Hello everyone. Welcome back to the programme on Family Matters.

We have spent some time looking at what the Bible teaches about relationships within our families - husbands and wives; children, grandparents. Today, I want to think about the fact that as Christians we are part of a new family. We have acknowledged that not everyone is blessed with a loving family and were comforted by the words of Psalm 27.10 which says: Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me

What does it mean for us to be part of the family of God?

The good news for Christians is that whether our birth family is happy and loving, or rejecting and unkind, when we become Christians, we are born again into a new family – the family of God. The Jewish people kept careful family records and the Old Testament has many genealogies tracing individuals back through the generations. The gospels of Matthew and Luke both record Jesus’ genealogy, but with an interesting difference. Because Matthew’s gospel was written mainly to convince Jews that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, his ancestry is traced back to Abraham. Luke however wants to show that the Messiah came not only for the Jewish people, but for everyone. He traces Jesus’ ancestry all the way back to Adam, who is called Son of God. Is it not amazing to realise that when we believe in Jesus, we too become God’s children and can call the mighty Creator our Father.

John 1:12-13 says: Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

And Romans 8.15 says: The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship^. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Since then, all believers are adopted into God’s family, not only do we have a perfect Father, but all fellow believers are our brothers and sisters. In this new family, we have responsibilities to one another.

The New Testament has much helpful advice about our relationships with one another.

In the early days of the church, Acts 2.44-47 tells us that they would meet together for fellowship. They shared their food together and indeed, shared all their possessions with one another. In other words, each fellowship formed a new family group where they looked out for one another and cared for one another. Surely this is the pattern that today we try to follow. God is our head, but we look to older Christians as parents who will teach and guide us.

Paul asks Timothy to treat his fellow believers as if they were members of his own family. In 1 Timothy 5.1 he writes: Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

In his first letter, Peter urges younger Christians to submit to their elders. As in all walks of life, younger people can see older people as out of date, reluctant to change and holding back progress. But they forget that older people have had more life experience, have learned from mistakes they themselves made as young people and can have a lot of good advice and suggestions. In a healthy fellowship, young and old will learn to listen to one another, work together.

It is vital that we provide age-appropriate teaching.

We need to help the children and young people in our fellowships not only to understand what faith is, but how to apply it in their daily lives. It is important to instill a love of Scripture and regular reading and application. The job of the Sunday School teacher is a vitally important one. We may never know the influence we have had on our young people, but we can be sure that our teaching and nurturing will never be in vain.

Few people know the name of Edward Kimball, who was a Sunday school teacher in the mid-19^th century. Edward took his responsibilities very seriously.  In his class was one young boy who was very difficult and who seemed so uninterested in the gospel message that Edward was very tempted to give up on him. But he persevered and in time, the young man not only gave his life to Jesus but became a successful and influential worldwide evangelist. D.L. Moody is remembered today mainly because of the hymn book he published together with Ira Sankey.

But the influence didn’t end there. A man called John Chapman came to Christ through Moody’s preaching. Chapman led Billy Sunday to Christ. Sunday in turn led Mordecai Ham to faith. Few may remember these names but it was at a revival meeting led by Ham that Billy Graham declared his faith. Graham led countless numbers to Christ through his crusades. Edward Kimball could not know that his faithful service would result in so much fruit for the kingdom of God.

So never underestimate the importance of teaching our young people.

We need to be mindful of all who are young in faith

Older Christians have responsibilities to those of any age who are new to the faith, or are in need of teaching or correcting. We know that Timothy was well taught by his mother and grandmother, but it is understood that his father was Greek and possibly not a believer. In 1 Corinthians 4.17, Paul describes Timothy as “my son, whom I love”.

Priscilla and Aquila were a couple who had fled Italy after the emperor Claudius ordered all Jews to leave Rome. They were house church leaders in Corinth and in Acts 18, we read that having heard a disciple called Apollos from Alexandria speaking in the synagogue there, they were concerned by his teaching. He seemed only to know John’s baptism and this godly couple felt that that he was in need of further discipleship. Rather than simply critcising him, they invited him to their home where they helped him to a greater understanding of Jesus’ teaching.

New Christians who come from unbelieving families need godparents. Can we open our hearts and homes to brothers and sisters in need of mentoring and Christian parenting? If you are a new Christian struggling, then could you have the courage or humility to ask for help in developing your faith?

We are challenged to care for brothers and sisters in need

The Old Testament laws encouraged the Jewish people specifically to look out for the needs of widows, orphans and strangers in their midst. In chapter 1, verse 27, James calls on believers to continue this practice when he says: Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress. Covid 19 hit many families very badly in countries like Nepal. Money from Christian brothers and sisters provided lifesaving essentials like rice.

Paul sees it as the responsibility of the church to take care of those who have no family members to provide for them. He does ask leaders to make sure that need is genuine and to make sure that families who can care for their own should do so. But where there is real need, then the church has a responsibility.

Paul seems mainly to be thinking of material need, but the widows he speaks of were probably also in need of company and emotional support.  Our church family is there to look out for anyone in any kind of need. Jesus himself is our model. As he hung on the Cross, John 19,26,27 tell us that his heart went out to the mother he was leaving behind. He asked his beloved disciple John to look out for her.

Psalm 68, verse 6 tells us that God sets the lonely in families. Sometimes, people are lonely because they are difficult to get along with and it sadly is the case that they are often avoided just because they are too demanding. Perhaps one solution is for a group of people to share the care of such a one and make sure that he/she is cared for without becoming too much of a burden to one person or family. Just by being shown care and attention, someone who seemed to be difficult can become much easier to get on with.

In Philippians 2.3,4, Paul sums up the attitude we should have in our church family: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

It is important to come together as the family of God

In a healthy family, there will be opportunities for adults to spend time together; for children to enjoy activities without their parents; for different groupings to enjoy shared hobbies. Our church fellowships need to provide a variety of activities for different age groups and interests. But it is important to come together for times of celebration just as birth families love to do. Let’s celebrate together that we belong to the family of God as children of our heavenly Father, as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Just as with our birth families, there will be laughter and joys to share, and there will be times of hardship to go through together; there will be times of disagreement and possibly harsh words and angry thoughts. If we want to have a healthy and happy church family, we need to work together to make it so. Next time we will look at how, as God’s family, we tackle difficulties that can arise.

Questions

How can we best present the gospel message to our young people. Can we learn from the changes in our education system?

Does your fellowship try to create “parenting” for those young in the faith or in need of guidance or companionship?

How can a fellowship best look after those who present challenging behaviour?