What Makes a Healthy Spiritual Family?

I want to talk today about what a spiritual family shares. A spiritual family shares. Not your individual families. I mean collectively we form a spiritual family, don't we? So what does a spiritually healthy family look like? What do we share? What does a spiritually healthy family share together? Well, let's look over in Acts chapter 2.

Acts chapter 2, we get to the end of Peter's sermon, the very first sermon of the new church. Acts 2:es 42 and 43. Well, let's pick it up in verse 41 because he's talking here about those who then were baptized. It says those then those who gladly Acts 2:41. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized.

And that day about 3,000 souls were added to them or to the group to the church. 40 verse 42 says, "And they that is that group of people that early church and they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and in prayer." This is that beautiful picture of this very first church, the beginning of the church of God. It's not an organizational an organization the way we would recognize a corporation, is it? It's literally God handpicking people out of this world, choosing them, and them responding and him giving them his spirit after they're

baptized. This is the shared event of their life. And now having been called out of the world, we don't know how many of them knew one another prior to this. The scripture doesn't really say about that. My suspicion is many of them may not have known because people came from all around the region for the holy days.

This was the day of Pentecost upon which everyone came. And so what did these early brethren share? Four things are identified here in verse 42. It says doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. Four things the early church shared with one another. I want to go through each of those together today. And let's look at this first century church, what it shared, and why it's important for us.

Because we can and do the same things today in the church. in our spiritual fellowship with one another. Point number one, we share the same truth. Doctrine is truth. All right? That's the first recorded trait of the early church was their devotion to the truth. After repentance and baptism, they didn't run off on their own to become like to go find the truth. I've been baptized.

I'm now in the church of God. I'll just go find the truth on my own. It must be out there somewhere. No, of course not. They were there hearing the truth being spoken to them by these very apostles of Jesus Christ. Notice that it says that they continued steadfastly. The Greek phrase translated continued steadfastly means to persevere, to remain constantly diligent or to be continually devoted to something.

So it says here that this early church continued steadfastly in the truth. They continued steadfastly in fellowship. They continued steadfastly in the breaking of bread. They continued steadfastly in prayer together. The church did that. That body of believers that God had called out of the world at the very beginning.

And here the very first thing they did that they continued steadfastly doing was listening to hearing the apostles doctrine. The word doctrine means teaching or instruction. Obviously these are the teachings and instructions of who? The apostles. Where did they get it? They certainly didn't invent it.

They had spent three and a half years with Jesus Christ virtually every single day. The master teacher is teaching them every single day for three and a half years. That's a master's degree in theology. They were teaching Christ's teachings and Christ taught the scriptures and then he added the spiritual element. We know that. So they got a doctrinal level training on the application of the scriptures from the master himself. The greatest training anyone could receive.

This is the doctrines that were being taught to the church. Christ doctrines by his very pupils, his students who had graduated and received not a crown in this case or not a graduation robe but the Holy Spirit. And the apostles were never were never unclear that that they believed that the truth came from any place except Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 13. 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 13.

Paul here says, "For this reason we thank also we also thank God without ceasing because when you received the word of God from where it says which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God which also effectively works in you who believe.

" They knew where the truth came from. They knew that the doctrines taught by those apostles, the students of Jesus Christ, was the truth. That truth comes from the pages of our Bibles today, but also through inspiration. Truth is divinely understood because it's only divinely revealed.

God divinely revealed the truth to the apostles, and they taught what was revealed to them, to those whom God was also calling, and whose eyes were then opened, and their understanding opened to the truth. So the truth of God does not rise or fall with any one human being. Ministers are accountable to teach faithfully the truth. But the source of the message is always Jesus Christ.

Look, the reality is I think it's fair in this room to admit some realities. God has a challenge. He began a church by calling men out of this world and giving them the Holy Spirit and giving them duties and responsibilities. He calls them later apostles. They have a job. That job is to teach the doctrines of God. But God's problem from the very beginning has always been the same one.

