Strong Families Build Strong Churches

Strong Families Build Strong Churches

1 Peter 2:9-10

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

How important is your family to you? I think in general, a lot of us would say our families are significant to us. Families are one of God’s greatest gifts in our lives. I am blessed to be part of a family where I felt cared for, nourished, and loved. I am also blessed to be part of a household wherein we were given a chance to pursue God and serve others. To be honest, throughout the global crisis, I think it made our family closer as we got to stay home longer and talk about life together. If you were not aware, my grandma just passed due to the COVID-19 virus. I love my grandma, as she was so instrumental in my life. By God’s grace, we were able to have a funeral service on Zoom with family and friends worldwide. During the service, we were able to share stories about how her life impacted so many people. I felt so blessed to have a grandma like her. She helped build a household of faith. And in that funeral service, I appreciated the family that God had placed me in so much more.

I know we all have different experiences with our families. Some are good; some are not so good. Some grew up in unconventional families while some in traditional families. We all have unique ways in which God blessed us and placed us in the families we are a part of. But whatever family we are a part of, we are blessed because God has placed us in a spiritual family, the church.

Today, I would like to remind us about how God calls and works through our families as He fulfills His beautiful purpose and will. With all of the things going on today––the division, unrest, and the darkness in our world––I still believe that our families can be used by God to bring about great change and healing in this world. I want to remind us of who we are in Him, and in so doing, we will have a greater motivation to live out God's calling for us as a family and a church.

1. What Are We Called?

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession”

The verses that we read are part of Peter’s first letter to the believers and the churches scattered throughout Asia Minor. The readers were non-Jewish believers who were suffering in many trials and challenges. They see hardships from their own families abandoning them, friends betraying them, and even the government persecuting them. Peter encourages them through the hope they have in Christ, and to see their suffering as sharing in the suffering of Christ. In Peter’s exhortation to these churches, he also reminds them of who they are as people and as a church. In doing so, this would give them so much more reason to live in their identity and follow God in the midst of all that they’re experiencing.

Peter calls the churches, "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for his possession." These terms first applied to the nation of Israel as we can see in many passages in the Old Testament. Exodus 19:5-6 says, “Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

With Peter calling the church the same names as that of Israel, it does not mean that it has replaced Israel in God's grand promises, purposes, and plans. It is that the church has now been added and had now also been deemed as partakers of the covenant that God had for Israel. In a way, the family of God through Jesus, which had only consisted of the people of Israel, had now accepted more members. The new members of the family of God are us––the Church. And because of Jesus' work, the Church even shares in these terms that before belonged solely to Israel.

So, let’s look at these terms more closely:

• A chosen race –– This term does not at all mean that Jesus erased what race people belonged to when they believed in Him. In a sense, Jesus chose believers and added them to a new spiritual race. The Israelites were the chosen race of people uniquely selected by God for His purposes for the world. All believers now belong to this chosen spiritual race. What ultimately binds us is our faith in the Son of God.

• A royal priesthood –– This term is a connotation to what Israelites were supposed to be. They were to be a nation of priests to the nations. They were supposed to stand between God and the rest of humanity. Presently, that term belongs to the Church, which is called to stand between God and humanity. This term is not just for pastors or for the staff of any church. To be a priest to the nations is for all of us here. We are all collectively royal priests to the world. We are to be mediating the world to God and God to the world, just like a priest would for the people.

• A holy nation –– The term holy has a meaning that denotes to cut. In a way to be holy is to be a cut above the rest. The Israelites were called to be a nation that is a cut above the rest. They were not to look like and follow the mold of the other nations around them. They were to be unique and separate for the Lord while living among those other pagan nations. We are now called a holy nation, being that we are to be different and distinct to the Lord. And because of this, we are uniquely shaped and cut to fill in whatever God calls us to do.

• A people for his own possession –– This term is one of the most intimate terms used here. God used this for Israel to emphasize that they belong to Him, and He belongs to them. Isn't that what most couples say to each other? As some say, “We belong together.” And now, this is what God calls His Church. We are His, and He is ours. The fact that we belong to Him does not just denote intimacy. It also means we are to obey Him. If we belong to Him, we will make sure we are doing our best to please Him and do as He wills. This task is not out of obligation but out of love for Him.

As the church of Jesus Christ, we need to remember who we are. These names apply to every person and family represented in our church. Sometimes we forget who we are and neglect the weight that comes from our identity. If you’re a believer, we carry these titles with a privilege. Knowing that this is how God sees us should fill us with awe and amazement. This is who we are meant to be, and we are living it out in a world full of confusion and chaos. If we forget who we are ultimately, then it will be harder for us to take on our charge and our calling for this world.

