05-18-2014 Family-ness: The Whole Shebang

I hope that you had a wonderful day with the Lord this week -- even those of you whom I know were out sick (apparently, there was a nasty stomach flu that ravaged at least three of our church family’s households this Sunday morning).  Those of us who were here enjoyed the last comfortable day before all of the Summer heat wave days kick in.  Seriously, it seems like weather-wise, we’re jumping from early Spring directly into mid Summer, with nothing in-between.

Just a reminder to make sure that you can join us this coming Sunday for our special Graduate Recognition Sunday.  We have five very special graduates this year -- Alicia Conway, Dakota Jeffries, Brie Panama, Alex Wright, and Keshaundria Young -- and we’re rightly proud of each of them.  Please join us so that we can show our appreciation to them as a whole church family.  

In our message this week, we talked a little bit about how each and every one of us in the church is an integral part of the family.  Oh, some of us have ministries (and/or personalities) that are more demonstrably “out in front” than others, but none of us is unimportant.  As Paul told us, “The whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:15).  If you’re a part of the family, then you’re a part of the Body -- and as impressed as you might be by the work that a hand or foot might be doing in the church, there’s no way that they could do that without the ligaments that attach them to the other bones.

In short, there’s no such thing as a Christian spectator -- there’s only those who are doing what God calls them to do, and those who aren’t.  All of us are part of God’s family, and so He calls each and every one of us to be actively participating in the ministry to and from the other members of God’s family, in whatever capacity God is calling us.  

For instance, in Deuteronomy 6, God calls us to share His wisdom and His commands with our family members, interactively.  It’s not just a priest’s job, or just the Elders’ job, or just a Sunday School teacher’s job -- it’s the job of every single family member to be involved in this.  If we’re sitting around and eating, we’re supposed to be engaging in Godly interactions.  If we’re on the road traveling, we’re supposed to be engaging in Godly interactions.  If we’re ending the day, we’re supposed to be engaging in Godly interactions.  If we’re beginning the day, we’re supposed to be engaging in Godly interactions.  Do you see a pattern?

Being a Christian family member isn’t just a “sorta” thing, or a “when I get the chance” thing, or a “that’s my spouse’s job” thing -- it’s a “love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength” thing, an “infusing His love and His wisdom in every interaction that we have” thing... and then teaching that to our family members by consistent demonstration.

It’s been said that our children can memorize what we tell them, but they only learn what we show them.  I guarantee that you’re teaching the children in your household -- and in God’s household -- by what you actually do, and by how engaged you are with your faith. 

So what exactly are you and I showing those around us about what it means to live like a Christian?