He only has humans to work with. Can we point to anybody who's doing that perfectly? Minister or lay member? any of us getting this nailed down perfectly. Ministers are going to make mistakes. I grew up in the church with ministers who made some big mistakes. That has an effect. A minister can be unkind. He can be grumpy. He can be disrespectful.

He can be obtuse. He may not intend any of that in the moment, but it still can happen. You can be left scarred, marked by somebody who mistreats you out of pride or even arrogance, yet they're still a minister of Jesus Christ. Do we take that away from them because they made a mistake? Does that take the truth away? Is the truth no longer the truth because a flawed man made a mistake? I have to look back on my life and ask, am I still in the church because flawed men made mistakes? No. The truth endures. The truth endures beyond men.

Beyond any lay person and beyond any minister of Jesus Christ, the truth endures. That's what we cling to. That's what God gave to his church. The truth. That's what binds us first once we've received the Holy Spirit. It is the truth that we hold on to.

That should allow us to look at the mistakes of men as just what it is, the mistakes of men, because God doesn't have anybody else to call except men. And they're going to make mistakes. I lived it. I understand. I've probably made some mistakes while I've been here. I hope not. You know, I have 100%. I'm human. If I've made mistakes, I'm genuinely sorry.

It's not my intent, but I am human. I hope you can look past that if I've done anything that has caused offense. So why do we remain faithful despite experiences that have been negative perhaps because we haven't all had nothing but negative experiences in the church for sure to me over the last 10 15 20 years I feel like there's been a lot of positive not 100% but there's been a lot of positive I've realized in the church or I wouldn't be in the ministry today I would have probably walked away and given up at some We had a lot of opportunity early on in the '9s if you recall. Plenty of

opportunity then. But no, I feel like God called us to be a part of a family, a spiritual family. We don't give up on family. So, I'm here because of that. I hope you're here for that same exact reason. Because we're not just a congregation. We're a spiritual family. We're not an organization. We're a spiritual family. a family first.

We're a part of God's family. And so, a spiritually healthy family is one that shares and continues in the truth. It's not that we're here because we just believe in Jesus or we're good people. We have something in common which is the truth that God has revealed to us which includes the Sabbath, the holy days, God's law, repentance, the kingdom of God, our future, the resurrections, everything, the whole plan.

It's been revealed to us. We know that plan. We share that plan. We talk about that plan together all the time. It's what we believe in. It's what anchors our life. Paul says here, "This is what we're supposed to be doing over here in Acts chapter 20 and verse 27." The Apostle Paul expresses what I'm trying to say here that there's a job.

I realize standing here that I have been given a job as a pastor. He says here verse 27 of Acts chapter 20, Paul says, and and I hope to be able to say this as well. He says, "For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole council of God." Whatever it is that I'm being inspired, and I pray for inspiration, and I know many of you pray that I have inspiration, and I thank you for that, and that all of our elders and speakers have inspiration. I know every one of them thanks you for that.

We deeply appreciate the prayers of the brethren and the support for this. I have not shunned to declare to you the whole council of God. Mean everything that I think God is revealing, everything that's the truth. We have 20 fundamental beliefs for example. I'm trying to share what God reveals about those truths because it's the truth. So a healthy spiritual family is not built on shifting ideas or even charismatic personalities.

A spiritual family is not necessarily built on institutional traditions either organizational traditions. You got to think about that. It's very easy to say, "I'm a member of the United Church of God." Absolute fact. Is the United Church of the Church of God? It's part of the Church of God. We've never been shy about admitting that. It's a fact.

I'm happier to say as a member of the Church of God, we have a spiritual family that goes beyond the doors of any single congregation. So this church is built on the foundation laid by Jesus Christ and preserved through the instruction of the apostles from the very beginning. The pulpit commentary notes on Acts 2:42, quote, the writer marks the permanence and perseverance of the converts in the faith. Their conversion was not momentary excitement but a real and abiding change.

The word expresses a fixed resolve, absolute determination. The truth has been revealed. My eyes have been opened and I am going to hold on to that in a world that is rapidly moving the other direction. I want to hold on to the truth. That's what these brethren did as it as it was described in Acts 2:42. So this is one of the reasons the early church remained unified.

