Relationships in the Christian Family (Church)

We can see that the Christian community is just like a large family. Indeed, family relationships in their ideal form are the true defining basis for all that occurs in the Christian life!! We cannot escape the human family as a model for living life!

When it comes to the Family of God, we may note the following simple truths:

Who is God?
God is our Father, creator, redeemer, saviour, shepherd, teacher, comforter, refuge, deliverer, provider, match-maker, and more! We can totally trust Him to provide for all of our needs. We know the one and only God as a tri-unity: God, Word of God, Spirit of God. When the Word of God became flesh (as Jesus Christ of Nazareth), God became known as the "Father of our Lord Jesus Christ", with Jesus therefore being known as "the Son of God".

The following Venn diagram seeks to illustrate how God can be Trinity and yet One:

Key:

Spirit of GOD

GOD

Word of GOD

This diagram helps us to understand God as a Trinity. What it shows is that God is one.  But God is greater than His Word; the Word is a subset of all that God is.  But His Word represents Him totally.  And the Spirit of God cannot be separated from all that God and His Word are.

Using an analogy from our own human existence, allow me to restate the diagram narratively: When you are listening to a person speak, you are listening to their words, and yet their words represent them totally. Of course, the person is much greater than their words, and yet they are indivisible. Their ability to speak has also always been present from birth - there was never a time when it was not there. Furthermore, if we listen to a tape recording of the person speaking, the words carry the same effect. Same, too, if we read his/her book. This being said, it makes absolute sense to say that in some greater sense, Jesus Christ of Nazareth is God's Word come to us not in the form of a tape recording but in the form of a person. Furthermore, when we consider that God addresses humans, who are made in His image, as tri-partite beings (being called upon to love Him with all our heart, soul, and strength [spirit-soul-body]), it comes as little surprise that God Himself is none less than a Trinity.

Who are we as Christians?
We who have the Holy Spirit are part of God's 'family'; this means all others filled with the Holy Spirit are our 'brothers, sisters'. We are all intimately connected. We are also co-heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord & master, who is not ashamed to call us brothers, & who is always with us!

What do we do together?
As a Family, God wants us to spend time together with Him & each other, praying, listening, talking, contributing, celebrating, relaxing, playing, being creative, sharing our resources, reading & studying the Bible. Let us thus privately & corporately truly praise, worship, adore, & give God thanks from the depths of our being, remember & proclaim Christ's sacrifice in the Lord's Supper, & meet together regularly to encourage each other.

The fact that we are part of a human family, and need a family for our own shelter, security, growth, existence even, are the prime motivators for "being church" or getting together, over meals (as normally families do) etc ..... And note, it is fathers and mothers who usually get the family to do things, come together, etc. The church needs these too! (Senior Pastor and wife, etc), until ultimately the kids want to come and see their parents, siblings, etc. This is the aim!!