I have happy memories of my childhood and I am very grateful for the family life my mum and dad created in our household. They loved each other and they loved their children. They didn’t have a lot of money, but the things they did have - love, comfort and encouragement - were given to us freely, We were a family, not a perfect family, but a family. Sadly, not all families experience the quality of life I had as a child. Some families , then and now, are dysfunctional.
The bible uses the image of a family to describe the relationship of church members as brothers and sisters in the family of God. So we ask, what kind of family do we want to be at Greyfriars? I think the answer to that is obvious. At heart we want to be a spiritually healthy church family, a place of belonging and growth, where we are supportive, loving and encouraging towards each other. We desire to be a church thriving in mission and united in worship. I wonder if it would be fair to say that at Greyfriars we are spiritually healthy, but perhaps not at peak fitness; that we have evident strengths, but also areas with room for improvement. The Redemptive Family course is going to help us to work on being a spiritually healthy family that works together to help others come into the family of God.
On the day of Pentecost, the birth of the church, Jesus’ disciples were not on retreat at a remote location, rather they were in a bustling city, in the thick of life. Pentecost was not some ‘spiritual’ reality divorced from everyday life; rather, everyday life became ordered around Kingdom-growing. The early church described in Acts 2.42-49 gives a picture of people who were united in worship, sharing food and time together, living as an extended family. Just as the early church needed God’s Spirit to inspire and empower them, so too we need the Holy Spirit if we are to thrive as a family of faith. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. (Romans 8:14)
Outreach and evangelism are in the DNA of God’s family. God’s family reaches out, invites in and includes people in our spiritual family life. Jesus commanded his followers to … go making disciples of all nations. We see the people of the early church made “being family”, joining the family business and setting out to bring as many people into that family as they could. The Redemptive Family resource states, They pulled in people from the temple and marketplace and took them home and fed them and let their joy and passion and zeal and the power of the Holy Spirit leak all over them! Outreach was through inclusion. They pulled up another seat at the table and just did what the family of God does together. And people got saved.
We help invite people into this family by
1) being consistent in how we live and being consistent in how we engage with them as we demonstrate God’s love;
2) helping them meet and connect with other Christians;
3) being clear about the transforming power of the gospel.
I invite you to take part in the Redemptive family course we embark on today.
For reflection:
How brightly is the flame of the Spirit burning in your life?
What does it mean to you that the people you gather with each week to worship God, are your sisters and brothers?
How do you help the stranger, the visitor, the guest among us feel at home, one of the family, one of us?
Rev John Malcolm
(You can find out more about our Redemptive Family course here)
On the day of Pentecost, the birth of the church, Jesus’ disciples were not on retreat at a remote location, rather they were in a bustling city, in the thick of life. Pentecost was not some ‘spiritual’ reality divorced from everyday life; rather, everyday life became ordered around Kingdom-growing. The early church described in Acts 2.42-49 gives a picture of people who were united in worship, sharing food and time together, living as an extended family. Just as the early church needed God’s Spirit to inspire and empower them, so too we need the Holy Spirit if we are to thrive as a family of faith. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. (Romans 8:14)
Outreach and evangelism are in the DNA of God’s family. God’s family reaches out, invites in and includes people in our spiritual family life. Jesus commanded his followers to … go making disciples of all nations. We see the people of the early church made “being family”, joining the family business and setting out to bring as many people into that family as they could. The Redemptive Family resource states, They pulled in people from the temple and marketplace and took them home and fed them and let their joy and passion and zeal and the power of the Holy Spirit leak all over them! Outreach was through inclusion. They pulled up another seat at the table and just did what the family of God does together. And people got saved.
We help invite people into this family by
1) being consistent in how we live and being consistent in how we engage with them as we demonstrate God’s love;
2) helping them meet and connect with other Christians;
3) being clear about the transforming power of the gospel.
I invite you to take part in the Redemptive family course we embark on today.
- Read the daily devotions
- Fill in the surveys
- Join a growth group
- Come on Sundays
For reflection:
How brightly is the flame of the Spirit burning in your life?
What does it mean to you that the people you gather with each week to worship God, are your sisters and brothers?
How do you help the stranger, the visitor, the guest among us feel at home, one of the family, one of us?
Rev John Malcolm
(You can find out more about our Redemptive Family course here)