The Family Of God

If we go to the Word of God in the Book of Titus, Chapter 3 and verse 9, this is what The Lord says:

“But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless.”

Then we go to the Book of 2 Corinthians, Chapter 5 and verse 17:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

When you become a follower of Jesus Christ, your genealogy, your history, your past is forgotten and you become a member of a new family - the family of The Lord Jesus Christ.

I remember, many years ago, Jill and I went to Israel and we were visiting the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus preached that very powerful sermon.

And as we walked into the church, just before the church, there were a whole lot of vendors on the side of the road and they were selling fruit and they were selling curios and so on.

And I walked up to one little trailer and there was a lovely looking, old dignified man with a white beard, a swarthy man - but what a kind face he had, and he was selling fruit.

And I said to him, “Sir, are you a Christian?”

He said, “Yes. I am a follower of Jesus!”

So I stretched out my hand and shook his hand and I looked carefully at him and I said, “Sir, are you an Arab believer or are you a Jewish believer.”

And he looked at me and he smiled and he said, “I am a believer!”

And with that, Jill got her elbow and stuck it into my ribs, which she has to do from time to time because I tend to change feet.

And you see, it doesn’t matter whether he was a Jewish man or an Arab man because he is a follower of Jesus Christ, and once we become followers of Jesus Christ,

it is not important about our genealogy, where we come from, or what particular tribe or ethnic group we belong to.

I also have a great honor and privilege to be invited to speak at the Feast of Tabernacles, hosted by the Christian Embassy in Jerusalem.

I have spoken there many, many times.

And sometimes I will be speaking to a group of people, maybe 5000 delegates from every single nation on earth.

I am talking about Asian people; I am talking about African people; I am talking about Nordic people; I am talking about South Americans.

And you know something? Chinese; they all have one thing in common: They love Jesus Christ and I feel closer to them sometimes than I do to people I have known my whole life but are not believers.

Remember, if any man is in Christ, he is a member of the family of God and you need to embrace him and love him because you are going to spend eternity with him.