"The value of having a church family is being loved and loving others in a way that is different from how people in the secular world love. This love is to be sacrificial and unconditional like the love Jesus shows us." - Pastor Jeff Cranston

Hello Kitchen Table Theology Family! We’re your hosts, Jen Denton, and Pastor Jeff Cranston. This is our fifth episode in a new series on the Church. The Doctrine of the Church is also known as the doctrine of Ecclesiology. Previously we’ve discussed how the church is like a flock, fellowship, body, and bride. Today we tackle how the church is a Family.  

[00:29]  What Do You Think of When You Think of ‘Family’? 

• Pastor Jeff and Jen share some experiences growing up and fun family stories 
• The word “Family” can evoke positive or negative emotions in someone depending on their personal experiences.

[05:32] The Church is a Family

• Ephesians 2:19
• Wayne Grudem defines the church as the community of all true believers of all time
•  Paul told Timothy to act as if all the church members were members of a larger family (1 Timothy 5)
• Scripture teaches us that God is our Heavenly Father and that we're His sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:18) so that we might fulfill the Great Commission and take the Gospel to the whole world
• Why is the church a family? 
  • Becoming a Christian means being adopted into God's family as a child of God and brother or sister to fellow believers (Romans 8:14, 16-17)
• The true value of the Church Family (John 13: 34-35)

 [10:00] Have We Lost the Impact of the Church Being a Family? 

• What are the core values we can learn about the church as a family?
  • In a family, belonging comes from who you are, and not what you do
  • We can make the mistake of thinking that we earn our belonging; a bad approach to community and the absolute definition of a dysfunctional family

 [18:13] What Makes a Healthy Family? 

• Traditions and practices 
• Freely giving themselves to one another
• Open and inviting
• Lovingly solve conflict, forgive, and reconcile  

 [22:30] Closing Segment 

• 1 Peter 3 should be our goal as a church-family 
• Final Words 

Key Quotes

"The church family is a place that can bring healing and security no matter what your background is. It's a place where you can learn to be nurtured in a way that does allow you to fulfill that potential; all you were meant to be." - Pastor Jeff Cranston 

"In a family, belonging comes from who you are and not what you do." - Pastor Jeff Cranston 

"If a family is healthy, the family members are not consumers. They willingly give themselves to others in the family.  In an unhealthy family, members take and they don't give. The same thing is true in a church; That if you bring consumer-mentality into a church, it kills family, and it kills the church." - Pastor Jeff Cranston  

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Remember, the real power of theology is not only knowing it but applying it. Thanks for listening!