What Is A Church?: [2] A Family

I like comparing the church to a family. You can't choose who your family members are. You can wish you had a cooler sister or a less strict dad. But your family is your family, no matter how they are. And even if you don't think they're cool enough or nice enough, you still love them and need them. When they are angry or sad, somehow it makes you feel bad too. And when they're not around a lot or always away, you feel a little lonely (though you might not ever EVER tell them). And you seem to care so much about what they do and what they're doing. You get upset if they do something that you think they shouldn't do.

If you fought and argued with friends, then you might just stop being their friend. Even if you fight or argue with family, however, you're still family. If one of them started crying, you would, in your own little way, try to make them feel better because seeing them cry somehow makes you feel sad too.

Family is a group of people who care and love each other even when the other people aren't perfect. - Read More - Family is a group of people that you have a place in no matter where you go in life. Even though I'm away at college for 9, 10 months out of 12 in a year, I still have a place to come back to. There will never be a time when I come home and my mom says, "Sorry, your family-time-privileges have expired. You can't come back." My mom will always welcome me back.

And so the family of Christ welcomes all people, since we are all children of God. He calls us His sons and daughters; we are brothers and sisters in Christ. So we must accept each other, protect each other, and love each other.

In Acts, the Apostles constantly referred to each other and other believers (and non-believers too!) as "brothers."

^{Acts 1: 15}In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) ¹⁶and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus— ¹⁷he was one of our number and shared in this ministry."

^{Acts 6: 2}So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. ³Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them ⁴and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

^{Acts 9: 17}Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

^{Acts 13: 38}"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.

Jesus said in Luke 8:

¹⁹Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. ²⁰Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you."

²¹He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."

Paul writes in Romans 12:

⁹Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

So, again and again, we see that God wants us to love each other like family. So in 1st Corinthians 8:

⁹Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? ¹¹So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. ¹²When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ¹³Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

We must not do what makes our brothers and sisters fall or do wrong. Family corrects each other and family does not hinder each other. Not only do you accept each other no matter what, but also you help them turn away from bad habits and choices. And if you are doing something that makes someone in your family sin, then you must stop doing that.