"BEING A FAMILY"

"How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." (Psalm 133:1).

I love my family. The Carter's are close. If you jump on one of us, you will have the whole clan to fight. That is the way it has always been with us. We are also careful to keep the family name pure and clean...above reproach.

The Church is my spiritual family. I need to feel secure in knowing that I can go to any of my brothers for advice or help in any matter, and he will help me. Sometimes, I just need some encouragement. Sometimes, I just need someone to listen. If I have sin in my life, I would expect my brother to approach me in real concern and love in pointing out my sin (Galatians 6:1). I would have confidence in knowing that he would not go around spreading what I had told him in confidence. He would be there to help me...as I would be there to help him...that is being family.

In New Testament times, we read of the church being "Of one heart and one soul: neither said any of them that what they had was their own; but they had all things common." (Acts 4:32). The brethren shared; they were family. "Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as had lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need." (Acts 4:34,35). Now, isn't that something amazing? There was no command given that they should sell their lands or houses--but, they had become family...so, "when one rejoiced they all rejoiced, when one wept they all wept." (Romans 12:15).

Somewhere in our desire to continue to grow for Christ, we have forgotten the individual. It is wonderful to see large churches of Christ with memberships of 2,000 to 5,000 members, but only if we can maintain that closeness that characterized the early church.

The church at Jerusalem started off with a membership of over 2,000! Soon, we read of the number coming to be over 5,000 men! That's not even counting the women and children! Yet, the Bible makes it clear that they were family. They were one! Christ said: "A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you. BY THIS shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another." (John 13:34,35). Those people loved each other. Did they have problems...O, yes, but they worked them out together. They learned what it meant to be in unity as a family.

Today, perhaps as much as any time in history, the church needs to be the church in the full sense of the word. The church is not a building. It is not some material structure made of wood or stone. The church is the people. Each person being what God intended us to be. Some cry out: "I don't any thing out of the church!" That could have many answers but one hits home to me. Just what are people talking about when they talk about the church? Are they talking about a club or some type of social gathering where people just get together to see how much they can get from everyone else? Why don't we quit thinking about what we get out of the church and start thinking about what we can do to help others and to glorify God in Christ? I am afraid that people have started looking for entertainment, rather than soul need. We are concerned about wanting, rather than helping.

Brothers and sisters when we start fulfilling the royal law and really loving and caring for one another as Christ did for us, then we will have that beautiful unity spoken of in Psalm 133, and we will become the family God wants us to be.

- Dan Carter