Becoming Stronger Families

[Welch] I, too, would like to welcome those who are on the webcast today. We're glad that you're joining us. Hope that all is going well wherever you are.

Well, brethren, there are too many dysfunctional families in the world today. And throughout the past nearly 6,000 years of human history, many of us have suffered to some degree from growing up in dysfunctional families. The first human family was a bit dysfunctional, wasn't it? Adam and Eve, they had a son who killed another son, a brother. Cain murdered his brother Abel. That's very dysfunctional. That's not at all what God intended for family members.

Many of us in this room have grown up in dysfunctional families to one degree or another. Less so now, I hope, and I think, as we have more generations of real Christian homes and families. We have several generations of people in this room today. And our young people, who are third and fourth generation Christians, certainly have a better feel for what family should be like, what it should look like.

And of course, unfortunately, even in some cases, there has been serious dysfunction because we're human beings and we make mistakes, we sin, we cause heartache in our families. And so, it's good to understand that and realize that, but at the same time, to realize that family is the building block for a very strong and decent society. The stronger and healthier the family is, the stronger and healthier the nation and the world will be.

But because the family situation around the world is a mess and it is badly broken, our nations in the world are also badly broken. We're all affected by this.

Now, God is all about family and He wants all of us to be a blessing to His children so the family may function well and be strong. In God's Church, we have an opportunity to build stronger families.

The title of this sermon is Becoming Stronger Families.

The blessing of the little children is all about family. We had that service earlier today in the morning congregation. We ask God to be involved in the little children's lives and their families by blessing their children in many ways through protection, blessing with good health, praying that they would become Christians and that their parents would teach them God's way and that they would respond and grow up to be pleasing in God's sight.

And this is where it all starts. It starts in our families. Of course, it will extend eventually to the entire world according to God's plan.

So today we're going to talk about becoming stronger families. And number one, stronger families starts right here with you. All of you. It starts right here in this room to some degree.

Parents should be a blessing to their children. They should be a great blessing to their children. They should set the right example of love and respect in their own personal families. And they certainly should not be stumbling blocks to their children. But they should help them grow up in the nurture of the Eternal, of the Lord.

So we hope and pray that that is what's happening in your family and that you are a part of that process. But as I mentioned earlier, we all have issues. We're human beings. We sometimes stumble. We fall. We cause problems. Maybe we have become a stumbling block to some degree in our family.

If that's the case, then of course it's important that we admit and see that and that we repent of it and stop that type of behavior and ask for forgiveness. Because family members are very forgiving, especially if someone sees their problems that they've contributed in the family and they're sorry for it. If a person asks for forgiveness, they're often given it.

If other family members have been a stumbling block to you, then hopefully you'll be able to forgive and be able to reconcile. And so the family will be stronger as a result.

Let's turn to perhaps the best instruction of all in the Bible for families. It's found in Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5, and God talks about wives and husbands to begin with, the parents who will be rearing children in God's way, and He also addresses the children. So this is a very good passage of Scripture for us to consider today as we consider building stronger families.

Ephesians chapter 5, verse 17. Paul writes,

"Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is" (Ephesians 5:17).

So he's going to talk about God's will. And so this is important. He says,

"And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).

Now, in my own personal family, my father was an alcoholic. And it wasn't until I went to college, and it ended up in a divorce between my parents. It was a bad scene all the way around. My father finally did go to Alcoholics Anonymous, and it really helped him. And he stopped drinking for many, many years, and that was really a blessing for our family.

But this is good advice.

"And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).

My father was never called of God. And so I grew up with a father that really didn't comprehend God's way. My mother did, to some degree, although she did not attend God's Church until after I actually began attending many years later.

Verse 19 says,

"Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:19).

So God wants us to be happy people. He wants us to be happy Christians. He wants us to sing in our hearts and be filled with the Spirit of God and be grateful and happy,

"Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20),

"Submitting to one another in the fear of God" (Ephesians 5:21).

Now, this is an important verse, submitting to one another in the fear of God. So everyone has to learn to submit to each other in the fear of God. There are times when a husband has to submit to his wife. You've no doubt heard me tell you when that is. That's when the wife is right.