Their unity didn't come from agreeing on every custom or personality because it didn't. It has big rocks. Do we agree on the big rocks of the truth? God has a plan. God created human beings to be children in his eternal spiritual family. That God has a two-step plan that involves a first fruit resurrection and a latter resurrection of the rest of mankind.

Do we agree about that? Do we agree that Jesus Christ is going to return and that his first fruits are going to be resurrected to rise to meet him in the air to be with him forever as servants, kings and priests to help him establish the government of God on this earth? Do we agree about that? Yes. Do we believe where he's going to reign for a thousand years? Yes, we do.

We agree on the big rocks. Like that has to be where you start. We agree on the big rocks. That's the truth that God has revealed to us. There's lots of stuff way out there when we start getting out on the limbs and the branches. Maybe not all of that's important at all. Maybe we just focus on what we really truly hold dear as the truth.

Because what I just described to you is a unique understanding in all this world. No Christian organization has this truth. They do not understand the big rocks I just said that we all agree with. What did Amos chapter 3:3 say? I'm just going to read this one, but you can note it. Amos 3:3. Very well-known scripture. Amos 3:3. I'll read it to you.

Can two walk together unless they are agreed? It's simple, isn't it, and straightforward. What do we agree upon? Is it the twigs and branches? No. It's on the trunk of the tree on those things God has revealed to us that's unique in all the world that we understand. We share that truth together. So that agreement doesn't mean that we all understand everything exactly the same way, exactly at the same time.

We all have human nature still, right? Have any of you shed that yet? Have you figured out how to do that? I'm still stuck with mine. So I still wrestle with stuff. Probably you do, too. But growth takes time, and God is patient with us as we learn. But the core doctrines, the structure of revealed truth, those aren't negotiable. They form the shared foundation that allows the church to function as a body.

I use the word church exactly as it's intended. It's not an organization. It's the calledout ones. It's God's people wherever they are. John Gills commentary notes that the apostles doctrine. So now that was a phrase, right? They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine. Now, that reflects a constancy in hearing the apostles preach and explain the gospel. That's what that's talking about.

It's that that's what they want to hear is the teachings of the apostles. Those teachings weren't strange or weird or twigs or branches. Those were trunk of the tree. The core beliefs that we have, they wanted to hear those things. [Music] So in other words, the early church, the brethren were hungry to learn and they valued the teaching they were given.

They sought understanding and they didn't substitute private interpretation or emotional experience for grounded instruction. But that's why Paul warned Timothy that a time would come when people would no longer endure sound doctrine. Let's go over to 2 Timothy 4 and:e 3. I hope all of us, it does, I'm not picking on anyone with this comment.

All of us should be wary of this issue because at any given point in time, like can we not look back at Solomon, the wisest man who lived for a long time in obedience and then at some point didn't anymore. Like all of us should be taking that seriously. He was the wisest man who's ever lived. 2 Timothy 4:3 it says, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables." You know what this itching ear

thing's about, right? It's that desire to to have the feeling that I had when I first heard something that was true that I'd never understood before. The older we get, the longer we're in the process. We need to move past that itching ears feeling that we get that says, "Oh, I just heard something new.

" Like when I was first called. That's no longer what it should be like for us. But that's what Paul says. That's the warning. We want to be careful about desiring the feeling as opposed to desiring the truth. To hold on to the truth, that's more important than the feelings about the truth. So point number one is we have a shared truth that unites us within the family of God.

Point number two, we share fellowship. Now, it's interesting to me that that you'll see that it describes them continuing steadfastly in fellowship and then separately in breaking of bread. Because in your mind, aren't those kind of the same? What do you do when you're breaking bread with somebody? I mean, unless you're alone in your office, you're talking to somebody if you're eating with them.

But there is a difference between them and that's why I want to talk about them separately as they were presented separately. Because one is about what we share. The other one is about how and when and why we share. Right? So it says they continued steadfastly dot dot dot in fellowship. Now that word fellowship means communion, participation, sharing or partnership.

