Greetings,
We all appreciate and value connectedness in our family relationships. While there are always exceptions due to dysfunctional families, most of us look forward to time with family. Perhaps that is more the case as you get older. Many of the issues that take us on tangents away from our families eventually become the “vanity” that Solomon so frequently refers to. Families, and in particular God’s family, are important.
In the Father’s Call fellowship, we have embraced the family as God’s model for governance in His Church. Those who’ve experienced it know there is nothing more uplifting, settling and strengthening than a loving family that moves forward through life’s challenging circumstances together. It’s an inspiring and heartwarming thing. That, of course, has been modeled for us through the unity that exists between the Father and Christ.
Such unity doesn’t just happen to us however. It’s something that we participate in. In John 15:15 Christ said, “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” The closeness that Christ developed with the disciples of His time was based on doing the things that godly families do. They spend time together, not promoting their own agendas but in discussing our Father’s will. God’s family style of governance promotes the Father’s will. And the Church can then be strengthened through the unity that that connectedness brings.
But it requires the genuine participation of each of us – ministry included. This weekend is one such opportunity for the ministry to be involved in this very thing. We will be getting together for a conference and one important benefit of our meetings will be the reinforcing of that godly connectedness. As we work together, we strive to better represent our Father’s will rather than our own. And as we are a family, we would request your prayers for this conference, that the connectedness be strengthened.
We are living in critical times and it is increasingly important that we learn to grow toward the stature and fullness of Christ. May God help us to continue to walk in His way and to be the kind of loving family members – brothers and sisters – that He expects us to be.
Warm regards,
The Council of Elders