When she's on target and she's giving good advice, men, it's wise to listen and to maybe change your course and follow your wife's advice if she's right.

That's a good time to submit in the fear of God, lest it cause problems in the family. So that's an important time when we submit to our wives in the fear of God.

But overall, it does tell wives to submit to their own husbands. Ephesians 5, verse 22,

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:22).

"For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the Church; and He is the Savior of the body" (Ephesians 5:23).

Jesus Christ is the Savior of the body. A man is also, in a sense, a type of Christ. He's also to be a savior in the family. He's to set the right example. And it tells us what that looks like.

Verse 24,

"Therefore, just as the Church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything" (Ephesians 5:24).

Now, some people take that too far, and they say, no matter what, a wife has to submit. But frankly, it's in the fear of the Lord that we learn to submit.

And a husband should treat his wife well. In fact, it goes on to show that there is a way that a husband is supposed to treat his wife so that she will willingly submit in everything.

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for her" (Ephesians 5:25),

"That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word" (Ephesians 5:26),

"That He might present her to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:27).

So obviously, marriage is a type, also, of the Church. 

“That He might present her to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. But that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” (Ephesians 5:27-28)

That's good advice. If we really love our wives, we're doing ourselves favors. Because if we treat our wife well, they will typically respond well, and we'll have a happy family. So we should love our wives, and we should treat them well. 

“For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the Church.For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” (Ephesians 5:29-31)

So there is to be a meeting of the minds between husband and wife. They should be striving to get on the same page with the Eternal. That's the page we all want to be on. He says,

"This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church" (Ephesians 5:32).

So that oneness is to be a type of Christ and the Church. Christ and the Church are to be one, and a husband and wife are to be one, working together.

Verse 33,

"Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband" (Ephesians 5:33).

So having that proper respect for the husband, having that love for the wife, that is a winning combination. It works very well when that is actually what's happening within a family.

Now, the Scripture goes on in chapter 6 and addresses the children. We have some children in this room right now, so please pay attention.

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right" (Ephesians 6:1).

The point is, we're always supposed to be doing things in the Lord. That's how we're supposed to behave, in the Lord. So children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

"Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth" (Ephesians 6:2–3).

So there is a great blessing in honoring our parents.

"And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).

Sometimes fathers, maybe because of the male ego, or sometimes just because of our carnality, because we have to struggle against that as men. We can be rather carnal. We can walk in the flesh rather than the spirit. You fathers do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

So it's speaking of a humble way of dealing with your children. Yes, you are an authority, but you should love them and you should respect them, treat them properly, and they will respond to you, bringing them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

So that's good instruction to our initial families. Husband and wife, children in the family. That's very, very important that we follow this instruction in the book of Ephesians, that we might have a strong family.

Now, this also extends outward to the Church of God. So all of us sitting in this congregation, we are members of the Church and the family of God.

So it extends to all of us. These children come into these doors, and in a sense, they're our children, too. We need to treat them with love and respect so that they grow up wanting to come here, for one thing. This should be a very beautiful, positive place for our children, and we should always love them and treat them well, and they should look forward to coming to Church.

And thankfully, a lot of children do. I think oftentimes it's because they get to see other children, not so much that they get to see all of us as adults, but we should make their time here happy times, good times. They should feel good that we care for them, that we love them. So we also are responsible to show our children a very warm, godly environment here at Church. Be a blessing to God's children.

Now, in the family, obviously the parents are the human authority within the family. And they need to, children need to respond to their parents, obey them in the Lord, as it says.

So in the Church, we also have a certain authority within God's Church, and we should submit to that authority, as God would have us do. And obviously, any authority in the Church also has a responsibility to treat those who are members in a loving and a kind and a proper way. You know, the example should always come from the top. So in the personal families, it should come from the parents. In the Church, it should come from the authority, those who are in charge, those who have been given responsibility to guide and direct the Church. They should set the example of love and support, and also a very warm environment, so that we all want to be a Church. This is a good place. It's a good place for us to come. And to be a part of.

