CHURCH AS A FAMILY

Throughout the New Testament there are numerous references to brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, children, parents, home, house, household, family, etc. i.e.:

I     Brothers and sisters- Acts 9:17 “Ananias said, brother Saul.”

      Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectioned one to another with

       brotherly love; in honor preferring one another;”

      Romans 14:21 “It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, 

      nor anything whereby thy brother, stumbleth, or is offended, or

      is made weak.”

      I Corinthians 7:15 “If the unbelieving  depart, let him depart.  As

brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us into peace.”

Ephesians 6:21 “Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord.”

Colossians 1:1 “Timotheus our brother.”

Colossians  4:7, 9 “Tychicus, who is a beloved brother.  Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother.”

James 2:15 “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food.”

                                         

II.   Children-  II Corinthians 6:13 “I speak unto you my children.”

                        Ephesians 5:1 “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.”

Ephesians 6:1Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.”

                        I Thessalonians 2:11 “We exhorted and comforted and charged every one of

      `                       you, as a father doth his children.

                       

III. Family-Ephesians 3:15 “Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.”

 

IV. Fathers and mothers- I Corinthians 4:15 “Ye have not many fathers: for in Christ

 Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.”

 I John 2:13-14 “I write unto you fathers…I write unto you little

 children, because you have known the Father.”

 

V.  Home-I Corinthians 14:35 “Women ask their husbands at home.”

 

VI.  House- Acts 2:46 “And they, continuing daily with one accord breaking bread from  

        house to house.”

Acts 5:42 “And daily in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus

                   Christ.”

Romans 16:5 “Greet the church that is in their house.(Priscilla and Aquila)”(I

                   Corinthians 16:19)

Colossians 4:15 “Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and

                   the church which is in his house.”

I Timothy 3:15 “Thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the

       house of(household) God, which is the church of the living God,

    the pillar and ground of truth.”

             Hebrews 3:6 “But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we.”

 I Peter 2:5 “Ye also are built up a spiritual house to offer up spiritual sacrifices, 

                       acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

 

VII.  Household-    I Corinthians 1:16 “I baptized the household of Stephanas:”

                               Galatians 6:10 “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all

                    men, especially unto them who are of the household of

                    faith.”

       Ephesians 2:19 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, 

                           but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household

of God;”

      II Timothy 4:19 “Salute the household of Onesiphorus.”

      Hebrews 10:21 “And having an high priest over the house(household) of

        God.”

 

VIII.  Man and woman-I Corinthians 7:2 “Let every man have his own wife, and let every

  woman have her own husband.”

 

IX.  Sons and daughters- Acts 2:17 “I will pour out my spirit on your sons and your

              daughters.”

              II Corinthians 6:18 “I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be

               my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

X.  Husbands and wives- I Corinthians 7:3  “Let the husband render unto the wife due

       benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.”

                                           Ephesians 5:22-25Wives, submit yourselves unto your own

        husbands, as unto the Lord.  Husbands, love your wives even as

        Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.”(Colossians 3:18-

        19; I Peter 3:1-7)

       I Timothy 3:2 “A bishop must be blameless, the husband of one

       wife.”(I Timothy 3:12; Titus 1:6; 2:5)

       Revelation 21:2 “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,

       coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride

       adorned for her husband.”

      

XI.  Combination of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, children-

  I Timothy 5:1-2 “Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father;  

                         and the younger men as brethren (brothers); the elder women as                                           mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.”

       I John 2:1, 9-14, 18, 28 “My little children…He that saith he is in the

       light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness until now…He that loveth

       his brother abideth in the light…I write unto you little children…I

       write unto you, fathers…I write unto you, little children, because you

       have know the Father…write unto you fathersLittle children…and

       now little children.” (I John 3:1, 2, 7, 10, 17-18;I John 4:4, 20-21; I 

      John 5:2, 16, 21;II John 4, 13 III John 4)

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