Few promises of the gospel are as costly—and as comforting—as God’s promise to give us a new family.
“For the sake of safety, let’s say his name is Andrew. He was a brother in our congregation from Uzbekistan, a Muslim-majority country. Andrew described the threats to his life when he became a Christian. Among other things, his uncle once pressed a knife to his side, demanding that he turn away from his faith in Christ.”
Andrew shared, “Before Christ, I didn’t like my family. But when I saw Christ and Christ transformed my heart, Christ give me big love for my family—for my parents. I was really a good son. I obeyed my parents, and I loved them with Jesus’ love. But even though I loved them, they hated me.”
“I love my family, my brothers and sisters,” he said, “but they beat me, they hate me, and it was hard to understand.”
Then Andrew shared this powerful and poignant realization: “Oh God, I am losing one valuable thing—my family—and it was very hard to understand. But God said, ‘I will give you a new family.’”
This true story, originally reported by ChristianityToday.com, speaks to the unique fellowship we enjoy in the family of God.
Scripture repeatedly uses family language to describe the church Jesus built. While the Bible employs many metaphors—kingdom, body, vineyard, and flock—family is one we instinctively understand. It portrays warmth, belonging, and a close relationship.
Christians are called “children of God” and “joint heirs with Christ.” God is pictured as our Father, and Jesus Christ as our elder brother. Believers are identified as members of “the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). Paul instructs Christians to do good to all people, “especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:10), and urges them to be “devoted to one another in brotherly love” (Romans 12:10). In 1 Timothy 5:1–2, we are exhorted to treat older men as fathers, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters.
Often, as in Andrew’s case, our spiritual family treats us more like family than our physical one. Sadly, I could duplicate many similar stories of young people who obeyed the gospel only to be rejected by their parents.
One young lady I knew, entering her senior year of high school, was forced out of her home after informing her parents she had been baptized. She, too, quickly realized that God had given her a new family. The brethren took her in and provided for her physical, financial, emotional, and spiritual needs. She was able to attend college and eventually marry a fine Christian young man. God gave her a new family.
This same truth is being lived out today—not only across cultures, but across continents.
This past Sunday, we heard from David Curry, the son of retired Florida College professor Melvin Curry, about a family living in rural, impoverished Ethiopia—Jeremiah and Tenay Kinde. Tenay is a Christian raising two children: a 12-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. Jeremiah suffered a foot injury that developed into gangrene, resulting in the amputation of his leg and leaving him unable to work. As if that were not enough, the family has also learned that the government is seizing their property without compensation to build a high-rise apartment complex.
With funds from American brethren, David was able to provide assistance to help cover their immediate needs. Moved by their plight, our daughter-in-law, April Weliever, has since helped establish a GoFundMe account to extend support beyond the initial aid. Contributions are being directed through the nonprofit Barnabas Foundation, founded by Melvin Curry and the late Bob Owen. Once again, God has given His children a new family.
This is what it means to belong to the family of God—even from 7,700 miles away. Family cares. Family shares. Family shows love, kindness, and compassion—because we are bonded by the blood of Jesus and joined together by the love of God. Ethnic, racial, political, and even geographic differences cannot diminish these family ties.
“Being included in God’s family is the highest honor and greatest privilege you will ever receive,” wrote Rick Warren. “Nothing else comes close. Whenever you feel unimportant, unloved, or insecure, remember to whom you belong.”
—Ken Weliever, The Preacherman
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