How Big Is Your Family and Heart?

As I leave spending the past week serving in a biblical counseling conference in Águas de Lindoia, Brazil, I sit here reflecting on how big the family of God is. What a joy to experience time alongside these brothers and sisters in Christ from another hemisphere. We worshipped, laughed, cried, talked, studied, and learned together. Some of them I recognized either from other places or the last time I was here. Many I met for the first time. Seemingly, the time knowing them did not matter. Almost without exception, each one opened up their hearts to receive this stranger from the United States.

It amazes me that as people arrived from all over Brazil for this conference, the first big conference of this group since the end of the pandemic, the noise level and excitement grew immensely. They were happy to be together. In addition, the welcomed me alongside of them.

They asked so many questions. They wanted to know about my family, our church, BBC/TS, my testimony, and so much more. As I explained various aspects of my story (and for many of you, our story), they listened, asked more questions, and demonstrated true care. I recognize that I should not be amazed, yet I still am to see these people who speak a different language with different cultures caring so deeply for a brother in Christ from a completely different hemisphere. Yet, they do – in Christ.

What Connects Us?

We are connected in the family of God by the Holy Spirit.

¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, ¹⁵ having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

¹⁹ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:13-22)

We are now fellow citizens together with all the other saints in heaven.

We enjoy being in the household of God together.

God grows us up together in Jesus Christ in the Spirit.

They Speak and Sing in a Different Language; yet, the Same God Rules Their Hearts.

Although they speak and sing in a different language, the same God rules their hearts. They walk with our Savior just as we do. No matter what part of the world that I travel, it makes me anticipate what that future day will look like when we all get to heaven.

I remember a friend traveling to Ethiopia. As I listened to her describe the connection she had with those other ladies there in Christ, I was so encouraged. My wife returned in the recent past from Italy – the same. My parents described it in all their travels. Students as they return from various trips all over the world, young men and women describing the same phenomena. Certainly, this is what our last group to the Dominican Republic experienced as well.

The Spirit of God connects us as the family of God, as the body of Christ, as fellow citizens of something much bigger than our geopolitical nations, as part of the holy temple of the Lord, and a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

How Big Is Your Family and Heart?

As you go about your day and weekend, how big is your family and heart? Do you see your fellow Christians in the same way that we see those other members of the body of Christ internationally?

How about this question… is it possible that knowing more about the individual struggles, sins, ideas, past, and various uniquenesses of those around you in your church or the local area means that we sometimes have more solidarity with those internationally than we do locally? Just wondering out loud.

May we all celebrate with any interaction we have today and this weekend with the body of Christ. Just think… we’ll get to spend eternity together in perfect and holy worship, service, and love. We might as well get used of it while we are here together.