Acts 4:32-35
We are all familiar with the old church saying, “the church isn’t brick and mortar, it’s the people inside.” Well, as cliché as that might have become, it is biblically accurate. Those of us who call ourselves Christians are the church. That is why we refer to ourselves as a church family. As with the nuclear familiar, it is the people that make it home. As I write this, we are just a few days out from the tragic shooting at a church here in our community. Our community has come together in ways not seen. Sadly, it’s when tragedy strikes that it usually pulls people together. On 9/11, my family and I were stationed in Germany. I had never seen our country, even though we were thousands of miles away, more united. It was amazing, heartwarming, and encouraging. I was a press officer at the time, and even the media showed great sympathy…for a couple of days anyway. And after a few weeks, it seemed like things drifted back to how they were, to an extent anyway. After our own families, our closest relationships should be with those with whom we call a brother or sister in Christ. In the book of Acts, we see a shining example of Believers coming together for the betterment of the “family.” No one claimed possessions as their own, and they shared their resources to help those in need. Now, I’m not saying we all need to go out and sell everything, but the model of how to act is there. When we have a church member in need, we come together. And I’ve seen some beautiful examples recently of where we are taking care. The meal train app is an amazing thing. But that is just one example. Our church benevolence fund is there to help people overcome a rough patch. That is giving above and beyond regular tithing. We can reach out to our communities in the same way…and we do. Backpacks, Trunk-or-Treat, and other adult outreach are all ways that we are being the church. Thinking beyond ourselves by sharing the love of Christ. Be the church.
We are all familiar with the old church saying, “the church isn’t brick and mortar, it’s the people inside.” Well, as cliché as that might have become, it is biblically accurate. Those of us who call ourselves Christians are the church. That is why we refer to ourselves as a church family. As with the nuclear familiar, it is the people that make it home. As I write this, we are just a few days out from the tragic shooting at a church here in our community. Our community has come together in ways not seen. Sadly, it’s when tragedy strikes that it usually pulls people together. On 9/11, my family and I were stationed in Germany. I had never seen our country, even though we were thousands of miles away, more united. It was amazing, heartwarming, and encouraging. I was a press officer at the time, and even the media showed great sympathy…for a couple of days anyway. And after a few weeks, it seemed like things drifted back to how they were, to an extent anyway. After our own families, our closest relationships should be with those with whom we call a brother or sister in Christ. In the book of Acts, we see a shining example of Believers coming together for the betterment of the “family.” No one claimed possessions as their own, and they shared their resources to help those in need. Now, I’m not saying we all need to go out and sell everything, but the model of how to act is there. When we have a church member in need, we come together. And I’ve seen some beautiful examples recently of where we are taking care. The meal train app is an amazing thing. But that is just one example. Our church benevolence fund is there to help people overcome a rough patch. That is giving above and beyond regular tithing. We can reach out to our communities in the same way…and we do. Backpacks, Trunk-or-Treat, and other adult outreach are all ways that we are being the church. Thinking beyond ourselves by sharing the love of Christ. Be the church.
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