[Why Having a Church Family Matters]( Current Teaching Series [Live Your Calling: What on Earth Am I Here For?]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Why Having a Church Family Matters](
By Rick Warren â 09/02/2022 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd like to share a Daily Devotional from Pastor Rick with you&body= âYour love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." John 13:35 (NLT) The Bible says a Christian without a church home is like an organ without a body, a sheep without a flock, or a child without a family. It is an unnatural state. Ephesians 2:19 says, âYou belong in Godâs household with every other Christianâ (TLB). Todayâs culture of independent individualism has created many spiritual orphansââbunny believersâ who hop around from one church to another without any identity, accountability, or commitment. Many believe it is possible to be a âgood Christianâ without joining (or even attending) a local church. But God strongly disagrees. The church is so significant that Jesus died on the cross for it: âChrist loved the church and gave his life for itâ (Ephesians 5:25 GW). Except for a few important exceptions referring to all believers throughout history, almost every time the word âchurchâ is used in the Bible, it refers to a local, visible congregation. The New Testament assumes every Christian will be a member of a local church. If you follow Christ, itâs important to be committed to a specific group of disciples. A church family identifies you as a genuine believer. Jesus said, âYour love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciplesâ (John 13:35 NLT). Your commitment to a church identifies you as a believerâbut it also strengthens you as a believer. When you meet with your church, you gain motivation and encouragement from other believers, and you provide motivation and encouragement to them. Maybe youâve had a great week and feel like you donât need to go to church. But if you arenât at church, who will miss out on the encouragement you could provide? For someone on the edge of hopelessness, your warm smile or encouraging word might make all the difference. Thatâs what it means to be the church. Hereâs the truth: Christians need each other to grow. Many people think spiritual growth is a private matter, but God calls believers to live out their faith in community. You canât develop a deep faith in isolation. And when people come together in love as a church family from different backgrounds, races, and social statuses, itâs a witness to the world. As Galatians 3:28 says, âYou are all the same in Christ Jesusâ (GW). [PLAY todayâs audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - Why is it important to belong to a local church?
- How would you respond to a believer who does not attend church because of some hurt or disappointment from the past?
- How can you get your heart ready for church this week? The post [Why Having a Church Family Matters]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd like to share a Daily Devotional from Pastor Rick with you&body= [Get The Purpose Driven Life Book when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( The life youâre meant to lead begins in discovering Godâs loveâand finds meaning in fulfilling Godâs purpose. Embrace all God has lovingly prepared for you with Pastor Rickâs updated, hardcover edition of The Purpose Driven Life. The perfect gift for a new believer or young person whoâs searching for direction in life, this edition has been reimagined to include . . . ⢠Video introductions to each chapter from Pastor Rick
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⢠Two new chapters to help you pursue a purpose driven life [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 7 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series Live Your Calling: What on Earth Am I Here For?. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: The Call is For You
Message 2: Called to Be Loved
Message 3: You are Called to Belong
Message 4: You are Called to Become
Message 5: You are Called to Bless
Message 6: I'm Called to Be Sent
Message 7: Why God Made You! [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rickâs 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 issuesâspiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracyâthrough the power of ordinary people in the local church. You can listen to Pastor Rickâs 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.
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