So we all need to set the right example of love and respect in our Church family. And we should not be a stumbling block. You know, when people come here, you know, frankly, I just heard of a situation where someone said something to a fairly new member, and they are no longer attending, because they were offended by the way that it was handled. And sometimes if people are offended, it is hard to win them back. So we need to be careful that we show love and respect, and that we do not offend the little ones. These people had not been attending long at all, and now they're not attending.

So that's not a good thing, and this isn't the first time that I've seen this happen in my ministry. I've seen this happen a number of times. And frankly, it ought not be so. It shouldn't be happening.

We all have a responsibility to treat people in a way that would not be offensive to them. Asking them too many questions. Why are you here? Why weren't you here sooner? What have you been waiting on? You know, anything like that is inappropriate. That's not right. We shouldn't treat people that way, because that can be very offensive. And we don't want to be a stumbling block to others.

So set the right example of love and respect in your Church family. Do not be a stumbling block in any way. If you have been, then seek reconciliation.

You know, if you know you have offended someone, and I'm likely going to tell the person that what they said was offensive, and maybe something good will come out of it eventually, don't know. However, we should be willing to admit when we handle things poorly, and then we should seek reconciliation. You know, God wants us to reconcile. I talked about that on the Day of Atonement. How important reconciliation is, and we should seek reconciliation.

So if we're an authority, or if we're not, it doesn't really matter. We should admit our error and ask for forgiveness and be genuine in that response. And if others have been a stumbling block to us, hopefully they will admit and see their error, and they will ask for forgiveness. If they don't, we still need to try to be forgiving. And we need to be willing to reconcile.

But real reconciliation comes when people repent, and they seek forgiveness, and they seek reconciliation. It's a two-way street, and it's an important one that needs to be followed.

In Matthew 20, let's go to Matthew 20. Now, this we read earlier today in the blessing of the little children. Matthew 20, verse 24. I'm breaking into the story, but two of the disciples, two brothers, their mother came to Jesus and said, Look, I'd like you to have one of my boys sit on your right and the other boy on the left. Now, I don't know if the boys put her up to this, or if this was their own brainchild, but it wasn't a good one. It wasn't the way we should handle things.

So when the ten heard it, the other ten disciples heard about this from the two brothers, the mother, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to Himself, and He said,

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you" (Matthew 20:25–26).

So Jesus is clearly showing them that if you are an authority, you are to be a servant. You are not to set yourself up as judge and jury. You're not to set yourself up as higher and better and someone that needs to be bowed before.

Instead, you are to set the example as the authority. When it's done this way, it's a beautiful thing when those who are in authority treat everyone who is not in authority with love and respect, serving them and wanting the best from the situation. So Jesus said, don't be like the Gentiles. They lord it over people. That's not the way we're supposed to do things in God's Church. That's not the way the authority is to be in God's Church.

Instead, we are to be servants. No, it's not my job to lord it over you. It's my job to help serve you, to be helpers of your joy. That's what God wants from me as a pastor.

So Jesus said,

"But whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave" (Matthew 20:26–27),

"Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28).

Jesus came to lay His life down, not to lord it over people. He was certainly an authority figure, but he did not wield that authority. He was submissive to His Father's will. Nevertheless, not my will. He didn't want to go through a crucifixion, but he did. But my Father's will be done.

So the second thing is, first, it starts with the family, the nucleus, the family, the individual family. It branches out into the Church. And we're to be a family and set that example. And thirdly, this should extend out to the entire world, according to God's plan.

Now, we have a responsibility to the world. It's not enough just to come to Church once a week and then treat people lousy. If you're in the neighborhood and set a bad example of God's way of life, that's not how we're to live our lives. It extends outward to the entire world. The gospel message is to go out to the entire world, and then Jesus Christ will return.

So we need to do our best to preach the gospel message and pray for God's blessing in being able to do that. And then set a godly example to the world. Not looking down on the world, you know, God hasn't called them, so why should we ever look down on them? You know, we would be in their same boat if God hadn't called us and opened our minds.

