Pastoral Connection: Family Matters
June 30, 2024
Read Acts 6:1 – 7
Any church that grows will experience growing pains like a teenager maturing into adulthood. The early church certainly had their growing pains, like when the Hellenistic converts complained their widows were neglected. Contrary to human nature, the apostles did not shy away or dismiss this circumstance. They wisely communicated and turned into the problem where they found a solution to fit everyone’s needs and ultimately glorify the Lord.
Like any group of people, a family in particular, a body of believers will feel the sting of growing pains from time to time. Rather than following our human nature to run and avoid conflict, we are better served to follow the first century church’s example: communicate appropriately with one another, take the expressed needs of all sides into serious consideration, and prayerfully work together to biblically satisfy all needs.
Dive Deeper
Hebrews 10:24, 25: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
Ephesians 4:11 – 16: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves ad carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”
Practical Application
When 2 or 3 people come together in the selfless spirit that Christ taught us, we needn’t worry if our concerns will get met. If each person is concerned more for the others getting what they need, we can focus on serving our brothers and sisters because our brothers and sisters are focused on serving us. In what areas do I need to seek to be more full of the Spirit and less full of myself?
Check your styles of communication. Are you aggressive, “I matter, but you don’t?” Are you passive, “You matter, but I don’t?” Are you passive-aggressive, “You matter, not really?” Or are you seeking to be assertive which means “I matter, and so do you?” What am I doing to protect my connection to others, even with those whom I have conflict or disagreement?
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