Accepting Church as Family

 Read Colossians 3:11-17

In today’s video Zach shared an experience he had while he was overseas serving in Asia. During his season overseas, his grandfather passed away. His family is close, and not be able to come home to be with them was very difficult for Zach. He found himself withdrawing from his team and spending time alone grieving.

It was in that space that he spent time with God, took his grief to the Father, and was taught a core truth of our faith. He shared how during a time alone with God, he heard God reveal that while Zach was apart from his biological family, God’s family was here with him and was there for him. This changed Zach’s perspective and he re-engaged with his team and church family where he was.

For today, read and reflect on Colossians 3:11-17. Reflect on whether you have approached church as something for your own personal spiritual growth, or if you have approached it as a family who walks through life together. Prayerfully consider where you can take steps into deeper relationships in our church family.

Use this devotional as an opportunity to host a conversation with your friends, family, neighbors or small group. After watching today’s video post on eastbrook.org/devotionals/werefamily, use these steps to discuss the Bible passage for today:

• One person reads the Bible passage out loud while everyone else follows along.
• Each person take a turn restating the passage in their own words.
• Read the passage again.
• Have each person answer these questions:
  • “What does this tell me about God?”
  • “What does this tell me about me?”
  • “What does this tell me I ought to do?”
• Have each person share who they know that they will share this with.

by Zach Kok