2. We Are Called Out

“Who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”

How would we rate our family? I know no one would want to do that. However, sometimes that's what we do when we compare ourselves with other families. We may even be doing that here at church. When we look around, we may be seeing how much more well-off others are compared to our families. Sometimes we might even think of what it would be like to be born into another family. I would like to encourage you that in God's eyes, you and your family are so unique, so significant, and so loved. As the Creator of all things, it is in Him whom all families belong. We can see that in Ephesians 5:14-15: “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.”

There is an excellent point that we need to hear that no matter who we are or where we're at, God can and will use our families to bring about so much good. If our families have been saved and have received God's goodness and grace through Jesus Christ, then our family is called out into something bigger than what we could ever imagine. We were called out of the darkness into His marvelous light. What amazes me is that throughout the Scriptures, we see a common theme that the all-powerful, all-wise, and all-present: God cares for each family. No family that was ever used by God was perfect. However, they were all willing to be used by God in their unique way.

I want to give you a quick glimpse of the way God calls out families in the Scriptures. I hope we can relate this to how God calls out our own families for His specific purposes too. From the very beginning in Genesis, we see God calling the family of Adam and Eve to multiply and have dominion over all creatures as God’s representatives. We see Noah’s family being called out of a wicked generation to save humanity by building an ark and going through a flood. And then we see Abraham and Sarah being called by God out of the land of Ur as God blessed Him so other nations will be blessed through him. Next, we see the family of Jacob, who becomes Israel, with his twelve sons that will later birth the nation of Israel. Through this nation will the blessings of God flow, and a special relationship be made. Israel was to be a light for all the nations, so they will also worship the One True God. If we read more of Israel’s history, we see families called out so God can bring life and blessings to those around them.

We then go to the New Testament in Matthew, where the first thing we see is the genealogy of Jesus. The many names and families represented in that genealogy is a sign that even though their stories were not all written in the Scriptures, their families were called out by God to be a part of the lineage of the Messiah. Now, there is a family that Jesus is building as the church. In John 1:12-13, it says, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but God.”

I know that’s a pretty long illustration. Still, I hope you see our God has always worked with, through, and among families He has called out of the darkness and into His marvelous light. Today, He is gathering these families and building them into a new family that is called the Church. He has been calling out and assembling families under Jesus Christ to build His kingdom and show the world what it means to be part of God’s family. We are one family of faith. Together we are now in the light. However, it would be remiss if we just gathered together to be with just ourselves. There is a reason why God ultimately called us out. He has used the families in the Scripture. I believe He will also use us today.

3. We Have a Calling

“that you may proclaim the excellencies of him”

Now the reason why Peter was reminding his readers who they are in Christ is that they have a calling to proclaim the excellencies of Jesus Christ. This calling is the purpose of the church. We were called out in the first place, and the reason we were saved was not only so that we can just go to heaven when we pass from earth. It’s because we have a heavenly mandate to be done here on earth. We need to proclaim the holiness, goodness, righteousness, justice, grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ. Another reason Peter gave as to why the church needs to fulfill this calling is essential because of the Gospel. According to Peter, the Gentiles, or us non-Israelites, were not God's people before. We did not receive God's mercy back then. And then, Peter uses a three-letter word that has given so much hope and redemption for so many. The word "BUT" negates the older statement, and it shows that now we are God's people who have received the mercy of God. In Romans 6:23, it says, “For the wages of sin is death, BUT the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now we have received mercy.” This Gospel is what drives us to proclaim Jesus ultimately.

I hope we can see this calling is not just for individual Christians. Peter is calling for the whole Church. Together as a family, united in this calling, the Church can proclaim the excellencies of Jesus. We are living in this cultural moment where I believe we need each other the most. There is no need to divide ourselves, but we must understand that we are a family of God uniquely equipped to handle the darkness all around us. Dr. Eric Mason says this about the Church:  “And now the Church of God through Jesus Christ is uniquely tailored to wear kingdom garments. We’re uniquely tailored for obedience to the Word of God. We’re uniquely tailored to deal with challenges. We’re uniquely tailored to bring about healing. We’re uniquely tailored to bring about peace, to bring about change. We’re uniquely tailored to be a family…”

We need our fathers and their influence to provide the strength and courage for those who are weak. We need our mothers to show affection, care, and support for those who are vulnerable. We need our young adults with their creativity, drive, and passion to heal the brokenhearted. We need our grandparents with their wisdom and experience to guide and teach those who are misled. We need even our little ones to exemplify the purity in faith necessary to fulfill the tasks ahead of us. We need each other. We need to be together because people today are hurting, crying, and dying. People are lost, and they need Jesus. We're the only ones who can proclaim to them the excellencies of Jesus through our words, actions, and love. Peter had great hope for the church that it will act on the purpose and will of God. I, too, have the utmost hope for our church, BCI, that God will use us in ways we have never seen before. We're one team. We're one family. We're one church. Together, let's drive out darkness, and let's bring people with us into His marvelous light.

-Rev. Jerusalem Ona