“Jesus asked, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ Then he pointed to his disciples and said, ‘Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!’” Matthew 12:48-50 NLT
Have you ever had an experience and when sharing the story, you found someone else who had gone through the same thing? Or you travel to a foreign land and see someone of the same race as you? At that moment, you would feel a kind of kinship toward that person.
As believers, our common faith is the foundation of our fellowship with one another. It speaks about consistency or oneness in testimony and conviction. It’s not just about attending the same church or denomination or playing together; it’s about having the same convictions.
As a family, one thing you have to remember is that God is our father. In Romans 8:15, we see how we were all adopted, and now He is our Father, and we are members of the same family. We have one thing in common, God is our Father.
Now that you know God is your father, you have to realize that you are not an only child. In Ephesians 3:14, Paul says, “…of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.” You belong to a huge family now. Some are on earth, and some are in heaven. You have so many siblings on earth now. (Hebrews 12:22 -24). The consciousness of God as our Father is as important as the consciousness of our siblings in Christ.
Your relationship with God inevitably shapes your relationship with every other child of His. He is your Father, and you are not an only child; you have numerous siblings. In fact, Jesus emphasized that whatever you do for the least of your brothers and sisters, you do it unto Him; that’s how intimately connected we are. We are all part of the same family.
In the letters of Apostle Paul, such as Ephesians 1:15 and Philemon 1:4, faith in the Lord Jesus and love for fellow believers are portrayed as inseparable. This means that loving the Lord naturally leads to love for His children.
This bond is supposed to be so strong that even if a believer loses their earthly siblings because of their faith in Christ, they ought to find a hundred replacements amongst us (Mark 10: 29 -30). When a brother is in need, we are to step up. Do good to all men, especially to your siblings in Christ (Galatians 6:10) which means that it is not wrong to show favour to our siblings in Christ.
Dear believers, this is a sign of growth as a believer—that your heart is open towards your siblings in Christ. You are vulnerable with them and share all things in common. You can’t say you love God and hate His family.
PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this family you have adopted me into. I am grateful for my local church. I pray and commit to being open with my siblings in Christ.
Bible Reading Plan: Lamentations 3-5