The Universal Family
The very last time the word “family” is used in the Bible this is what is said, “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named…” (Ephesians 3:14-15). This is the opening statement of a longer thought the apostle Paul was having. He was praying for the church to have everything God intended for it to have: Love for God and Christ, a full understanding of Christianity and its blessings, strength in the inner man, and that Christ might dwell in individual hearts by faith. Truly he is expressing in this text the countless virtues and incomprehensible rewards that come with being a part of the church, the spiritual family of God.
It is my purpose in writing this brief article to get the reader to come away with one thought they will not soon forget: When you are a part of God’s family, you are a part of a universal family. I have lived in several states and in even more cities in my 41 years. Having been raised in the church from the first day, I have learned about my universal family. Everywhere I have ever lived and everywhere I have even briefly visited, my spiritual family has been there for me. In mission work both state-side and abroad, I have been blessed with food and lodging, love, friendship, hospitality, comfort, support, laughter, sympathy – you name it! Everything a family does I have been able to do with the church wherever I have gone. How wonderful it is to have experienced the true church of God’s superior design and foreknowledge!
Every single day, the church of God’s choice is involved in family activities. This week I am in a meeting in Lawrence County, Tennessee. We are worshiping together, eating together, and enjoying fellowship together. They are taking care of my daily physical needs, while I am trying to encourage them spiritually with the Word. In the middle of the week, I will drive home to preach a funeral with my local spiritual family. As soon as I am done I will be heading back to the Gandy church of Christ in Lawrenceburg to preach again.
I received a call this week from a lady and her two children who were moving to Cookeville. They needed help moving in. So I spent this morning along with our other ministers unloading their moving van. Why? Because they are family. I have never met them before, but they have been a part of my universal spiritual family my whole life. I hope they will see that they have a local family of God’s people who are ready to move them in to the Willow Avenue church as well.
The Bible says that the primitive church had all things in common. They shared all of their material possessions. No person lacked anything. They did this with cheerfulness and simplicity of heart. I am sure they were not all wealthy, not all healthy, not all popular, not all sophisticated, and not all perfect. But there was a reason they were all happy to be family. This reason motivated them to do incredible things for each other.
Their motivation was simply that God had invited them into His family! They had crucified His Son, but the inexpressible extension of God’s grace had adopted them into the family that Jesus Christ came into the world to establish. They knew they didn’t deserve a place in God’s house, so it was easy for them to accept and encourage others to come in after them.
It has been my experience that in God’s family, no matter how hard you work, you are blessed beyond your ability to be a blessing. This should give us great consolation. God cares for us and He will take care of us. He has meaning and a purpose for us in His church. He has authored a place for us in the universal family. The church is that temporary earthly place. Heaven is that eternal heavenly place.
“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named…”
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