What is the mark of a healthy church? Certainly there are many: heartfelt worship, Biblical teaching, strong conviction from the word of God. A congregation of believers cannot be healthy without these things, but there is one that we sometimes overlook. I am talking about the essential truth that we are a family. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1a). From an understanding of what Jesus Christ has done for me, comes an understanding that He has done the same for others. We are bonded together by something much stronger than a mutual appreciation of worship music genre. We are knitted together by something even greater than the bloodline that children share with their parents. We are joined by the sacrificial blood of God’s Son! If we should be anything, we should be a family.
This topic has been coming up over and over lately. I have seen the leadership speak of the need to draw closer together. I have seen individuals in our men’s Bible study talk about how glad they are to connect with other guys. Even statistics bare out how important this is: the churches that are most successful at reaching young people are not the ones that have the flashiest worship services, the biggest smoke machines, and the most entertaining speakers. They are the ones that have a warm, welcoming community.
There are no two ways about it. We are a family. That’s why I encourage you to live like it. Don’t just come for a service and leave. Take some time to talk to each other and get to know your family better. Get in our directory and learn each others’ names. Join a Sunday School class or study group so you can learn more about each other. Let’s be the family God made us to be.