So the spiritual family of God at the very beginning continued steadfastly in communion, in participation, in sharing, in partnership with one another. It conveys the idea of being spiritually knit together as a family. They's lexicon puts it this way, the intimate bond of fellowship which unites Christians. That's what it calls this term, fellowship.

It's the intimate bond of fellowship which unites Christians. That kind of fellowship is not superficial. It's not based on personality. It's not based on convenience. It's not even based on culture. It's rooted in our shared life with God. This fellowship existed because each person had received the same spirit. That spirit unites us.

And so because of that, each of us has gone through the same repentance. Each of us has gone through the same baptism. Each of us has the same hope and purpose. We have the same destiny. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 9. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 9. Our fellowship doesn't begin with us as we'll see Paul trying to explain. 1 Corinthians 1:9 he says God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship with whom? Of his son Jesus Christ our Lord.

A shared fellowship that begins with Jesus Christ and God the Father. And because of that it extends to each other. That's what makes the church a spiritual family. We're not just believers. We're participants in something larger than ourselves. This church family that we're all a part of together. 1 John chapter 1:3.

Here at the very end, the last apostle is writing to us, John. And he says to us here in 1 John 1 verse 3. This is around the '9s AD. And he says, "That which we have seen and heard, we declare to you that you also may have fellowship with us." So now he's talking about himself as an apostle. Most most doubtedly he's also talking about the ministry with him that you the brethren may also have fellowship with us.

So that's us together and truly our fellowship now collectively is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ. It's not just with each other is it? We're a spiritual family with the father and his son. That's what makes our fellowship possible. So this fellowship then depends on a shared purpose and spiritual engagement with each other.

It's not limited to sitting here listening to a sermon. Is that sufficient for us to fellowship that we share a sermon together? It depends on shared purpose and spiritual engagement for a reason. It's lived out in how we treat one another, how we care for one another, and how we grow together in godliness.

As Paul also said in Galatians chapter 6, I was going the right way. Galatians chapter 6:10. Okay. Galatians chapter 6:10 says, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone." Okay. But especially to those who are of the household of faith. It means pay special attention to each other. Yes, we are not to ignore the fact that there's needs in the world.

There's suffering in the world, but we need to be looking out for each other, especially looking out for each other. And of course, true fellowship then takes effort, doesn't it? because it requires things like vulnerability, patience, humility. This is the challenge of being a spiritual family of human beings. But so these things can be difficult.

There may be differences in our backgrounds, our personalities, our opinions. No. How many people like to share their opinion that you wish they wouldn't? We've all been there. We all know that's true. It's one of the things that divides people is that we get really staunch with our opinions about something that maybe they don't agree with and like, uhoh, now where do we go? But sometimes people can be hesitant to open up because of past experiences or relationship wounds.

But scripture urges us not to retreat from that, not to retreat from one another, but to engage with each other. We're still a spiritual family. That means we have to be intentional about building each other up in love. Let's look at that in Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chap 10 uh 24 and 25. Hebrews chap 10:es 24 and 25 where the author says, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.

" Why? What do you think he means when he says, "Let's consider one another?" If he's not saying we're thinking about each other, do we think about each other when we're not at services in the middle of the week? I know we do. I know we care about each other. So, we're all thinking about someone a lot of the time.

I'm const Well, as a pastor, you probably say, "Oh, you probably have to." No, I mean, yes, it's technically the job, but in my defense, I'm doing it anyways. I would even do that if I wasn't the pastor. I'd still think about you and what are your needs? What are you going through? That's why aren't we on our knees on a daily basis asking for God's intervention and blessings and mercy on those that are suffering? When a prayer request goes out, especially consider one another literally means to think about each other.

But for what reason? He says, "Well, let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works." Stir up. That's a wonderful verb, isn't it? It it evokes imagery of action, of doing something intentional to lift somebody, to encourage them. and we're supposed to encourage them in love and good works.

