God's Family is the Church

“You will all be joined together, and you will give glory to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ accepted you, so you should accept each other, which will bring glory to God.” (Romans 15:6-7 NCV)

There are only two ways to get into a family: You can either be born into it, or you can be adopted into it. God does both for you! It’s called being born again, and it’s called being adopted into the family of God. God does both.

In Roman law, during New Testament times, you could disown a child you birthed. But if you adopted a child, you were forbidden to ever disown that child. God says you are not only born again into His family, but He has adopted you, and there is no way He could ever disown you. That’s good news!

The Bible says in 1 Timothy 3:15, “I want you to know how people who are members of God’s family must live. God’s family is the church” (GW). This means church is not something you go to. Church is something you belong to. We are the family of God.

Many people think that Christianity is a belief system, but it is a belong system. Yes, there are beliefs involved, but it’s more than that. It means you are a part of the body of Christ.

You belong to the family of God: “You will all be joined together, and you will give glory to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ accepted you, so you should accept each other, which will bring glory to God” (Romans 15:6-7 NCV).

Talk It Over
- What are the benefits of belonging to the family of God?
- What is the evidence in your life that you belong to the family of God?
- How are you using your gifts to bless your spiritual family?

~ Written by: Rick Warren ~
~ Modified by: Oleg Fabyanchuk ~

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