We belong to His family

We are the Church

TLK 4

Bottom Line: We are a people who belong to His family

Introduction

Wrapping up our series→ We are a people called out by and gathered to Christ for a purpose

We have been on a journey looking at the birth of the NT church and how they were described…. Before we jump in today I want to give a public service announcement…. Toes will be stepped on… I know this because mine were stepped on all week… What God’s Word is going to bring to light is something we all at some level wrestle with, get irritated by, or just flat out avoid… let’s be open to what God has for us because at the end, I think you’ll find great encouragement and hope

Truth

Acts 2:42-47→ we have looked at this passage for four weeks straight now… I want to point something out that God used to light up a path for me to understand more deeply what it means to be a part of God’s people and the desire God has for me to thrive and flourish

V. 42→ Fellowship→ deep partnership/companionship with another… a level of intimacy brought to light here…. Deep connection

Breaking of Bread→ Reference to communion

V. 45→ Broke Bread→ slightly different from a straight reference to communion but to share a meal with→ this caught my attention

For us, we think, “that is nice that they had dinner together a lot but this is not ground breaking”.... Why even bring it up Luke? This is where having a basic understanding of first century history and culture brings this thing to life

To share a meal with someone back in that day meant a lot

A way to show you who was accepted and rejected in society

A way to signify what type of social group to identified with

A way to communicate equal standing with someone

This was more than just a meal… this was a relational experience

Looking at this now, we can understand why the religious elite were so mad at Jesus for eating with sinners and tax collectors… Meals communicated three things→ I accept and identify with you, you belong here, we are family

With this in mind, in light of the description in Acts 2, we see what it means to be God’s people→ to be God’s people means to belong to a family

But whose family? And what does it mean to belong?--> addressed in NT so many different places but I want to take us to Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church→ Paul is writing this letter to a group of people who have recently become followers of Jesus… trying to figure out what this new life in Christ means

Ephesians 2:19-22→ walk verse by verse→ Background→ right after Paul clearly and beautifully reminds of the truth of the gospel… shifting to, “so here is your new reality in light of the truth of the gospel you have accepted.”

V.19→ Notice the language here… “no longer… but…” → all through this chapter we see this… this is the power of the gospel→ transformation→ you once were but now you are→ this is true for us as well…

Citizens and members of God’s household → Walls that once divided now broken down→ no longer separated by socio-economic status, ethnicity, upbringing, political affiliation but brought together in unity to God’s family

We this in Acts 2→ happens during a festival where people from different walks of life are gathered.

We see this in this place→ different walks of life… PhD’s to GED’s… Mercedes to moped’s… yet here we all are…

We belong to God’s family→ adopted in by the blood of Jesus → What does belonging actually look like?

Belonging is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ→ v. 20

The foundation of this family centers around God’s Word which is shaped and formed by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus… This is how a diverse group of people can become a family and find unity

Differences don’t matter when Jesus is the cornerstone→ if Jesus is your Lord and Savior then we can work through anything else… The question then is: what is your foundation? Is it Jesus? → it matters!

Belonging is binding→ v.21-22

The beauty of God’s family is it is such a melting pot→ takes all our diversity→ highlight differences→ but God throws it together and dumps a heap load of grace and builds us together…

We are a broken group of people being put together through the grace of Jesus for a purpose→ we are all jacked up→ but we are all here for a reason→ for a purpose… both corporate and individual→ God’s works in you and through you for the building up of yourself and those around you

You have a purpose→ we talked about this the last two weeks… For us to be all that God has called us to be in the Lord, each one of us has to bring ourselves to bear on the group→ body of Christ with many members

How are you bringing yourself to bear on our family→ this is a process that requires significant commitment→ being put together does not happen overnight and does not come without some mess

Belonging comes to be through shared life, not Christian events→ Acts 2:42-47

This is life on life stuff→ can’t meet a need, pursue unity, encourage, or build up if not known→ relationship and connection matter→ eye ball to eye ball→ a screen should not be the central mode of connection

The Christian life is not “Jesus and me”… “it is Jesus and we”... It is Christ and his bride, the church… there is a lot more y’all than you in the Bible

We are called to one another→ this is all over the NT

John 13 (Love), Romans 12 (Be devoted to), Ephesians 5 (Submit), 1 Thessalonians 5 (encourage), Galatians 6 (Carry the burdens of), Hebrews 10 (spur to grow in the Lord), and my fav Col 3 (Bear with/tolerate) → staying committed despite flaws

This is a core value of our groups ministry here… it can be messy… and it can't happen at a distance

This is also scary and where the toes get stepped on because it requires things most of us are naturally inclined to oppose→ Patience, vulnerability, authenticity, and trust… The fear of “What if…” creeps in… this is where the enemy wants your mind

This is how you find your people though… and it is worth it… it is messy but it is beautiful→ reminds me of something a learned about in a cultural studies class in school→ kintsugi→ process of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver or platinum→ picture→ rough edges being smoothed out, put together through a process, ending in beauty… Pic of church

Here is what this is all getting at… as believers, we are not a people who attend a service together once in a while… We are a people who belong to God’s family

As I was studying this week I came across something that shook me but it revealed a biblical truth about you to my mind

You were built to belong→ surgeon general warning/advisory in 2023→ the epidemic of loneliness and isolation→ so bad that they discovered that perpetual isolation and loneliness has the same biological effect on the body as smoking 15 cigarettes a day… He also brought up the need to connect and have meaningful relationship…

“If we fail to do so, we will pay an ever-increasing price in the form of our individual and collective health and well-being. And we will continue to splinter and divide until we can no longer stand as a community or a country. Instead of coming together to take on the great challenges before us, we will further retreat to our corners—angry, sick, and alone.”

Sounds like our culture today right? Then he gave an answer or charge→ “Each of us can start now, in our own lives, by strengthening our connections and relationships. Our individual relationships are an untapped resource—a source of healing hiding in plain sight. They can help us live healthier, more productive, and more fulfilled lives.”

I love when culture reveals biblical truths without even knowing it!!!! But you were built by God to find your people and your purpose

Application

Here is my question… Do you just attend here? Or do you belong here?... Our desire is that everyone who walks through those doors and becomes a follower of Jesus would find their family to belong to… we pray it is here… but somewhere… This is the invitation of the gospel… to come and belong to His family

So we want to help you do that…

Find your people→ who are the few you are doing life with? → Groups, mentoring 101, serving opportunities

Find your purpose→ how are you bringing yourself to bear on this family? → Serving, leading, using your gifts, time, talents, and treasures

Imagine what would happen if we stopped seeing this place as a place to attend but rather a people who belong to the family of God?

We are a people who belong to His family.