Verse 25 says, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is." So obviously this was happening back at the time of the early church where some maybe it was just a little too hard or you know look there's legitimate reasons we can't be together. Absolutely legitimate reason. We have a number of people who can't be with us who have to watch on the video.

I feel sorry for them because I know I when I talk to them they when they express the deep regret that they can't be here with the brethren that's what they want to do is be here in fellowship we have the opportunity to do that those of us who are still functional to be here to fellowship with one another so yes we should be here as Paul is saying yeah we ought to be here because if you tune in on at home by choice when you could be here then you're tuning out the brethren You might feel like you're being fed,

but are you? If that's your steady diet and it's just tuning in on Sabbath morning, but you don't actually fellowship with the brethren, you've tuned out an opportunity for growth. It says here that we can be helping each other, which means if you're not here, how come you're how can you be lifting me up? Maybe I need it. I know some of you need it.

So, I want to encourage you. I know you want to encourage each other. We have to be here to be able to do that because it says if we're come together, we will be exhorting one another and so much more as you see the day approaching. Anybody here see the day approaching? Oh yeah.

That means we're supposed to be doing this even more together, supporting one another and helping one another through this difficult time that we're going through. and that we see the world around us that spiral that it's stuck in now as it eventually ends in collapse and tribulation. So yeah, this passage reminds us that fellowship is not just about showing up.

It's about considering one another, encouraging one another, stirring up godly action in each other. That means fellowship isn't a passive thing we do. It's an active thing we're a part of for and with each other. That means it involves prayer and conversation and listening and caring and patience. As it says here in Romans 12:15, verse 15, let's get to verse 15 says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep." As Solomon once said, there's a time for all these things.

We're here to support one another and yes, we're going to rejoice together and sometimes we're going to weep together. And as I was laughing with Olympia today, probably some of the ladies do that more than some of the guys, but it's still an essential function of any healthy congregation that we do these things together because that's a part of our fellowship. This verse captures the heart of this word fellowship. We do not walk alone.

The greatest blessing we've been given is each other. Imagine for one second that God calls you out of this crazy world. He reveals the truth to you. And he sets you on the path alone. No help, no one to talk to. You're all by yourself to try to figure out this journey. And all he gives you is his word. That feels a lot like good luck.

But I'm sitting in a room with a whole bunch of people who believe the same things that I do. So I'm not alone. That's why we need each other. We're here to help each other. We're not alone in this walk. God didn't set us out to figure things out on our own all alone. This kind of fellowship is formed because we have a common truth. We have common love.

We have a common spirit of God. Colossians chapter 3 12-13. Let's read that because this is where it gets kind of hard. Colossians chapter 3 12 through13. This is my my Bible titles this section character of the new man. Colossians 3:12 says, "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, man, it's like a finger in your chest.

" He's not letting anybody off the hook. He says, "You put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering." Too many people don't understand what longsuffering is. Too many people think longsuffering means patience. It does not mean patience. It means suffer a long time with each other. Suffer is a key part of that word.

Suffer. You know what that means, right? Suffer means suffer. It means somebody might not be in a perfect place and may say something wrong and you don't hold it against them. You suffer with the foibless and the fallacies, the problems that people bring with them to church because it's just a part of their life and they're doing the best they can.

I don't know what's going on in the middle of somebody's life all the time, what they might be wrestling with. So, we suffer long time together. That's what longsuffering is. And that's a part of how we come together in our fellowship. We suffer together a long time with each other's foibless. Verse 13 says, "We bear with one another.

" I gave a whole message on what does it mean to bearing bear what does this bearing with one another mean? Well, it sometimes it means bearing up with one another. Bearing with each other's challenges, personality quirks, opinions you don't agree with, maybe that they're very willing to share regardless. It says, "Bearing with one another and forgiving one another." That's the key. That's the role. That's how we fellowship right there in a nutshell. That's how we do it.

That's how we do it for the long term. And that's how fellowship grows. Not because everyone gets along easily, but because we're growing in the character of Jesus Christ, we're applying Colossians 3:12 and 13 to that end for each other and with each other. 1 Thessalonians 5:11, it says, "Therefore, comfort each other and edify one another just as you also are doing.

