Learning to be apart of the Family

'...you will know how to live in the family of God.' 1 Timothy 3:15 NCV

I'm going to close this week out with a couple of the biggest things that hurt people in the church Favoritism and Gossip. Amy and I love to have a garden every year. It's not huge but we grow what we like and have fun watching it grow. The church is like a garden; it has great potential for growth and beauty. But cultivating a garden calls for time and labor; it also requires being on the lookout for weeds and pulling them up before they grow and kill your plants. Two of the most common weeds in the church are: (1) Favoritism. 'Then Peter began to speak: 'I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel...' (Acts 10:34-36 NIV) Peter, who struggled with prejudice, said, 'I now realize...that God does not show favoritism.' How about you? Do you realize that too? Or do you mix only with 'your own kind'? Cliques in church are high treason to the King of Kings. If there's one lonely soul in your church, you have work to do! The Bible says that God 'gives families to the lonely.' (Psalm 68:6 TLB) When people are shy, wounded, insecure or lacking in trust, you must reach out and bring them into your circle of fellowship. (2) Gossip. 'Don't speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters...' (James 4:11 NLT) When you hear gossip about someone, stop it dead in its tracks. Unless you are willing to talk directly to the person, don't talk about them. And don't let anybody else talk about them either. That is slander. Gossip is the art of saying nothing in a way that leaves practically nothing unsaid. If you want to promote harmony in the family, don't indulge in it. Instead do what Jesus told His disciples to do, "speak the truth in love." When you do it builds the family of believers up, not tear them down. You are loved...