So we should want to share this gospel with them. We should be compelled to share the gospel message with others because this is the best message on earth. This is the greatest place.

Earlier in the morning sermon I mentioned about the children coming here, this should be like Disneyland, the greatest place on earth. You know, this is where the children want to come on the Sabbath because this is the greatest place to be. Because people love me. They care for me. It's a warm, beautiful, inviting place, even better than Disneyland. And it's lasting, and you can go there every week.

So we need to be careful that we don't set a stumbling block for people in the world, either. Set an example of love and respect to our worldwide family. If you've ever been a stumbling block to a neighbor, if you haven't treated them as well as you should, and you've been offensive to them, then it's time to repent of that and try to make amends, to reconcile, and not just sweep it under the rug and act like it never happened. That isn't God's way. We should deal with these things.

And if others have been a stumbling block to us, hopefully they'll repent. Hopefully they'll say they're sorry. And that's best, because that's what really brings reconciliation. Because it brings us in if we know that they see it, and they're sorry for it. But if they don't, we still need to try to do our best to forgive.

You know, it's like my father—I came to the point where I'm 18 years old, God is opening my mind, He's calling me. I basically hate my dad at this stage of the game, because my dad did not treat my mother well, and he did not treat us very well, and he was drunk on a fairly regular basis. And that was harmful, and that was dysfunctional to the family.

But I came to understand,

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34).

My father really didn't get it. God wasn't opening his mind. He wasn't calling him at this time. And there were certain things that I could not expect from him. So Father forgive them. They know not what they do.

Now it's harder when they're a Church family, and they should know better. That's harder. But even then, we need to try to forgive them. Hopefully they will know better and repent. So seeking reconciliation, that is so important in God's family, in God's Church.

Now in the Bible, we run across Hebrew words like Yahweh, Elohim, Adonai, Adon, Yah, Elohah, El. These are Hebrew words that refer to God and are often translated as God or Lord in English. From Scripture, we know that the English word God, translated as such, often refers to the God family.

God is a family. It started with just two beings in the family. But that was the God family initially. The one who became known as the Father, the one who became known as the Son, there were two beings. John 1 tells us about that.

We refer to ourselves, and the Bible refers to us, as the children of God. God is very interested in having a family. He reveals how He is doing that in the Bible.

Children help make up a family, but again, you don't have to have children to have a family. They were still the God family, two beings, the God family. Some people don't have children. Maybe they aren't blessed with children, but they are still a family. They still love each other, husband and wife. Sometimes the best examples of all are from a husband and wife who may not have children. They have that love. They have that bond because they rely on each other. That's a beautiful thing.

We're all families. A couple is a family. If you don't have children yet, you're still a family. Hopefully God will bless you with children, but if not, you can be a very important part of the family.

It's interesting. We know God created angels before He created mankind. Angels are not, in the fullest sense, part of the God family, are they? I think they're considered part of the family, though, to some degree. They gave them individual names, Michael, Gabriel, Lucifer. Something tells me God loves them because God is love. Now, I'm not saying the angels are like us because we have a greater calling. But I think, in some ways, they're part of the family.

Just like some of you think your dog is part of the family. I mean, no offense to the angels. No offense to the angels, but frankly, some people are so close to their animals, they consider them part of the family. And I get that because dogs, puppies, they can be very affectionate. They can show compassion. They can hurt. They have emotions, and we are drawn to them. We even let them lick our face sometimes. Not much. I'm not a big one on that. But I have done it. Stay away from the mouth. The cheek is okay.

Anyway, the point I'm making is, some of you have had animals you are very close to. I've never had an animal in my house except for fish and axolotls. So I've got two of those right now. If you don't know what an axolotl is, you should Google it. It's not like I consider them part of the family. I'm not that close to them. They're going to die, and I'm not going to miss them all that much.

I'm just making the point that family is family. If we feel like they're part of the family, that's okay. But the God family is so much more. The God family is special. God is creating a family, and we are to become like Jesus Christ. We're to be like Him. We're to see Him as He is.