" That's what's beautiful about that Paul understood that this is the nature of God's people, that we generally do this. So, this isn't a flogging about misbehavior. This is encouragement to keep doing what we naturally want to do. Support one another and love one another, care for one another, and help one another, and uplift one another. Edify one another just as you are doing.

Okay. Number three, we share the table. A healthy spiritual family shares the table together. Luke records it in Acts chapter 2:42 as in the breaking of bread. Now remember, he said they continued steadfastly in the breaking of bread. That expression breaking of bread refers to ordinary shared meals.

So it's not talking about an annual Thanksgiving dinner or Mother's Day dinner together or the night to be much observed as though that that's that's when we do that. That's when we break bread. This is talking about everyday meals. Bringing someone into your home, going to someone's home, sharing a meal together. Notice verse 46. Let's just drop down in Acts. Let's go back to Acts chapter 2. Let's drop down to verse 46.

Acts chapter 2 46. Continuing with what was going on in this early church. It says, "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, which is where they would gather together. They continued daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house.

They ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart. So it's not like some sort of a ritual. This was the practice of them to get together regularly to have a meal together. They opened their homes and they shared their tables. So they weren't only here at church service. They weren't only sitting in a synagogue to hear a sermon. Their lives had much more connection than that. But these are the times when we get to share conversation with one another.

Doesn't it? What happens when we have meals together? Have you noticed how much easier conversation is? It's where we can laugh together, tell stories together over a meal. The pulpit commentary says of this breaking bread. It says breaking bread from house to house denotes the practice of Christian hospitality.

But notice that it says here, it's joined with gladness and simplicity of heart, which indicates sincerity and mutual affection. Sincerity and mutual affection. And that's what you feel too when you have people into your home sharing a meal together. You're laughing, you're telling stories. Trust is naturally built in that environment. There's just something very powerful about eating together.

And that's true in nearly every culture that sharing a meal represents friendship and trust and inclusion. In fact, in biblical times, it was especially significant because to eat with someone then was to accept them. It was to honor them. It was to welcome them into your family, into your circle of friends. That's why notice Luke chapter uh 5 29-30.

Luke 5:es 29-30. It says here, "Then Levi, you will know him as Matthew who wrote the Gospel of Matthew. Then Levi gave him, that's Christ, a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.

and their scribes and the Pharisees complained against his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" That's all they saw were the sinners that Christ deliberately sat down and ate a meal with because of the implication of acceptance that that is and was for Christ. Jesus understood that meals are not just physical events. They're relational events.

Breaking bread was how relationships were formed then and it's how trust was built. But of course that's not really changed, has it? We do the same thing today when we invite someone into our home to have a relationship with them to grow that relationship. That's how people who were once strangers become part of a spiritual family.

So in our day, the principle still counts. We often think of the church or church life at least as happening in formal settings like services. But that's just one part of our church experience together, isn't it? Because fellowship goes beyond sitting here listening to a message. A healthy spiritual family also makes space for informal time together, for shared meals, for coffee time together, a place where we can have meaningful conversations that happen in everyday life.

And of course, Romans 12:13, I'm just going to refer to this for you. Romans 12:13 describing the brethren as distributing to the needs of the saints and given to hospitality characteristics that God wants to see in us. Given to hospitality, being hospitable with one another, inviting people into our homes.

This isn't look, can I let some people off the hook here? If you're a shutin, there's no expectation that you invite someone into your home when that's just not physically possible. If you live four and a half hours from here, thank you for coming, right? It's like you're going to have a whole bunch of people to your home after services. That's probably not practical. Even if you live just a couple of hours, that's very challenging.

So, there's there's reasons why you can't do it every day or every week even, but it's the goal. It's the thing that we want to do. And that's why one of the most beautiful things that this congregation does is after every Sabbath, we have snacks to eat together, to sit together, to talk together.

