When You're Here, You're Family

The precious truths in the old Olive Garden slogan.

Tragically, Olive Garden has revised their slogan to “We’re all family here”. While it is similar to its previous iconic line, it doesn’t quite have the same ring to it nor the same meme potential as inhabitants of the 21st century. Regardless, the beautiful saying “When You’re Here, You’re Family” reminds me of today’s topic: the church.

There is much that can be said about the church, but my main focus is that of the aspect of being a family. As someone imprinted with an Eastern cultural background — despite my predominantly Western upbringing — I always had a strong sense of the value of family. Second to church, my earthly family was the top priority…even more so than education — and you know how them Asians are about education 😂😆.

Nevertheless, family came first whether it was attending significant celebrations, performances, or simply being at home around the dinner table. My brothers and I quickly learned that whether we wanted to or not growing up we were a part of this family (immediate and relatives included) and we were going to be involved. Naturally this isn’t the perfect comparison, but many of the commitments of serving, loving, and supporting our family (even friends too) became a deeply-rooted conviction.

While it took us some time to mature and come to a greater appreciation for our family — flaws and all — we began to value the network, connection, and support that we have now as adults; a privilege many these days (our age) don’t have in this world. This thoroughly-instilled virtue of family translated seamlessly into my understanding of the church — the universal (global) church in mind here.

As a member of both the visible and invisible church, I belong to the family of God. In our vernacular — adopted from the Bible — we are brothers and sisters. Our mother is the church and our Father is God. The main difference is that our Father is the perfect, always-faithful, dependable, almighty, providing, rescuing one. Earthly parents may fail — for we are all sinners (but that doesn’t mean I don’t absolutely love them) — but they point me towards our God (even my parents are the children of the Most High).

Furthermore, I have a lineage of brothers and sisters I get to read about in the Bible — Adam & Eve, Abraham & Isaac, Moses, Jonah, Peter, Paul, John, Aquila & Priscilla, and more; in the contemporary age Jim and Elizabeth Elliot, Irenaeus, Amy Carmichael, and Hudson Taylor to name a few. Point being, those who belong to God whether dead, alive, or soon to be born again, are my family. We are all linked and united by the Holy Spirit of God in Christ. We are the body of Christ. We are the church. We are God’s children.

While the church is to be known for its service and love to the surrounding world as a display of our inward change and true religion (yes that “R” word — see James 1 & 2 for that), primarily the church’s command it received from Jesus is to “love one another as I have loved you” which will be how others know we are disciples of Jesus.

Similar to earthly families, the church is to be committed to loving, supporting, disciplining, and providing for its members. When there is a need, the church should be the first to be there asking how to help, ways to pray, and sacrificially serving. It often isn’t extravagant or headline-worthy, but it is so dearly loving. Through thick and thin, highs and lows, peaks and valleys, the church — with their God — is there.

Have we failed? Absolutely. Do we need to likely repent? Absolutely. Nevertheless, all of the churches I have been a part in my lifetime have managed to communicate to me that undying and faithful commitment to its members — flaws and all. But it isn’t just about what I receive from the church, but how I can also serve and love the church too.

As much as the church is to love, support, and admonish me, I am to reciprocate as a member of the family of God. I am to be just as committed, for the long haul, in good and bad to my brothers and sisters — even if some days I don’t feel like I would’ve chosen them to be in my family (most Christians have probably and unfortunately had this ugly thought before…to our shame). But God did, and he is perfect, omniscient, infinitely wise, and a reconciler — so it is I that needs to be changed and repent of my unloving character some days (thanks be to God he forgives and the church forgives). The church is made up of eclectic personalities that normally don’t hang out together because it’s not predicated upon similar earthly interests; we are gathered and united together because of the God-man Jesus Christ who loved us and gave himself for us.

Below is a description from Ephesians 2:13-19 about what has happened to church:

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility…and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross…so then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”

We are fellow citizens and saints in the kingdom of God and members of the household of God. Like my family, fiercely committed in all things, I belong to a greater family that ought to be fiercely committed in all things. There is no greater family than the church — flaws and all. Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit of God who is transforming from one degree of glory to the next, bearing his fruit within us, and restoring that tainted image of God within us so that we may love one another as Christ loved us and thereby glorify our Father in heaven.

So when someone joins the church, by inward regeneration and external profession of faith, they are welcomed into this transforming family that God himself has chosen from the world. To be gathered around the truth, to be gathered in love, to be gathered because of our unifying savior Jesus Christ, and to be gathered to serve one another is amazing.

What’s even more amazing is that there is family scattered all around the world that I likely will never meet. Yet I am closer to them than I am with my bloodline-kinsmen simply by virtue of being united by Christ. Does that mean I value my earthly family less? Absolutely not. But that’s how significant and united the church is. Those in Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, and Australia that belong to the Lord are my brothers and sisters…that’s wild (as the kids say)! While they may not know my name or my church’s name, I have no doubts that the saints of the world pray for one another — how cool is that!? We are one in Christ. They are family.

Should you not be in the family of God, standing as an outsider, Jesus Christ himself invites you to taste and see that the Lord is good. He beckons you to come to him, receive him in faith, to be forgiven of your sins and given everlasting life, to be admitted into an undying and eternal family, and to be loved by the kind of love this world cannot hope to offer — the inexhaustible, infinitely strong, mercifully gently, always-faithful, carrying-us-home-till-the-end love of God. You were made to be in the family of God — all Christ commands is to repent of your sins, turn from your unbelief, receive Him and all he has done in his life, death, and resurrection, and become a brother or sister.

Cause in the church: when you’re here, you’re family.

~Elliott

P.S. — Below is a very pastoral, reasonable, and uplifting lesson on the church by Dr. Bob Godfrey of Ligonier Ministries. I highly recommend it.