We're Part of the Family

Articles

Larry Walker
02/16/16 - Unity

We’re Part of the Family… Really?

Mt. 5:21-26. You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. NKJV

Notice how much time the Bible spends on our relationships to our brothers and sisters in Christ? It is not that we don’t care about those outside of Christ – we are to love them, help them, teach them, and serve them. But all of this is a result of what we are IN CHRIST! We are Christ’s; we belong to HIM! First and foremost, we must take care of the relationships we have with brothers and sisters! Out of that grows our ability to teach and influence others. Remember Gal. 6, “as we have opportunity, do good to all men, especially those of the household of faith”. Or Jesus words in the judgment scene at the end of Mt. 25, “inasmuch as ye did it (or did not do it) to the least of these my brethren, ye did it (or did not do it) unto me”.

In Mt. 5 above, Jesus admonishes the Jews about their attitude of heart toward brethren. It is not enough to avoid murder. We must not harbor anger or allow ourselves to look down on a brother with contempt. We must not even allow ourselves to ignore a brother/sister who FEELS that we have wronged them! (Read that again slowly). The man/woman who senses a barrier, or separation, from a brother must go and be reconciled before offering their gift at the altar. There is nothing so joyful, so “releasing”, so cleansing as forgiveness and reconciliation. How precious is the communion, the sharing, the fellowship in worship and praise to God of reconciled brethren!

Mt. 18:10-15. Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother… NKJV

As Jesus is nearing his death, and laboring to prepare his disciples for what was coming, He was anxious that they look out for one another, and for all of his “little ones”, for those sheep of his who are struggling to find their way. “Take care,” He says, “that you do not despise them – don’t count them as nothing. I have come to save them. It is not God’s will that they perish. So don’t you do anything in your own selfishness and pride that may put a stumbling block in their way.” Even if one of these little ones sins against you, go to him and try to gain him back. Then you are working WITH the will of your Father and not AGAINST it.

In other words, when it comes to relationships among brethren, don’t waste time trying to fix blame. It doesn’t really matter who is at fault, or who OUGHT to take the first step. Work on the relationship! If we really see ourselves as a family – and we are part of the ONE TRUE FAMILY- then we will learn to fix our relationships with our brothers and sisters! Fix them now. Not next week or next month, but now! Jesus holds us to this!

Larry Walker

January 2011