Lesson 1 We Are A Family

(Matthew 12:46, Hebrews 2:9-11, 2 Corinthians 6:17-18)

Copr. 1999, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. All scripture references are to the New International Version (NIV), copr. 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society, unless otherwise noted. Quotations from the NIV are used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. The lesson assumes the teacher uses a blackboard or some other visual aid. This lesson can be found at: <url:http://www.CameronLaw.com>

Introduction: This is the first week of a new quarter of studies that look at the "message" and the "mission" of the church today. We hear a lot of positive things these days from Dr. James Dobson and others about how to improve family life. This week our lesson looks at how to improve the "family life" of our local church. Let's see what we can learn!

  1. WHY CHURCH?


    1. If you like to attend church, let's list on the blackboard your reasons why? (Generally, "see friends" or some other social reason is on this list.)


    2. Aren't you coming to church to worship God? If so, isn't it wrong to be motivated to come to church to see other people?


    3. Let's look at Matthew 12:46-50. If your child announced that his or her friends were now the child's only "family," how would you react? What if your father or mother announced that co-workers were now their only "family," how would you react?


      1. Is Jesus being a little hard on His real family?


        1. If you say, "yes," tell me why?


        2. If you say, "no," tell me why?


      2. How did we become brothers and sisters to Jesus? (Read Hebrews 2:9-11. Jesus became our brother by His life, suffering and death on our behalf. He made us holy, and therefore He is our brother!)


      3. What, at bottom, do you think is going on in the Matthew story where Jesus seems to be hard on his "real" family? (This is a matter of priorities. Jesus is currently speaking to a crowd. Because some observers thought that His "real" family should have the first priority on His time and attention, and thus be able to interrupt His meeting, they told Him the family was waiting. But Jesus is teaching us that we -- His spiritual brothers and sisters really are His first priority.)


      4. Is this a lesson for us? Or does this apply only to Jesus? (I'm not sure it applies in the same way. First, this shows that Jesus considers us - fellow believers - in a very special way. We are His family. Second, He is teaching us that fellow church members should also be considered in a very special way - as family. Whether we should give our blood family and our church family equal opportunity for our time is something I am not certain follows from this story. Compare in this context Matthew 10:37 with Matthew 15:3-6.)


      5. Since Jesus teaches us that fellow believers are now our brothers and sisters, how important is the "social" aspect of church attendance?


        1. What can we do to promote this aspect of the Sabbath without crowding out the worship aspect of Sabbath?


  2. THE SPECIAL BOND WITHIN THE CHURCH FAMILY


    1. If our church members are family, how should we treat them compared to co-workers, neighbors and the world in general? Read 2 Corinthians 6:14-15, 17-18. (This text says, at a minimum, that a certain relationship should exist between Christians that does not exist between Christians and nonbelievers.)


      1. Who is closer in your life, co-workers or fellow church members?


        1. How critical is regular church attendance to the outcome of this question?


    2. How do you treat your blood brothers and sisters? Is that the standard for treating fellow church members? Let's read John 13:33-35.


      1. What standard does this provide? (To love each other.)


      1. How do you think we compare to this standard?


        1. Notice that this standard has an objective measure: if you meet the standard, the world will notice. Does your church pass that objective test? (Keep in mind as you answer that this is an "inreach" not an "outreach." Here Jesus refers to His disciples loving each other, not loving the world in general.)


        2. If we do not come up to this standard, will the world be confused?


        3. Is this a standard that crosses racial, sexual and national lines?


        4. Another "standard" in this text is that we should love our fellow church members as Jesus loved us. Describe that kind of love?


        5. Do you agree with this statement from the lesson: "A profession of Christ without this deep love, is mere talk, dry formality, and heavy drudgery."


          1. If you agree, tell me why?


        6. The homeless are the darling social issue of the media today. What might your church do to help fellow members that might catch the imagination of the media?


    1. Read Psalms 68:4-6. Do you feel lonely today? What does the Psalmist mean when he says, "God sets the lonely in families?"


      1. Is your church a family into which God has set lonely people?


      2. What have you done to identify the lonely and lift this burden from them?


        1. Can you think of a person in the church who you know is lonely?


      3. As you look at what the Psalmist has written, do you understand the Psalmist to say that God will "fix" the problem of the lonely? Or are you a co-laborer with God on this project? (In Matthew 28:20 Jesus promises His disciples to be with them always. The lonely can take great comfort in this. However, I think we are co-laborers because we are the "family" into which God sets the lonely.)


  1. THE FAMILY AND THE WORLD


    1. Read Genesis 12:1-3. This promise was given to Abraham. Do you think it also applies to the church today?


      1. What did God mean when He said (v.3) "all nations on earth will be blessed through you?" (This refers to the Messiah coming through his descendants.)


      2. How would you apply that promise to the church today? (We bring the good news of the Messiah to the world.)


      3. We say that we have to be converted before we can convert others. Do the words of God to Abraham create a Biblical model for changing the world: ie, we first get "the family" of the church set right and then that family is an example to the world?


      4. What obligation does this text in Genesis suggest that the church family has towards the world?


        1. Do we have a leadership obligation?


        2. An obligation to be good examples?


        3. An obligation to show what happens to a people that God blesses?


        4. If our church is not blessed, should we be asking why?


        5. If we (the church and individual members) are not leaders or examples in the community, should we be asking why?


    2. Friend, God invites us into His family of believers. Joining the family is not only a tremendous opportunity, it is also an obligation. We should not neglect regular worship with our family. We should be alert to help family members with a problem. If we show this kind of love to our family, the world will take notice!


  2. NEXT WEEK: New Persons in Christ