Being Brothers and Sisters

17 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by miltrodriguez in Christian Life, Church Life

≈ 14 Comments

“So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, Brother Saul . . .”   Acts 9:17a
One of the greatest privileges I have ever had is being a brother in the church of Jesus    Christ.  This experience goes beyond description.  First, the fact that I am a brother of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
“Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”    John 20:17 
If you are born from above, then you are a sister or brother of Jesus Christ.  This is tremendous news!  Wow, what an awesome realization.  To hear and see and know that you are a part of God’s family.  This is one of the greatest aspects of our inheritance in Christ.
And yet, many have not known or experienced this wonder of wonders.  Even though the New Testament uses the words brother, sister, brethren, etc. over 350 times!  Yet, we have generally missed this glorious fact and experience.  Do we know what it means to be a sister or brother in the body of Christ?  This is not mere religious language, titles or labels.  This is the language of the New Testament!  Could it be that we have grossly missed something here?
My Own Experience
I had been a believer for 27 years before I understood and experienced authentic brotherhood.  I had been involved with many churches and many different aspects of religious ministry.  I taught the bible.  I led youth ministries.  I led worship services.  I was a deacon and an elder. I was a pastor (for a few years).  I led home fellowship groups.  I did many kinds of evangelistic work.  On and on the list goes, but the point is that in those 27 years I never experienced true brotherhood!  I never knew what it meant to be a “brother”.
I had been involved in many men’s groups, men’s meetings, and attended a few men’s conferences.  But I have to honestly tell you that looking back on all of that, I wouldn’t give you two cents for any of it!  Now, after looking back at my experiences, and knowing what I now know, I think I can explain why that is.
The Key to Brotherhood and Sisterhood
You cannot have an experience of sisterhood or brotherhood until you have an authentic experience of the family of God!
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household”  Ephesians 2:19
A household is a family, those who live in the house.  Christ is our house and we are His house.  We are all brothers and sisters because we have now been born from above from the same Father.  We are not just men and women who live in the same house.  We are family!  This family is eternal.  It goes way beyond any relationships we have in the natural.
As I tell people all the time; being men and women is just biology.  Being brothers and sisters is relationship in Christ!
Knowing this in our heads and believing it as being theologically correct is one thing. Knowing and living the experience of it is quite another matter.  If you have never known and experienced this great privilege as a child of God, I would encourage you to get involved with a group of believers who are sharing their lives together as Family.
Another Encouraging Blog Post on this Subject
There is another blog that I would definitely recommend regarding the “sister” aspect of God’s family.  It’s well written by Heather Proctor whom I know personally.  I’m sure you will be very encouraged by it, especially a recent post on being a sister:
Being Called Sister
Enjoy!