1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 — “We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” The New Testament or bible for that fact never explicitly says “Thou shalt be family!” However the characteristics of a family are found throughout the New Testament. Think about it, we call ourselves “Brothers” and “Sisters” and even refer to God as “Father”. If, we appear to be a family why do we sometimes not act like it? We grumble and complain about each other, we sometimes even avoid people in the fellowship. From time to time people will not come to church because of a lack of “love, one for another.”
In Acts 2:44- 47 we read, “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (more…)