This doesn't mean that everyone needs to become extroverted or host every single week either because hosting is challenging, right? It's a lot of work. So, I'm not saying that you need to do this every single week. It does mean that we all have a role in creating a culture of warmth and welcoming, though. And I think we do that very well here. That shared table might happen in our home, but it might also happen right there. Hebrews 13.

Let's look at this real quick. Hebrews 13, just a reminder by the author of Hebrews about being hospitable with one another. Hebrews 13:es 1 and 2, it says, "Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels." I am not saying that any of you are angels.

I don't actually know. I suspect probably not. But it does say this is the attitude we should have in hospitality, not just with one another, but also to strangers. So, we get somebody who's new here. We welcome them in, don't we? We want to make them feel a part of the family. And we have some new families that have started attending with us.

So, we want to welcome them. They're a part of our spiritual family now, too. So they get to seat. They get a seat at the table with us. There is something sacred about making room for others, especially those who are new because they're unsure. They don't really have their footing yet. They're just getting to know people.

It might have been very hard for them to walk in the door. Yet, they're here. And what do we do? Well, I know this congregation. We run right up to them. We wrap our arms right around them, and then we drag them into the dining room. We try to shove some food in their face and make them feel welcome because that's what we do here.

We want them to feel welcome. All right. Number four, the last point. We share prayer. A healthy spiritual family shares prayer. This is the last point that was made in Acts chapter 2:42. They continued steadfastly in prayers plural. In prayer prayers plural. In fact, the phrase in prayers reflects the deliberate and ongoing nature of their communication with God. Not just private prayers, but communal prayer.

What was the blessing of children that we did today? It's a communal prayer. One person asking a blessing that all of us are listening and if we can o amening to that's communal. It's what we're doing together. sharing in the beauty of the blessing of two precious babies brought into the family of God. Notice that this was not new. Let's just go back.

This is something that's really interesting and profound to think about to me. Let's go back to um Acts chapter 1. This attitude of praying together, it existed before Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 1 verse1 14 says now this Christ had ascended now he's gone to sit at the right hand of the father so we get to for to uh verse 14 of acts chapter 1 and it says the rest these all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication this isn't just the men either it says with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers this is what the spiritual family that Christ had raised was doing when he

ascended. He said, "Now wait here until you're endued with power. The Holy Spirit's coming." So what did they do? They all ran off from here to do their own thing. No, they waited and they prayed together. Can you imagine that they spent three and a half years together being tutored by Jesus Christ, being schooled by the master? How close do you think over that period of time they would have gotten? I think pretty close. They were a spiritual family and they prayed together before they had the Holy Spirit

because that's what you do when you're a family. So prayer in its most basic form is literally just dependence on God expressed in the words that we use when we petition him. It acknowledges that we cannot carry the burdens of life alone. It invites God into our needs, our decisions, our struggles, and even our thanksgiving.

But when we pray together, something even more happens because we begin to carry somebody else's burdens, each other's burdens when we pray together. Not just emotionally, of course, we're talking spiritually. We become involved in each other's lives at the level that goes deeper than conversation. This is why we're having the fellowshipping.

This is why we're breaking bread. So that we can bond to the place where enough trust is built that you can finally say, "This is something that I need help praying about." And you can tell a brother or a sister in Christ, I need help here. Will you pray for me with this about this? Will you do that with me? That takes vulnerability that only comes with trust.

James chapter 5 and verse 16, he says, "Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed." This is what we're This is the intent of the fellowshipping, of the breaking of bread, of our shared calling, of that spirit that we all have in common together. This is the intent that we will pray for one another to help one another.

Get on our knees together. We're not alone in this journey. And at any given time, somebody's going to need help. They're going to need a hand up. They're going to need to get over something. They're going to need to have to plow through something. They're going to need help by go from God to do it. And they're going to need us to pray with them about that.

That's a spiritual act that binds the church together in humility and love. It's what we do for one another. With that thought permeating our minds, that ought to encourage us to care more, to think more, to consider more one another. How can I pray for you? What can I do for you? Maybe we'll now call one another more often and investigate as our relationship grows.

