Belonging
New Relationships, New Community!
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Matthew 16:16-18 (NIV)
A Victorious Church
When Peter confessed that Jesus’ true identity is the Son of the living God, it was through a revelation from Holy Spirit. This truth would be the foundation stone for His church to be built. Jesus explained that his church would triumph over the kingdom of darkness.
Both Jesus and Paul used the word ‘church’ to reference God’s people. The Bible never refers to a church as a religious building; rather, it always speaks about people being the church as God’s earthly family.
God’s Earthly Family
Humanity’s story begins with the idea that God is our creator. And even though we don’t always fully understand it, God wants to be with us and for us to enjoy being with Him.
All his acts are with a purpose. God didn’t create us out of need. He created us to enjoy being with Him in a relationship. The Bible calls Him our Father, and we are His children. This is why it describes God’s connection with us in family terms. Genesis states that God created us as His image bearers to represent Him on Earth.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Image Bearers
Bearing God’s image means that we are God’s representatives on earth, which is rooted in identity and our status as God’s family. He desires a relationship with us. He also wants us to bear His name, which speaks to our vocation and purpose. This means that God wants us to work with Him in caring for the world. We are called to be His co-partners, participating in his family business.
He shared his attributes with us, things like creativity and intelligence, so we can co-rule and be caretakers of his world. It gives us a permanent, profound, and secure identity, to be his child — this is his original desire and plan. This is how God sees every human, and he wants us to consider every person a sibling. We all have the same status as imagers of God.
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.””
What we do matters
Name bearing, as we mentioned, is rooted in our vocation and purpose. We all have a mission, and every person, no matter how small or weak or short-lived, has a purpose, a role to play in someone else’s life to represent God well to others around us.
This means that everything we do (job, career or washing the dishes) will bring honour to God and is a spiritual calling. To God, being a pastor or minister is not more important than any other role. What we do matters, often it is in small, everyday ways.
Salvation doesn’t cost us anything, it is free for all who believe. However, following Jesus is not always easy, it requires making choices — we will get into that a bit later— to love and honour God and treat people for who they are, as fellow imagers of God.
“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.””
Fellowship
God hasn’t called us to live alone, but within a community, where we find healing and true encouragement in our journey of following Jesus. Community is essential for healing and spiritual growth.
Our commitment to friendship and community reflects our spiritual journey. Becoming like Jesus means opening our hearts to God's work in His family and daily life, embracing our identity as His beloved children. This transforms our thinking as we live in the fullness of our Father's love.
Community, accountability, and spiritual leaders empower us to partner with God in advancing His Kingdom. Spiritual growth starts in a loving church fellowship, offering support and shared values, then extends outward to impact broader communities, strengthening faith and spreading God's love.
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”
“Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Connection with Father God
Prayer was how Jesus connected with God. It should be important for all His followers. In prayer, we feel God's presence and help share His Kingdom on earth.
Jesus taught his disciples to pray sincerely for God's will, daily needs, true forgiveness, help against temptation, and protection from evil. Prayer helps us grow closer to our Father. Praying like Jesus means staying connected to the Holy Spirit every day.
““This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”
Personal Application
Are you making time for daily reading and prayer? Start with just 5 to 10 minutes.
Are you part of a LifeGroup and attending a local church regularly?
Have you forgiven everyone who has wronged you?
Ask God for what you need each day through prayer.