Revelation 13:8 says, well, actually, that's a little bit later on. It's 1 John 3, verse 2. "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2).

So we are to become like Jesus Christ, who came here, lived in the flesh, died in the flesh, but was resurrected. Has a spirit body, and we are to be like Him. He's the Son of God. We are to be children of God.

Now, that's an awesome calling. That's an amazing calling. It's something that we should not take lightly or take for granted. And it's also important to realize that Christ was slain from the foundations of the world. God had this in mind. You know, He knew that sin would enter in. He knew that His Son would have to die, that the life would have to be given, the sins would have to be paid for.

You know, Christ lived a perfect life without sin. I mean, how amazing is that? Tempted at every point as we are, yet without sin. And so we follow our elder brother, Jesus Christ, as part of the family.

So angels, as we know, do not reproduce. But we know that humans are able to reproduce, and that's why I'm looking at a lot of you. There's a bunch of us here because we know how to reproduce. And we've done that.

You know, the Bible does say, multiply, replenish the earth. You know, that's part of God's plan for us to do that. So billions and billions upon billions of human beings have been made in God's image, and they are to be born into the family of God.

Adam and Eve were family. Children were added to that family, but they were obviously family before the children, even, as I mentioned earlier. Children added to the family and made it possible for the family to grow into many generations.

However, some of the greatest love stories, as I mentioned before, are between husband and wife who have not been blessed with children. So we should never discount that at all and see that for what it's worth.

Family is an interesting entity, as I mentioned before. I got off my notes. So now I'm talking about happy, mischievous puppies that we love more than reptiles. But children are a blessing, as the Bible says, and God is extending His family through many, many billions of children.

We know that the Scripture shows us that God also worked through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Things weren't going so well with Adam and Eve. He started working through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, a family. Promises of great blessings were given to them, and God worked through family members. We can read about it in the Bible, but because of being human, sin entered the picture with all of them as well.

We sang a song about the covenant people, and it talked about the house of Judah and the house of Israel. Well, God was working with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, but they continued to sin. They would not obey God. They would not follow Him. And so God allowed them to go into captivity.

And you know all about that. The Assyrians took the house of Israel into captivity. The Babylonians took the house of Judah into captivity because of their sins.

So there was failure of the human family. Very dysfunctional. Very dysfunctional. God didn't want that, but it happened, and God saw it happening. And that's why Jesus came. That's why Jesus died, to give us a way to reconciliation and forgiveness.

So we are to forgive when we're sinned against, but the offender is also expected to repent and to reconcile. So we should look at that, both sides of the coin here, and be sure that we're not offending people, that we're not throwing a stumbling block in front of people, but we should also be willing to forgive and move on and reconcile.

So Jesus does bless little children, and He showed us very clearly that He expects us to be a blessing to little children. And He was not happy with the disciples who were looking down on the children. He wanted them to come to Him because He cared for them. He loved them.

In Mark 9, it does talk about those who cause offense or cast a mill... They put a stumbling block before others. Mark 9, verse 42. 

"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea" (Mark 9:42).

So that underscores how important it is that we are not offensive to God's people, to God's children.

And also, Matthew 18, "At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me’” (Matthew 18:1–5).

So that's another good reason to treat these little kids who come amongst us properly, because God is watching.

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:6).

So God feels very strongly about that. We should not cause offense. Those in authority must be very careful not to become stumbling blocks for God's children. Parents need to be very careful, and in God's Church, those in authority have to be very careful not to cause offense.

When those in authority disrespect and mistreat others, they are breaking the law of love. There is a love toward God and a love toward our neighbor. That is the two greatest commandments. And when we break either one of them, we are breaking God's law of love.

When the authority mistreats or disrespects someone, it is incumbent upon them to seek reconciliation by first admitting their error. Everyone should be willing to admit when they've done something wrong. Even if they are in authority, if they are the top authority, they still need to be able to do that. Humble themselves and admit their error and truly seek reconciliation. And it does take true humility to do that. And power will sometimes go to the head, and it's harder to behave that way.