What can I be praying for you or with you about? That's the kind of prayer that's modeled throughout the New Testament. Paul often told congregations that he was praying for them and he asked them to pray for him. And you've heard me many times, please pray for the ministry. Please pray for me. I'm trying to do a good job for you. I worry that I fail.

Over in Colossians chapter 4, Colossians chapter 4:es 2 and three, Paul says, "Continue earnestly in prayer." Well, that's the same thing that they were doing already at the beginning of the church. He says, "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.

meanwhile praying also for us that God would open to us a door for the word to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am also in chains that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak. So he's saying not only are you praying for each other but pray for the ministry. Pray for us to be able to speak the truth to preach what's right.

So prayer then is a shared burden. Every member of the church can participate in it. Doesn't matter what our age is, what our background is, what our circumstances is. We can share each other's burdens through prayer. The only thing it really requires is love for each other.

Of course, shared prayer also guards us from becoming self-reliant. Think about that. It reminds us that we are dependent on God and interdependent with each other because we're a spiritual family. So when we pray for one another, we resist the tendency to isolate ourselves or to carry our burdens completely alone.

I have a spiritual family that if I need some help praying about something, I can lean into it and ask for the help that I need. Philippians chapter 4 6 and 7 where we're told be anxious for nothing. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just read something like that and then all of the anxiety just goes oh okay finally I'm relieved I no longer feel anxious.

Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

How many of us have prayed? I won't ask for a showing of hands, but how many of us have prayed and almost instantly felt relief? There's peace that comes through prayer, but that's magnified when we pray together. When you know somebody's praying for you, how does that make you feel? Makes me feel good. It makes me feel that I'm not alone. that somebody loves me enough to get on their knees for me. Notice what happened here. One example of the power of our collective prayer.

You remember that Herod got into a a mood. Acts chapter 12 is where I'm going. Acts chapter 12. and he arrests and kills James, the brother of John. This was a pretty emotional event for the church. We get here to verse 5 and we realize that Peter has now been arrested. Peter was therefore kept in prison.

You know why? Because Herod was so emboldened by the fact that he killed James and the people just loved what he did that he was ready to do the next to to do that to Peter. That's why Peter was kept in prison. he was going to be killed. And notice what it says here. But constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church and God released him.

Constant prayer by the church for Peter. God heard those prayers and acted on his behalf. I don't think we can take that as a small thing. It is what it is. The scripture says what it says. So this wasn't the church wishing and privately hoping. This was actively praying fervently for someone.

Putting your emotions into it all in pleading with God for somebody else. Ephesians chapter 6 verse 18. Ephesians 6:18. praying always. Ephesians 6:18, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. We need to be keeping each other in our minds to be considering one another every day and as often as we can praying for each other. All the saints, but not just each other here.

All of God's people, the people of God are the people of God. They're his children and they're a part of our spiritual family. We pray for them. Earnestly pray for them. We're not in a club where it's us against them, our church against that church. We're a spiritual family. And that goes beyond organization or institution. So we live in a world that pulls people apart. But God is building something that brings people together.

We call it the church, but it's a spiritual family where truth is shared, where lives are connected, where we're binding each other through prayer by helping and pursuing what God can do for each other. So, we're living beyond our own lives.

We're living for and with each other's spiritual lives because we're all part of that same family. The early church wasn't just a group of believers. It was a community. They made room in their lives for each other. They shared more than the truth. They shared purpose. They shared time. They shared trust. They ate together. They prayed together. They fellowshipped together.

And God used that to help them to grow strong. And of course, that same opportunity exists today. So, we might not all be in the same place at the same time every Sabbath, but we're all part of the same spiritual family. Every time we gather together, every time we pray together, every time we encourage each other, we're building this family bond that we have together. You matter.

Every single child of God, every first fruit, every person called, converted, every baptized person with the spirit of God matters. I think we need to remember that. We need to encourage each other about that. Continue to support one another, pray for one another, help one another, love one another.

We were not called to walk this road alone. God has given us each other for strength, for support, and for growth. Let's keep building this spiritual family together.