The Gods Family

 The Family of the Lord

THE Lord has a family. "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of

our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is

named." (Eph. 3:14. 15.) In every well-regulated family there must he a head.

Christ is the head of the family of the Lord. "For the husband is the head of

the church: and he is the saviour of the body." (Eph. 5:23.) "And hath put all

things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the

church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all'" (Eph. 1:22.

23.) ''And he is the head of the body, the church." (Col. 1:18.)

Authority and power are vested in the head of the family. Jesus said: "All

power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." (Matt. 28:18.)

The first human family was brought into existence by a miracle. Adam was

miraculously created, and so was his wife. The church of Christ, or the family

of the Lord, was brought into existence by a miracle. We read of this

miraculous beginning of the family of the Lord in Acts 2. The apostles were

miraculously filled with the Holy Spirit. This enabled them to speak with

other tongues. This they did. Many different nationalities were represented on the day of Pentecost, but ''every man heard them

speak in his own language." (Acts 2:6.) This caused wonder and amazement.

After the first human pair were brought into existence, the laws of

reproduction were set in motion. Since then all have become members of the

human family by virtue of obedience to these laws. There is first a begetting

and then a bringing forth. This constitutes a birth. We all become members of

the human family in exactly the same way. There are not two or three or more

ways of becoming members of the human family.

So it is with the family of the Lord. We all get into it exactly the same

way. Jesus said: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,

he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3.) He was then talking to a ruler

of the Jews named Nicodemus. Nicodemus did not understand how a man

could be born again. So Jesus explained by saying: "Except a man be born of

water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.'' (John 3:5.)

We are begotten by the word of God. "Of his own will begat he us with

the word of truth." (James 1:18.) "Being born again, not of corruptible seed,

but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."

(1 Pet. 1:23.) "In Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel." (1 Cor.

4:15.)

After being begotten ''by the word of God" we are brought forth from the

watery grave of baptism. "We are buried with him by baptism into death: that

like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so

we also should walk in newness of life." (Rom. 6:4.)

When a child is born into the family, he becomes an heir. When we are

born into the family of the Lord, we become heirs of God. "And if children,

then heirs; heirs of God. and joint-heirs with Christ." (Rom. 8:17.) Please note

that our becoming heirs depends upon our becoming children. We are not

heirs before we are born into the family. God's children are in his family.

Others are not in his family; hence, are not his children. "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were

baptized into his death?" (Rom. 6:3.) "For ye are all the children of God by

faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ

have put on Christ." (Gal. 3:26, 27.)

When a child is born into the family, it takes the name of the head of the

family. Christ is the head of the family of the Lord; hence, when one is born

into this divine family, he takes the name of the head, or the name of Christ.

He is a Christian. "And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."

(Acts 11:26.) "Then Agrippa said unto Paul. Almost thou persuadest me to be

a Christian." (Acts 26:28.) "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be

ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." (1 Pet. 4:16.) There is no

salvation in any other name. (Acts 4:12.)

Babes must have proper food. Babes in Christ are no exception. Jesus

said: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth

out of the mouth of God." (Matt. 4:4.) ''Wherefore laying aside all malice, and

all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn

babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." (1 Pet.

2:1. 2.) There will be no question about our growth if we eat plenty of this

good food. Then it will not be said of us as it was of some of the early

Christians: "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that

one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God: and

are. become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat." (Heb. 5:12.)

There must be discipline in the family. So it is in the family of Christ.

Sometimes it becomes necessary to use stern and severe discipline upon

rebellious children. ''Now we command you. brethren, in the name of our

Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that

walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us." (2

These. 3:6.) I am sure that not enough discipline is being usedin the church today. We should keep the church clean and pure. Sometimes

we have family reunions here on this earth. Members of the same family like

to get together. Of course these gatherings have a tinge of sadness because of

so many absent members of the family. God's people like to get together, but

there are always many absent ones. Some are scattered far and wide upon this

earth, and still others have gone to that eternal home. But. thanks be to God,

we shall all be gathered home after awhile. Won't that be a grand reunion of

all of God's people on the eternal plains of God? I want to be there; don't

you?