The Benefits of Belonging to a Church Family, Part 1

[The Benefits of Belonging to a Church Family, Part 1]( Current Teaching Series [This Is Us]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [The Benefits of Belonging to a Church Family, Part 1]( By Rick Warren — 02/22/2022 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( “When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.” Romans 1:12 (NLT) The better connected you are to a church family, the more you will experience everything the church has to offer. What does the church have to offer? You get five benefits when you belong to a church family. Today we’ll be looking at the first two. You learn your true identity. People often look for their identity in superficial things, such as their career, wealth, or favorite sports team. They may even try to find their identity in the brands of clothing they wear. But when you belong to Jesus, he gives you a whole new identity. The Bible says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV). When you belong to Jesus, God adopts you into his family, the church. Unlike your physical family—in which people die, grow apart, move away, or divorce—your spiritual family is permanent and will last for all eternity in heaven. Ephesians 2:19 says, “You are citizens with everyone else who belongs to the family of God” (CEV). You are supported by others. Like the strong structure of a building, we hold each other up. Without the stable support system of a church, you may find yourself collapsing at some point in your life. You weren’t meant to do it all on your own. You need physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental support. The Bible says, “In [Christ] the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Ephesians 2:21-22 NIV). Years ago, I began putting LEGO sets together with my grandkids. You know what I discovered? Each LEGO brick has no purpose on its own unless it’s connected to others. Disconnected, they’re just a pile of plastic. But when you connect them, you can build just about anything you can imagine. Romans 1:12 says, “When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours” (NLT). That’s why we belong to the church—so God’s people can say together, “Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.” [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - Where—other than in Jesus—are you sometimes tempted to place your identity? - How does your spiritual family encourage you to embrace your true identity in Christ? - Describe a time you were disconnected from the church and didn’t have any support. What circumstance brought you back to a church family? If you’ve never been disconnected from the church, how has your church supported you through a hard time? The post [The Benefits of Belonging to a Church Family, Part 1]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( [Get the Words to Love By Children's Gift Book when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( Words have power . . . they can build others up or tear them down. That’s why Pastor Rick Warren teamed up with a talented artist to create the stunning children’s book, Words to Love By. This beautiful, hardcover book is written especially for children ages 4-8 and takes little ones on a joyful, grace-filled journey exploring the power of words. Through charming illustrations and engaging text, young readers will discover how their words can change their lives and the lives of those around them. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 3 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series This Is Us. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: The Only Family that Will Last Forever Message 2: What on Earth Am I Here For? Message 3: How God Grows Our Faith [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