Jesus said we are to become like little children. Children are humble and they are innocent. That's one beautiful thing about little children. And they will kind of let you know what's on their mind. You know, they're pretty open. They're an open book. And sometimes we learn to play games as people. And I don't think God likes that. You know, I think God wants us to be genuine. He wants us to be real.

So God's Church is the most important family of all. So it is important, again, how we treat one another. When we treat each other with love and respect, the family becomes more functional. Not dysfunctional, but a lot more functional. A high-functioning. That's what God wants to see. A high-functioning Church. A Church that's getting something done. A Church that's moving ahead. A Church that's growing.

God started with Adam and Eve, but we know that they sinned quickly and were cut off from the Garden of Eden.

God scattered Abraham and his family because they were not faithful and obedient. Now Abraham obeyed My voice, kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws. Abraham was a good example of someone. He was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac. He is the father of the faithful. So there have been good examples of human beings who do stand up and do the right thing.

But there have been many who have not done that. And that's why Israel and Judah went into captivity. Because they broke God's Sabbath. They went into idolatry. They just allowed themselves to go into things that, you know, God cannot allow forever. He had to intervene. Enough was enough. And so He put a stop to it.

So we know that Jesus died for family. He died for all of us. We're all family. He died for His family. And God loved us enough. He loved His family enough to give His Son.

In Hebrews chapter 2, verse 9, it says,

"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings" (Hebrews 2:9–10).

That's what God wants. Many sons and daughters to glory. He wants to see us glorified beings in His family. To make the captain of their salvation, Jesus Christ, perfect through sufferings. Christ had to go through the suffering, the crucifixion. The beatings.

"For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren" (Hebrews 2:11).

So, Christ, the Father who sanctifies, those who are being sanctified, all of us, we are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call us brothers, to call us sisters, to call us part of the family. It's a beautiful family to be a part of.

Now, when we look back at the life of Paul, you know, Paul was one. We're just... he likely wrote the book of Hebrews. We can't say for sure. But he wrote a lot of the Bible, and we owe a lot to Paul in what he wrote.

Well, Paul, first of all, persecuted Jesus' followers. He had them drug out of their homes and had some of them killed. He justified that behavior. He thought he was being a good Jew. He thought he was doing God a service.

But he was struck down on the road to Damascus, and God blinded him physically, but then allowed him to see spiritually. So he repented of that. He admitted his sin. He repented of it. And then he turned his whole life around as he followed Christ.

So Paul was on board with Christ's way of life, and he saw Christ's example toward the Gentiles. He knew that God was going to open salvation up to the Gentiles. So he was on board with that.

And, you know, Peter got on board with that. Peter was skeptical, but then Cornelius comes around, and God grants him His Holy Spirit and his family. It wasn't just Cornelius. It was his whole family that God was working with and calling. And so Peter was on board as well when he saw God working with Gentiles.

But then sometimes disputes and families will arise. In Galatians 2, verse 11. “Now, when Peter had come to Antioch, Paul says, I withstood him to his face.” Now, here's a dispute that's openly talked about in the Bible. Two leaders clearly having a dispute.

When Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face because he was to be blamed. He's not missing any words. He's saying, Peter, you are out of line here. You are to be blamed.

"Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed" (Galatians 2:11).

"For before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision" (Galatians 2:12).

They were the ones that were saying the Gentiles had to all be circumcised. Otherwise, they could not be a part of the body, the family.

Paul in Galatians 2, verse 13 says,

"And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy" (Galatians 2:13).

And Paul and Barnabas were close. They were friends. But Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy, and he was being hypocritical as well.

So what I see here is, these men are colleagues. They respect each other. But when they see something that isn't right, they're also willing to speak up. And this is what Paul did, and the Bible preserves it for us.

And when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, because the gospel message is to all people.

You know, God loves all people. He loves the Gentiles. He's going to be calling them all. I said to Peter before them all,

"If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?" (Galatians 2:14).

It's a good question, because he was now supporting those who were of the circumcision.

