God’s family it is going to take to get you where the Spirit is leading you!