The Local Church Is Your Family

Happy New Year! Figured I would start this morning talking about Twitter. It’s my favorite social media platform.

Well, I sometimes take mental notes about what’s trending on the platform. I was on Twitter a few months ago and I saw a lot of Christians complaining about their churches.

People were complaining about masks, and mandates, and vaccines, and whether their church was open or not open, and whether their church spoke out about race enough or too much in the wake of the George Floyd killing. I haven’t heard these complaints here at Cities Church, so I’m thankful for that.

Important to note why people complain. Often because they have a wrong view of church or wrong expectations.

The church was not established to meet your needs, on your terms. The church is not a social club. It’s not a political party. And it’s not merely a Sunday morning gathering.. although Sunday mornings are important.

The church is a family.

If I got to Thanksgivig dinner with my biological family, and my uncle says something I don’t like, like something disparaging about a politician I voted for, I don’t start thinking about leaving the family; and I don’t question his legitimacy or his right to be a part of the family.

If a family member is being obnoxious in someway or harming the family reputation, I don’t bounce… I don’t bail on the family, instead what I’d do is confront him, rebuke him or coach him or encourage him. I’d help him.

Also, I schedule my life around family gatherings. There are other things I might want to be a part of... but I say “no” to them... because attending a gathering with my family is more important. Tis should be even MORE so with my church family.

Families have expectations.

Families take commitment.

Families are sometimes hard to navigate.

I pray that Cities Church would be the type of church committed to one another. My wife and I pray for our church every evening, for this specific thing.

Today, we’re starting a new sermon series from opening chapters of Revelation… the seven letters to the seven churches in Asia.

As we examine these letters, we learn that it matters to Jesus a great deal what happens in the local church. He takes an interest; he leans in; and he watches and tracks and keeps up with what’s going on, and he has thoughts about local churches. He cares. He is committed to the local church.

And, we also see that Jesus has clear expectations of the church. We ought to be committed to the church, and we ought to be committed to meeting those expectations.

If we are going to meet those expectations... if we’re going to represent the gospel well… we need to be committed to one another… TRULY COMMITTED!

We must orient our schedules around our church family... we must be willing to say “no” to being a part of other things because time with our church family is a high priority.

We must be willing to challenge one another and to coach one another, to rebuke one another.

We must be committed to praying for one another daily.

If there’s a particular thing that you think we as a church are not doing well, instead being frustrated or gossiping... please... pray!

Pray for our church..... that we would live up to the expectations that Jesus has set for his church.

As you make your new years resolutions… be sure to include the ways in which you intend to be more committed to our church family in 2021.

My exhortation to you this morning: Be committed to our church!

Pray with me…

Father in heaven, thank you for the church. Thank you for this family you have established... and thank you that we get to be a part of it. Forgive us for the moments when we have neglected the church. God, please forgive us for the moments where we’ve gossiped or been cynical instead of being prayerful... and Lord, help us in those moments, when we are tempted to be cynical or to gossip or to be judgmental, give us the grace in those moments that we need to respond appropriately and to be people of prayer.

And Lord, give us the boldness we need to rebuke the members of our church family that need to be rebuked. I know that’s hard, and can be awkward... but please Give us the courage and wisdom that we need to rebuke one another and to admonish one another.

Jesus, thank you for loving us and for redeeming us. You’ve rescued us and adopted us in this family. Thank you! Would you please strengthen us. Please continue to sanctify us and unify us, so that we can represent you well in these Twin Cities.

And now, we pause in this service to acknowledge our own sins. We take this moment of silence to confess our individual sins to you now.