Christians should recognize other people who belong
to the new covenant family. We are different from normal people. The Bible
says: Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know
your Creator and become like him. Col 3:10 (NLT). This complete change in a person
places them in opposition to this world. The nature of a worldly person will
always resist the righteousness of God.
Jesus
spoke about people who serve God one time when His human family had asked for
Him. He said: Anyone who does the will of
my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!” Matt 12:50 (NLT).
Our Savior had been sent to earth on a mission. He had been commissioned to
build a righteous family for God. Jesus loved His earthly family but His task
was to bring people together as brothers and sisters of the new covenant.
Believers
under the old covenant could not be a brother or sister of Jesus. Today the
servants of God under the new covenant have the privilege of joining the family
of God. Paul explained God’s plan when he said: … his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans
8:29 (NLT). When we accept Jesus as our life we are accepting the past 2000
years of God’s servants as our own brothers and sisters.
Today we
must seek out other brothers and sisters in order to build a family
relationship with them. It is natural for saved people to love other family
members. The Bible says: If we love our
Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life.
But a person who has no love is still dead. 1 John 3:14 (NLT). Usually we
can recognize them immediately because our spirits are joined together in Christ.
The Spirit
of Jesus unites us so that we can do the works of God on Earth. Christians are separate
from the natural people of this world. It is necessary for us to support each
other in our righteous living. Looking out for the poor and the weak is an important
duty. Usually we are the answer to their prayer when we help them. This is bringing glory to the Father and the
Son when the Spirit guides our life in righteousness.
Sharing a
belief in God is a beautiful thing. We can encourage the family: Then Judas and Silas, both being prophets,
spoke at length to the believers, encouraging and strengthening their
faith. They stayed for a while, and then the believers sent them back to
the church in Jerusalem with a blessing of peace. Acts 15:32-33. The result of godly encouragement
is the growth of peace among the family members. Let it be so!