BECOMING A PART OF THE FAMILY OF GOD.
Babies are born into families and you were Born again into the family of God. You were not meant to live life in the LORD isolated from other believers in Yeshua. Just as we would not leave a newborn baby alone, you as a newly Born again child of God need to learn more than this study can teach you. Yeshua was clear that we are to make disciples of new believers. That means learning the ways of the Kingdom and how to walk out this wonderful life in God. There is such a thing as spiritual impartation and anointing. Anointing means coming from God with His enabling power through His Spirit. When we hear an anointed message or teaching, or someone lays their hands on us to pray for us, there is transference of their spiritual DNA to your own spirit. Therefore, you want to be sure that godly people are in your life and praying for you and teaching you things of the LORD. You will grow in the LORD and avoid even years of struggling with some things in life by connecting with stable and godly people. They can help you navigate life’s challenges with the blessings and wisdom of the LORD. Yeshua put it this way: “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Life happens, as we know. However, you will be strengthened by being with other believers who know how to walk their lives out in peace with the LORD regardless of what is going on in life.
“ONE ANOTHERING”
We all need the fellowship and friendship of others to share the life of God with us. There is no friendship like friendships in the LORD. It’s like the LORD is right there with you as we’re there for one another. The LORD meant for us to encourage and help one another. There are 146 verses in the Bible referring to “one another,” 46 in the Tanach, and 100 in the New Testament. They say variously, “love one another, trust one another, help one another, pray for one another, speak truth to one another….” The list goes on and on. The point is, we are to be intimately involved in each other’s lives, to be there for one another, and to share in the life of the LORD together. In the LORD, we are all equal. There are no individuals or people groups that He loves or regards higher than any other. It’s the nature of God to love unconditionally. Therefore, we are to love the same way and we can when we let Him love through us. Just as “the Fall” brought sin and separation into the world, when Yeshua went to the cross, He cancelled the power of sin over us. This includes cancelling the separation that exists between us and God bringing us back to oneness, into union again. But we must make the choice.
UNITY IN DIVERSITY
Oneness does not mean we are to be the same. God made us with a great harmonious diversity all of which in some way reflects Him in His vastness. We are in harmony with each other when we are in harmony with the Spirit of God. He wants unity, unity is not uniformity. We are often threatened by people who are not like us be it how we think or what we look like. The world erects walls and barriers between people. Don’t we have prejudices and divisions based on race, gender, social status, religion, economics, education, physical appearances and beliefs? But for those who are the Lord’s, there is no justifiable reason for separation, except sin. He loves us all equally and we all have equal access to His presence. He made us all one in Him. That means we don’t entertain evil thoughts toward one another; we forgive where needed. We don’t participate in gossip about one another. If we see someone not living as we think they should, pray for them. Yeshua died for them and He forgave them. Don’t hold anything against them because He doesn’t. If He could forgive after what men did to Him, especially considering Who He is, then so can we. The Holy Spirit is there to help you forgive. Ask Him to help you. Believers in Yeshua will all spend eternity together in a love and full acceptance that will come from knowing each other entirely, for nothing will be hidden. Keep in mind that you will take not just your soul into heaven when you die physically, but the one other thing that you can take into heaven with you is the relationships you build in the LORD. Our friendships in God are eternal and that’s something to cherish and protect.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
1. Read Genesis 12:3 and 28:14 and Psalm 22:27. How important do families seem to God? In the last chapter, we read about how the community of Believers became like a giant family. Read Mark 3:34-35 and Matthew 12:48-50. Who does Yeshua consider His family? Would you be included?
2. Read 1 John 1:7. What is this saying about “light”? How does walking in light affect our relationships? Read John 13:34; 15:12-13. In what way has He loved His disciples? What does that mean to you in practical terms? Read 1 John 3:16. How can this verse be applied to your life? Read John 13:25. What is the effect of our love for one another? Does it extend beyond our personal one-on-one interactions? How might others observe our love for one-another?
3. Please look up the following verses and list or discuss how you see each one as important in relationship with God and our fellowship with one another? a. 1 John 4:17, 11-12 b. 1 John 3:23 c. Romans 12:10 d. Romans 13:8,14 e. Romans 14:19; 15:7,14 f. 1 Corinthians 16:20; 11:33 g. 1 Corinthians 12:25; Galatians 15:14-16 h. Galatians 5:26; Ephesians 4:32 i. Ephesians 4:22, 25
