GOD’S CHURCH WAS GOD’S IDEA. 

• At Real Life Ministries, we are always aspiring to be true to God’s original design 2,000 years ago!

• • ONE FAITH: believing the right things
  • ONE FAMILY: belonging
  • ONE BODY: functioning within God’s design

GOD DECIDED TO ADOPT YOU.

Ephesians 1:3-6 3All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5God decided in advance to ADOPT us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

• God chose you.
• God adopted you into His family.
• God wanted you.

YOU ARE MEMBERS OF GOD’S FAMILY.

Ephesians 2:18-22 18Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. 19So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s FAMILY. 20Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

• You can come to the Father through the Spirit by the works of Jesus.
• You are no longer a stranger nor an outsider.
• You are a member of God’s family with all of God’s people.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A PART OF GOD’S FAMILY? IT MEANS YOU ARE EXPECTED TO ACCEPT…

1. The fact that you are ____________________ .

• You are as much a part of the family as any family member
• Receive grace

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A PART OF GOD’S FAMILY? IT MEANS YOU ARE EXPECTED TO ACCEPT…

2. ____________________ are in, too.

• They are just as much a part of the family as you.
• Can you love Jesus and not His Bride?(the good, the bad, the ugly)
• Get along with other siblings—loving each other.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A PART OF GOD’S FAMILY? IT MEANS YOU ARE EXPECTED TO ACCEPT…

3. The family ____________________ .

• You care about accurate doctrine, great! How about the right heart? We’re to be both __________ & ________
• Big “C” 1st, little “c”_______________
• ____________________ Relationship – To have friends you have to be a ____________________
• Do your ____________________ (next week)

APPLYING GOD’S WORD TO OUR LIVES:

KNOW IT: Know what it means to belong—for both you and others.

FEEL IT: If something is missing in your church-life, let that motivate you to do something about it.

DO IT:

– Be honest

– Be kind

– Be true to your little “c”

– Be a real friend

– Do your chores

KEEP IN VIEW:

• Family is really good when it works well.
• Family is a lot of work to do well.
• Family can really hurt, but God calls us to it, so He will see us through it.

QUESTIONS TO REFLECT AND DISCUSS:

Passages to consider: Ephesians 2:11-21; 1 John 3

1. What from the sermon caught your attention?

2. Read 1 John 3 a couple of times, slowly. What does this passage say about Jesus, love, family, and unity?

3. What stands out from what you observed in the passage?

4. How is that similar or different from your current understanding of seeing other believers as family?

5. Share how you have experienced fellow believers as family.

6. How can you be a part of making the church a family?