God Gathers and Transforms His People
by: Angie Jarratt
Church. The body of Christ, God’s people. There are many ways we refer to the Church but today we are going to discuss the Church as God’s family. It’s definitely not a new way of thinking, but one that I think we as women we can really relate to. We are wives and mothers, daughters and sisters. We are family.
When we accept Christ as our Savior we are reborn, or adopted into the family of God.
“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)
We are God’s children and we all become members in the household of the Lord.
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)
Now that we have established that we are a family, we can look at specific roles and ways to make sure God’s family functions effectively.
DISCLAIMER: We must have realistic expectations of God's family. People are imperfect and sometimes just like our own households we can become overwhelmed, feel underappreciated, and pushed to our limits but because we are a family we should be quick to forgive and be gracious toward one another. (Colossians 3:13)
Galatians 6:10 says “ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10)
Paul says in Galatians, let us do good to all, especially those who are of the household of Faith. We, the church, are called to DO. Here are some top reasons why Americans say they go to church:
To become closer to God. (81%)
So their children will have a moral foundation. (69%)
To become a better person. (68%)
For comfort in times of trouble or sorrow. (66%)
They find the sermons valuable. (59%)
To be part of a faith community. (57%)
To continue their family's religious traditions. (37%)
They feel obligated to go. (31%)
To meet new people or socialize. (19%)
To please their family, spouse or partner. (16%)
(Information from: https://www.pewforum.org/2018/08/01/why-americans-go-to-religious-services/)
This survey breaks my heart. Not one of these answers says to SERVE OR DO MY PART. To love God and love others. To pour into others. To do good, especially to those in the household of Faith. And certainly none of these answers reflect a loving family.
No matter if you are a new believer, a mature believer, or somewhere in between you are called to play a role in God’s family. We can easily compare the way a family unit works day to day to how God’s family should be functioning. When family members aren't doing their part it throws the entire household off balance. If all responsibilities get placed on one person that person becomes overwhelmed. Daily duties don’t get done, OR they do but it creates strain in our environment and relationships. If the family works together the household thrives. Everyone has gratification and fulfillment for playing their part. Each member is invested and the hard work pays off. Teamwork and structure creates an environment of peace and stability. This environment not only functions better but also makes time for real fellowship within the family.
DIFFERENT ROLES IN THE FAMILY OF GOD:
In 1 Corinthians Paul speaks of babes in Christ, babes that need milk. New believers or baby Christians need adults to nurture them. They must start on milk but when properly nurtured should progress to solid food. New Christians should be praying and seeking not only knowledge in their new found faith but also their calling and gifts.
That baby then becomes a child and then a teen. While their needs are different from a baby they still need plenty of guidance. They must be disciplined and form regular study habits and challenge themselves to grow. Once they’ve recognized their gifts and calling they must practice them. They should have access to knowledgeable teachers and Spiritual parents for guidance and structure on how to grow in their relationship with God but also you guessed it, their gifts and calling.
Young adults and mature adults need to do their job, they cannot afford to neglect those who need to be cared for and nurtured. The babies and children, who need to be loved and taught. Adult Christians are the teachers and spiritual parents. In 1 John, John refers to the church as his little children. John poured into the church and he loved the church as his own family. Spiritually mature adults are the ones who should be familiar with their gifts and be utilizing them daily for the betterment of the body. The more you know the more you should be helping others grow.
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT GIFTS:
Every believer has a gift and a calling: “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (1 Peter 4:10) “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” (Ephesians 4:7) You may not know your gifts right this second but God’s Word tells us there are no ungifted believers.
The gifts are given for the benefit of others. To encourage, edify but most importantly bring glory to God:“ There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:” (1 Corinthians 12:5-7) Your gifts are not about you. Your gifts are about others.
Gifts are given by God: “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” (1 Corinthians 12:11) Because our gifts are God given and distributed by His will no one can boast and no one should withhold using their God given gifts. You can also have confidence in your gift because it’s solely from God. And God doesn’t make mistakes.
Everyone has different gifts: “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.” (1 Corinthians 12:18-20) We need each other, each gift works together. God made each of us unique and our gifts are unique yet compliment other believers gifts in perfect harmony.
We Should Desire Gifts: “But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.” (1 Corinthians 12:31) We should pray and ask the Spirit to pour out His gifts over us. We should also embrace our gifts and strive to develop them. And most importantly we should use our gifts!
HOW DO I USE MY GIFTS AS PART OF GOD’S FAMILY?
There are 3 main needs that must be met in order for all members of a family to thrive and function. Each person in the family can use their gifts to minister in 3 major ways. Physical, emotional and spiritual needs must be met in our personal lives so that our household can go from just a house to a home. The same applies to God’s house.
1)Physical Needs
Physical needs are the most obvious need. We need food, water, clothing, shelter. If we lack any of these we will more than likely die.
2)Emotional needs
*When our affectional needs are constantly disregarded, ignored, or dismissed we see long lasting, devastating consequences such as:
*Aggression, depression, low self esteem, substance abuse, developmental delay and even failure to thrive. (In extreme cases of emotional neglect we see infants whose physical needs are being met give up on living because there is a lack of emotional engagement) (Stephen Ludwig, Anthony Rostain, in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics (Fourth Edition), 2009)
3)Spiritual Needs
If the physical and emotional needs of a person are that impactful, how much more important is the spiritual? The eternal. Jesus shows us time and again through the miracles He performed that He is always concerned with our spiritual healing first and foremost. It is through spiritual healing that we have everlasting life, redemption and restoration. It is through the Spirit that we have an abundant life and without Jesus we most certainly will die.
DON”T MISS YOUR CHANCE:
As humans we tend to over complicate our calling, therefore we miss daily opportunities to use our gifts. Is waiting to find some bigger calling keeping you from doing the things that you are called to daily? Are the small acts less impactful then the big ones? When we get caught up in the big injustices and global issues we may question why we would waste our time on the little things.
God uses a lot of little yeses to create one big picture. He does this because the big picture comes to life and we get to see God's accomplishments, not our own accomplishments. When the family of God works together with God’s glory as the main goal we see God in all of His beautiful, radiant, incomparable glory. Don’t miss your chance to be a small part in a big God moment.
Ask yourself these simple questions to help recognize gifts and callings you may have overlooked:
What do you do for a living?
What is one thing that is missing in your current life and career?
What motivates or inspires you?
What do you do well naturally and effortlessly?
What is one thing you do that you always get positive feedback on?
What activities do you do that make you unaware of time and bring out the best in you?
What would you do if you knew you wouldn't fail?
Is anything on your list relevant to meeting a physical need in someone else's life? Do you like to cook? Do you know how to fix things? ETC... If the answer is yes, you have been given a gift and possibly a calling in that area. Pray about it and ask God to use you.
Is anything on your list relevant to meeting someone's emotional needs, are you a good listener? Did you write down that you are empathetic? ETC... If so you have been given a gift and possibly a calling in that area. Pray about and ask God to use you.
Is anything on your list relevant to meeting a spiritual need in someone's life? Do you enjoy praying for and with others? Speaking God’s truth into desperate situations? ETC... If so you have been given a gift and possibly a calling in that area. Pray about and ask God to use you.