And Paul said, circumcision is nothing. Uncircumcision is nothing. But what matters is keeping the commandments of God. Those are the things that really matter. It's not the fleshly law of circumcision. God was good for a time. God was working with a family of Abraham in that way. But this was no more.

Now circumcision is the heart. You know, we're to be circumcised in the heart, all of us, men and women, so that we might be followers of Christ.

So Peter and Paul were colleagues. They were fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. They were apostles. It wasn't so much about authority. It wasn't so much about authority. Peter was compromising, and Paul reprimands him to his face for doing so. It wasn't really about, again, who was an authority. I mean, the Bible doesn't really say who was an authority. They were both apostles.

It was about doing the right thing. That's what it should be about. Doing the right thing. That's what's best for the family. When we do the right thing, it's best for the family. And when we do that which is wrong, then the family suffers. The family is hurt by that.

So likely Peter saw the error of his ways, and there was a reconciliation that took place. The Bible doesn't tell us about what happened. We can speculate. Barnabas, hopefully, he also repented of his hypocrisy. Most likely he did, and they went on together, hand in hand preaching the gospel, doing the work of God.

The Bible doesn't tell us all of this, but reconciliation was important. Being reconciled, being willing to move ahead together was very, very important. And we should have that same goal, to work together, to reconcile, to continue, not get bogged down in petty issues, in petty things, but to set the right example and to do what's right for the family.

What's best for the family? That should be a question that we ask ourselves. What's best for the family? Should I make an issue out of this, or would it be better not to, for the family?

God wants us to learn to reconcile. That's the sign of a healthy family. That's a functional family, a family that can reconcile, that maybe can call it the way it is, but then reconcile and move on together.

So, in summary, to conclude, God is all about family, and the blessing of little children underscores that fact. That God is about family. He's about children. About receiving the children. Becoming like them.

God wants us all to be a blessing to His children as well, to these little ones that He calls because He's called their parents, basically. And they come along for the ride, but they're here, and we should love them.

So, God wants us to be a blessing to His children, to these little ones, but also to each other in God's Church. First, in our own personal families, as God has called us to His truth and His understanding, the authority, the parents, need to set the proper example of love, respect, and reconciliation in the family.

Secondly, in our Church family as a whole, it should come over into the Church family. And we should love each other and treat each other with respect. We should respond in love to each other. We should be willing to reconcile.

So, as the Church family, it's important that we show the proper example of love, respect, and reconciliation. I know I've preached a lot about this lately, but I've come to understand it better. I believe there is a law of love that we should not break it, and we do. We have to repent of it.

If we don't love God, if we show disrespect toward God, we need to repent of it. And if we show disrespect toward people, and we show a lack of love toward people, that's something that we should repent of, and then be reconciled one to another, responding in love.

And thirdly, it should go to the world. So, we've got the family, then we've got the Church family, then we've got the world. It should go out into the world.

And if you happen to be an employer in the world, and you've got people that work for you, you are especially responsible to set a good example. If you're taking advantage of your employees, then God's not going to be pleased with that. You know, if you treat them well, God will be pleased with that.

I mean, we can employ people, but we should treat them well. They should be glad to be working for us, because we pay them decent, and we treat them well. And it's a family.

And if we have neighbors, then the neighbors should speak well of us. And if they don't, then maybe there's something we're doing wrong. Maybe not. Maybe we're just standing up for the truth. Sometimes that is the case. And if that's the case, we're suffering for righteousness' sake.

People spreading things. I know they talk about the pastor that moved in on Castle Bay. You know, that word gets around. When you're a minister, it doesn't take long for the neighbors to know that you're a minister. And they probably scrutinize in a little different way, because they know that I should be setting a better example.

So, I'm just saying we need to be a good example wherever we are, wherever we live, whatever we do.

God's family is to become a strong, faithful family. God's blessing is upon all of us as family. He loves us. He's taking care of His family. We're to be a strong, vibrant family.

Children are a tremendous blessing from the Lord. They're part of our family. So, let us all be grateful to God for all the little children among us. And let us all become like little children in our approach to God and to one another.