You Belong to the Family of God

[You Belong to the Family of God]( Current Teaching Series [The Awesome Power of Vision]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [You Belong to the Family of God]( By Rick Warren — 02/13/2022 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ." 1 Corinthians 12:12 (NLT) Baptism and communion are the visible signs of unity in the church. They’re symbols of your incorporation into the body of Christ. Both of them illustrate that you belong to Christ, and that you also belong to everybody else in the family of God. The Bible talks about the importance of communion in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17: “When we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body” (NLT). Baptism is also a sign that you intend to protect the unity of the church family that you belong to: “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12 NLT). Your physical body is made up of many parts, but they all are meant to work together in unity. It’s the same way in the church. Just take a quick look around any church, and it’s obvious that everyone is different. But the church forms one body that is meant to work in unity toward God’s purposes on earth. Whatever differences you have in cultural, racial, religious, or national background, it doesn’t matter. Every believer has been baptized into Christ’s body by the same Spirit, and that makes it possible for the church to have unity. You are unified with every other Christian, regardless of your differences. That means you have more in common with someone who looks nothing like you but is a believer in Christ, than you do with someone in your own family who does not follow Jesus. You may have physical or cultural commonalities with the people around you, but the most important commonality is with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Have you tried to look past the differences that don’t really matter in the church and to focus instead on what you have in common in Christ? God can do an awesome work through you and a unified church that’s focused on the Gospel. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - What part do you believe God has given you to play in the work of his church? - Believers all over the world are your brothers and sisters in Christ. How does that understanding change your prayers for the global church? - In what ways does your church need to refocus on what it has in common in the Gospel rather than its differences? How can you help make this happen? The post [You Belong to the Family of God]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( [Get Going Deeper with God: A Personal Renewal Retreat when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( How are you doing spiritually right now? Maybe it feels like you’re in a desert or just going through the motions. Maybe you’ve lost your joy. No matter how you feel, Pastor Rick wants to help you experience new life in your relationship with God. That’s why he created this brand-new resource called, Going Deeper with God: A Personal Renewal Retreat. Through this very special audio and workbook series, Pastor Rick will personally lead you on a journey to help you experience true spiritual renewal as God restores your joy, and refreshes, reinvigorates, and revives your spiritual life. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 6 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series The Awesome Power of Vision. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: Seeing Your Future with Faith, Not Fear Message 2: When You Need a Fresh Start Message 3: Christ’s Vision: A Unified Family Message 4: My Part in Fulfilling Christ’s Vision Message 5: Maintaining Harmony In My Home, Small Group, and Church Message 6: What Seeds Will You Plant This Spring? [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Rick also founded [The PEACE Plan]( to address five global issues—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. You can listen to Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope, his daily 25-minute audio teaching, and sign up for his free daily devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2022 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below. Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, 23182 Arroyo Vista, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, United States