To Encourage You

Matthew 12:46-50 “While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.But he replied to the man who told him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’”

I heard a wonderful sermon some time ago on an account from Philippians 2 in which Paul is talking about his Christian friend Epaphroditus.  Writing from a Roman prison, Paul commends this friend that had come to him with a gift of support from the church in Philippi. It had been a trip of about 1,000 miles – not a small feat in those days. Paul calls Epaphroditus his “brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier.”  In his sermon, the pastor emphasized how kingdom friendships are so wonderful and how they are different than common friendships in this world. For one, they are eternal friendships.  They are also very deep friendships in that believers are not only friends; they are also brothers and sisters in the Lord.  He mentioned how secular friendships are often formed on the basis of common interests.  We meet people who enjoy the same hobbies we do, went to the same school, or who have ties to the same town. Friendships then grow from that point of reference. However, from the moment a person puts their faith in Christ, they are in the same family of God with all other believers world-wide.  We are brothers and sisters first, and often only become friends later. It’s a relationship that transcends every racial, social, political, economic or any other barrier that separates people in this world, for as Christians, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).  And although common interests are possible between us, it isn’t common interests that are the foremost things that bind us. Rather, it is a common purpose, that of serving our Lord and Savior, that unites us.  It’s a unity and a love that will cause a person like Epaphroditus to travel 1,000 miles to meet the needs of his friend. It’s a unity and love that will move us to pray for one another, encourage one another, help one another, and build one another up as we serve with one another and draw near to our God.

Which brings us to the verses above from Matthew 12.  These verses from the lips of Jesus tell us that not only are Christians in a common spiritual family with one another, but all Christians are the spiritual brothers and sisters of the Lord.  This should give us pause when we relate to one another. It means that my wife is not just my spouse. She is also the Lord’s daughter, and I had better treat her as such. It means that as I do to the very least of the Lord’s brothers, I’ve done to Him as well (Matthew 25:40).  It means that not only are these brothers and sisters my friends, but they are the very friends of God.

Something to think about as we relate to one another in the body of Christ, this wonderful eternal family of God.  https://www.youtube.com/watch/zUn5H6N2xa4