Epaggelia

Intro:

James, the physical brother of Jesus, calls Abraham a “Friend of God”, a description that seems rare in the Bible. We know from personal experience that we can choose our friends but not our family and it means a lot to us to have friends, they are very valuable for many reasons. Our family are invaluable for strength, love & friendship in trials, and God’s family is priceless, as we are eternal. Having friends in your family makes for the best kind of family we can imagine. In the Bible there are actually only a few people called ‘friends’ by God, Abraham^{Jas 2:23}   Lazarus^{Jn 11:3-11}  The Twelve Disciples^{Jn 15:15} Or at least it seems that way, until you read how Jesus addressed his disciples in a huge crowd, which would obviously have more than just the Twelve^{Lk 12:1-4}  This sentiment is true from John’s perspective, having many friends in Christ^{3Jn 1:14}  Notice the way Paul addresses the church in Rome “Greet Ampliatus my dear friend in the Lord”^{Rm 16:8} He felt that way about Onesimus too^{Phm 1:16}

Jesus himself had a disciple which he felt affectionately closer to than the other disciples^{Jn 13:23} There is obviously nothing wrong with feeling closer to some of our family members, than others, but there is something wrong when we feel nothing towards anyone that is a member of the Church^{2Pt 1:7-9} There is certainly sin within our relationship, if we feel hatred against anyone in the Church. This Series of discussions is an attempt to engender genuine affection and greater love for the Family of God in Christ. We will look at the following people in Scripture, to get God’s perspective on what He intends our relationships to be focused on:

JOHN THE IMMERSIONIST

MARK THE AUTHOR

LUKE THE DOCTOR

ZACHARIAS & ELIZABETH

JOSEPH & MARY

MARY, MARTHA & LAZARUS

MARY OF MAGDALA

JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA & NICODEMUS

AQUILA, PRISCILLA & APOLLOS

BARNABAS & SILAS

TIMOTHY & TITUS

A “Household” during the 1^st Century when Christ lived, was a term used for people that you were associated with on a daily basis. Whether or not you were close to them, is ambiguous, but nevertheless, they were part of your “household”. Your household was not just your biological kin, but anyone that you had personal contact with, such as maids or laborers and tutors. The “Household” of God in Christ is spiritual, eternal and real. Let’s grow, show and share the fruit of the Spirit in His household^{Eph 2:19}  Jesus had this concept taught and used in a practical way for us as Christians^{Mt 12:48-50}  In what ways do we treat each other as “family”?