Purpose: Lesson 2 - Fellowship

We talked about the challenge of everyday beginning your day by praying to God that you would learn to know God more and love him better. So much good stuff from last week. This week is a dress rehearsal for what heaven will be like. God loves you! You make God happy! Today, let’s look at another aspect of what God had in mind for us when he created us.

God formed you for his family.

The universe exists because God wanted a family. He wanted to show his love to something.

God created the perfect environment for us. 1 degree off our axis one way or another and we’re dead

God thought YOU up before he thought up the universe.

Ephesians 1:5 NLT

God 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.

God never meant for you to go through life alone, you were meant for HIS family.

Your spiritual family will outlast your physical family. No physical family lasts forever, but your spiritual family will.

When you were born, you automatically became a member of the human race.

You didn’t become a member of a family until someone decided to take you home.

Being part of God’s family is a choice, it’s not automatic.

Not everyone is a “child” of God. He loves everyone, created everyone, but he’s not going to force anyone to be part of his family. God will not force you to be adopted.

So what is God’s family and how can be get adopted?

1 Timothy 3:15 NIV

if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

The church is God’s family!

The church is not a club, business, organization, youth activity club, etc. It is a FAMILY.

If you are a Christian, we are brothers and sisters.

God doesn’t want you to just know and love him, but he wants you to belong to his family. Not just believe in him, but belong among his family.

A Christian without a church family is an orphan.

The church is a person’s support. A building without support collapses.

All around our world that’s what we see. People without the church, God’s family, God’s support system collapse.

You cannot fulfill the purpose God made you for by yourself. You need support. Others need you!

Some of you don’t have a church home. You are welcome here, you don’t go to church on Sunday, your parents don’t go anywhere, you visit a few places when your friends invite you. YOU are WELCOME HERE.

Some of you have a church home in a few different church congregations. Let me talk to you for a second. You come here on Wednesdays, but maybe go to a different church on Sundays.

I was like you. I was caught in two worlds week after week for a few years as a teenager. Then I realized something important about the church.

Church is not about US. It’s not about what you can get, but what you can give.

I realized I couldn’t fully be involved, serve with both. I was only halfway serving either. Imagine being on two teams at the same-time. Just doesn’t work. I think it’s far better to be “all-in” at one church than to only be partially involved in several. Again, I’m not talking just about what events you attend, but I’m talking about the relationships you build with others, the ways you look/look after the brothers/sisters at a congregation. So I encourage you, try to go all-in at one church. Even if it’s not this church. However, I think this church is great for you and your whole family. I know I’m biased, but if you feel welcomed here, talk to your parents about what we’re talking about and see if ya’ll can join us on a Sunday morning.

You cannot fulfill the purpose God made you for by yourself. You need support. Others need you!

1 Peter 2:17 The Message

Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.

Life is practice for Eternity. Heaven will be a church family reunion. God wants us to learn how to be committed to each other now so that we’re not a dufus when we get to heaven.

The second purpose of life is to learn to love one another.

The place you learn to love others is in the church. It is a safe place. It is a laboratory for learning to love.

Think about it: You don’t learn to love anywhere else. You don’t learn to love at: school, in sports, at work, etc.

The church is so important because it gives us training grounds to learn to love one another. While it’s easier to love people at church, it’s still sometimes difficult. People everywhere will let you down.

God wants us to love real people, not ideal people.

Learn to love others!

Romans 12:5 NLT

so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.