Jesus said, “I will build My Church—and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!” (Matthew 16:18).
There are several powerful dimensions of His Church. One of those dynamics is: His Church is a family!
Jesus commended His disciple, Peter, for receiving the revelation that Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus said that Peter received this revelation from His Father. Jesus went on to say that His Church will be built on this revelation of who Jesus is—the one and only Messiah, Savior of the world! It’s important to see that all of this happens in the context of family (i.e., the Father revealing His Son to us).
Being His Church involves much more than being members of an organization. It involves being members of His family!
This impacts not only our relationship with our heavenly Father. It also directly affects how we interact with one another. As members of His family—we are also “members of one another” (Romans 12:5).
Like any family, the church family at Ephesus had its share of disagreements and disconnections. In fact, in every chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, a relational division is addressed! When Jesus spoke to this divided church, Jesus called them to, “Return to your first love” (Revelation 2:4).
The key to living in community with one another is living as children loved by God! We can only love one another—because “He first loved us!” (1 John 4:19). I frequently counsel newlywed couples not to make their spouse the source of their love. Doing this will drain our spouse and eventually lead to our disappointment with them. Only Jesus “holds us together” as the foundation of our love.
The same applies to His Church family. The source of our love for one another is ultimately found in Him. Far too many people break fellowship with other believers due to unhealthy dependence on them. Only Jesus loves us perfectly. The rest of us are growing in it!
Ask Jesus to increase your love for your spiritual family by increasing your knowledge of His love for you!
—Pastor Dave Hess
Christ Community Church 