BONDED IN BLOOD

BONDED NIGEL WINDER | SUNZ Children and Families Team Leader BY NIGEL WINDER Children's and Families Ministry Leader, SUNZ

Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian. —Ephesians 2:19 (Living Bible)

Why would God describe His church and people as family? Isn’t family a place where siblings fight and quarrel, chores get nagged about, and rooms are left untidy? Isn’t it where we let our daytime persona relax and we take out our frustrations and moods on those we are closest to? Isn’t it where some of our deepest hurts are inflicted — and by those whom we expect most of? Well, I guess that could describe our experiences of church too.

Family can also be a safe place to come home to. A place where lifetime bonds are formed, character is tested and refined, and unconditional love is experienced. A place

where fair discipline reinforces that choices have consequences and an unyielding loyalty develops between those living together in close proximity and sharing common experiences. This too can also be our experience of church.

‘Blood is thicker than water’ According to ‘Dr Google’, this proverb refers to the bloodshed in battle bonding soldiers more strongly than simple genetics or family.

As the family of God we, too, are bonded together not by genetics but by blood—the blood of Jesus. We enter into a new spiritual family forged in an epic spiritual battle for our souls. The unity of God’s Spirit binds us together, as we enter into an eternal relationship with our common Spiritual Father. We are all, equally, sinners saved by faith in Jesus. This should out-trump our quibbles, quarrels and petty differences. We should expect the

bonds of unity in the family of God to be even ‘thicker’ than in our earthly families. The bond we have by being in the family of God can transform our earthly family connections and relationships.

We need to belong It is fascinating to watch the TV series ‘Missing Persons’. Adults go in search of parents or siblings whom they have never met or have lost contact with because of some event that caused separation and breaking of family bonds earlier in their lives. They all have been living with a nagging sense of loss and incompleteness from not knowing their true family.

We all have this basic God-given need to belong and God has designed His church (the family of God) and the human family unit to fulfil that need on a spiritual and physical level.

WHEN OUR SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL FAMILIES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER, IT CAN CREATE THE MOST POWERFUL FORM OF CONNECTION AND STRENGTH OF BOND. "

When our spiritual and physical families are woven together, it can create the most powerful form of connection and strength of bond—and the full sense of belonging that this world so desperately desires.

The building block of society I firmly believe that family is the building block of society, a place to belong, be nurtured, grow and mature. So it is no coincidence that God would refer to His church as family. The church is made up of families and individuals who are being built together into an intergenerational spiritual family joined together by their common faith in Jesus.

Being in the family of God promises great eternal blessings and inheritance, but it also brings responsibilities—to be image-bearers of our adopted Father, unconditionally loving others—and expectations— to pull our weight in serving and unselfishly inviting others into our family. All through the week! We are spiritual family members all of our hours at home as well as during the smaller number of hours we are gathered as a church community. It is only natural then, that the church would support and encourage its members in the faith formation that happens at home. Healthy, Spirit-filled churches resource and encourage families to do faith well at home and healthy, faithfocused families make for healthy Spirit-filled churches. This is a win-win, mutual benefit scenario that strengthens the building blocks of society.

A model to follow What a model to aspire to: the church, as the family of God, with spiritually adopted children loving their Heavenly father and their siblings, obeying Him and doing their part in serving in the family; a place to call home that offers inclusivity, love, acceptance and discipline; a support and partner in faith formation for other (human) families in their own contexts and home life.

When the bonds of faith are woven together between church and home, each is strengthened by the other. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. —Ephesians 1:5

FAMILY IS THE BUILDING BLOCK OF SOCIETY, A PLACE TO BELONG, BE NURTURED, GROW AND MATURE. "

AUCKLAND SAT06 JUNE 2020 WELLINGTON SAT20 JUNE 2020 DUNEDIN SAT 23 MAY 2020

SUNZ is part of the Scripture Union International family