Do you know God has no grandchildren?

The word church refers to the family of God. And in that family every human is a child. Not everyone human on earth is a member of God’s family but everyone on earth is a potential member!

Jesus told a story in Luke 15 that shows to us that everyone on earth is either a child in the family of God or a child that that is lost due to rebellion.

You are a child of God. You have access to God as your father. Let’s rejoice in this truth and give our all to prayerfully call all the lost children home!

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” John‬ ‭1:12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This is a good time to remember that no spiritual leader can ever become father to a church. We have one Heavenly Father.

However, there are situations where we see a person become a father figure to a child of God. They take responsibility for the total well being of the child of God and mentor them spiritually. In this case we can call that person a spiritual father of that individual, like the relationship of Paul and Timothy!

This is true especially when the leader was involved in the salvation process of the newer believer.

“I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭4:14-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Paul here is encouraging the Corinthian church to understand that he loves them like a father. That they should live fully for God like he does!

You are a child of God! Live fully for Him!

Churches are people not buildings 😁!

We need to update our dictionaries. The only way we can achieve that is for all of us to stop referring to buildings as churches!

“As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭16:4-5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Buildings don’t get encouraged!

Let’s stop saying we went to church! Let’s just stop and let’s correct ourselves when we forget. Let’s even try to explain to people around us who are not yet disciples of Jesus that churches are people not buildings!

Maybe in a few years we can change our dictionaries!