The Apostle Paul prays for the Ephesians in chapter 3:14-15, "for this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ of Whom the whole Family in Heaven and Earth is named." Hebrews 2:13-14 states, "I will put my trust in Him, and again behold I and the children which God has given Me. For as much as the children are partakers of flesh and blood He also Himself likewise took part in the same that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil."
In other words those who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ have been translated into the family of the most high Triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit. We have become united inseparably with our Lord Jesus Christ, His very body, and the body of Christ is the Church. Given Ephesians 3 and Hebrews 2 and other passages I could bring to bear, I think we can see that we don't do church, we are Church. We don't go to church on Sunday if we understand it rightly. We are actually going to a family reunion. And since the rest of Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3 is all about Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith and that by that we may be rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, this is not your ordinary family reunion where some people go to strut their stuff, others go to spout their latest political opinions, or perhaps to spread out their new wardrobe. No it's more like the family reunions that I remember from my childhood where I and my cousins stood around with watermelon juice running down our bellies, spitting seeds at each other. The stuff that real family memories are made of, Grandma's incredible pies, my aunt's wonderful pan fried chicken, and catching up with the rest of the families "goins on" since your last saw them.
But of course I'm talking here of the spiritual family, so that which is true of spiritual fellowship exceeds immensely that of even the closest family reunion on Earth. The Glorious Father is always at the Head of the table, the Son is ever there, serving with His nail scarred hands, the Bread that never gets moldy and the Cup that never runs dry, and the precious Holy Spirit bringing that eternal nourishment of love, Joy, peace, etc as sweetness into our souls. But the family aura should always be present. It's not about flaunting great spiritual knowledge, or some great service that we have done, it's the place of humbly rejoicing with one another in the Presence of our Glorious God and King and proclaiming His goodness to one another in the events of our life from the past week or month or whatever. This family is living and real, and the encounters with difficulties and blessings and the manifest Hand of our God in them are ever to be shared in the reunion of the saints. This is not an organization, it is an organism, and it should look like one. As our Lord prayed unto His and our Glorious Father in John 17:23, “I in them and You in Me that they may be made perfect in One that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me.” Is the love of the Father for the Son apparent in our fellowship with one another? And remember, we are all looking for and longing for that day when our Jesus comes and calls us to that glorious wedding feast of Revelation 19. That will be the Ultimate Family Reunion!!!.
In other words those who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ have been translated into the family of the most high Triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit. We have become united inseparably with our Lord Jesus Christ, His very body, and the body of Christ is the Church. Given Ephesians 3 and Hebrews 2 and other passages I could bring to bear, I think we can see that we don't do church, we are Church. We don't go to church on Sunday if we understand it rightly. We are actually going to a family reunion. And since the rest of Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3 is all about Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith and that by that we may be rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, this is not your ordinary family reunion where some people go to strut their stuff, others go to spout their latest political opinions, or perhaps to spread out their new wardrobe. No it's more like the family reunions that I remember from my childhood where I and my cousins stood around with watermelon juice running down our bellies, spitting seeds at each other. The stuff that real family memories are made of, Grandma's incredible pies, my aunt's wonderful pan fried chicken, and catching up with the rest of the families "goins on" since your last saw them.
But of course I'm talking here of the spiritual family, so that which is true of spiritual fellowship exceeds immensely that of even the closest family reunion on Earth. The Glorious Father is always at the Head of the table, the Son is ever there, serving with His nail scarred hands, the Bread that never gets moldy and the Cup that never runs dry, and the precious Holy Spirit bringing that eternal nourishment of love, Joy, peace, etc as sweetness into our souls. But the family aura should always be present. It's not about flaunting great spiritual knowledge, or some great service that we have done, it's the place of humbly rejoicing with one another in the Presence of our Glorious God and King and proclaiming His goodness to one another in the events of our life from the past week or month or whatever. This family is living and real, and the encounters with difficulties and blessings and the manifest Hand of our God in them are ever to be shared in the reunion of the saints. This is not an organization, it is an organism, and it should look like one. As our Lord prayed unto His and our Glorious Father in John 17:23, “I in them and You in Me that they may be made perfect in One that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me.” Is the love of the Father for the Son apparent in our fellowship with one another? And remember, we are all looking for and longing for that day when our Jesus comes and calls us to that glorious wedding feast of Revelation 19. That will be the Ultimate Family Reunion!!!.
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