My ‘other’ family

[The subtitle is Church, Part 2]

You go to the golf course to play golf, you go to the grocery store to purchase food, you go to a doctor to get well. What do all these ‘activities’ have in common? Yep. Purpose situations, and many more examples I could have chosen. Point: each had a specific goal, a logical context - a purpose. Soooo, why do you go to church? What’s the church’s purpose and goal… and what are yours? Why do You attend church, and specifically your church?

Part of 'purpose' is found in the word ‘your’. Do you feel planted in your church? Is your church your ‘other’ family? If not... what is church to and for you? What do you do for your church and what does your church do for you? There are aspects of attending church that most will point to such as fellowship, feeling a part of 'something', the opportunity to grow and learn spiritual 'matters', music, and... ??? Do you have a part, a role to share with this family? Quite honestly, if you don't view church as your 'other' family,, you are missing a great deal not least of which is the opportunity each week to be refreshed, reinvigorated, and 

renewed, to 'be' in our world in the upcoming week. 

Ready to Be in your world in the upcoming week is just one of the positives. But it is important. Sometimes we find ourselves in need of the 'other' family because the problem is beyond (blood) family. We all need support, understanding, correction and this can come from a member of the 'other' family. Are they always right... hardly, they're people too and make mistakes, but they do present another voice. Little question, is the reverse also true? Are you available to help someone else? Will you help them on their way and give the best advice you know how... (which is always supported by scripture)?

Let me ask a slightly different question...  Are you in agreement with what scripture says about who you are and who you are becoming? Do you really believe YOU have a gift? Do you act on this? Or do you say (and act?) the opposite of what the Bible says? Now let me ask this with a different spin. Someone has said: "Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future." (wish I had said it... no escaping the implication)  You aren't who you were and you aren't, yet, who you are becoming. And all this rests on you and your decisions about this.

No, not everyone can be trusted even in your own blood family and even with their best of intentions. No, not everyone can help. That's part of the reason that we're in 2 families. But do we treat one another as family? Do we have higher expectations (rarely stated) for the church family than our own? Why? The church family can be a tremendous help. That's the word - HELP, not do for you what you can do. Don't underestimate your church family (or your blood family) but don't over expect from either. Use the wisdom given to you by God. Speak clearly about your question or need. Accept humbly what can be offered. Show gratitude. But always, always... use common sense when it comes to expectations. And follow scripture when it tells us to test the spirits - 1 John 4: 1-4

  "Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through a self-proclaimed 

   prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because

   many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world." [v. 1]