Five Things We Will Learn
- Why the church was designed to be a family rather than merely a place people attend.
- How sharing meals and everyday life reflects Jesus’ model of discipleship.
- Why modern convenience has quietly robbed believers of deep fellowship.
- Why there is joy in God’s process and not just in the destination.
- How authentic Christian community becomes one of the greatest testimonies to the world.
There Is Something Special When the Church Comes Together as Family
What if the church was never meant to be something you attend, but a family you belong to?
Many people think of church primarily as a building or a weekly service. Yet throughout Scripture, Jesus revealed something much more beautiful. He gathered people into a family.
When believers genuinely love one another, share life together, meet one another’s needs, and enjoy fellowship, the church becomes exactly what God intended.
The Church Is People
There is nothing more beautiful than the church.
Not beautiful buildings.
Not magnificent campuses.
Not impressive auditoriums.
The true beauty of the church is people.
People loving one another.
People meeting one another’s needs.
People eating together.
People fellowshipping together.
Watching someone’s need be met. Sharing meals together. Spending time together. Growing together in Christ. These simple moments reveal the heart of God.
If you’ve never experienced this kind of church life, it may take some time to learn because many of us have never been shown what God’s family is supposed to look like.
We’ve Forgotten How to Be Family
One of the greatest tragedies today is that many people have never experienced healthy family life.
For many, the word “family” immediately brings painful memories instead of joyful ones.
Even biological families rarely sit around the table together anymore.
Sadly, that same pattern has carried over into many churches.
Families don’t eat together at home.
Church families don’t eat together either.
Instead, we’ve become consumers.
We often gather, receive something someone else has prepared, and then leave without ever building meaningful relationships.
We have food catered.
We go to restaurants.
Someone serves us.
Someone cleans up after us.
But we miss the intimacy that comes from preparing the meal together.
We’re missing something God built into His design.
God could simply speak, and everything instantly appears.
Yet He chooses to let seeds grow.
Children mature.
Relationships develop.
He enjoys the process because He’s interested in us, just as we’re supposed to be interested in Him.
God Loves the Process
Our culture celebrates speed.
Instant food.
Instant answers.
Instant results.
But God rarely works that way.
He delights in the process.
It reminds me of when I was a young boy and my mother would make a chocolate cake. Today, if someone says they’re going to have cake, most people assume they’re going to stop by Walmart or a bakery and buy one that’s already made. If someone says they’re going to have pudding, many people picture opening one of those little plastic containers.
But believe it or not, you can actually make those things.
I remember watching my mother pull out the flour and sift it into the bowl. She’d crack the eggs, add the chocolate, and begin mixing everything together with a spoon. My sisters and I would just sit there watching every step, filled with anticipation.
The smells would begin filling the house.
We knew we’d get to lick the bowl.
We watched our mother while she cooked, talking with her, enjoying simply being there with her.
Then came the waiting.
I remember turning on the oven light and looking through the little glass window in the oven door, just watching that cake bake. Oh my goodness, it seemed to take forever, and it smelled so good I could hardly wait. I can still remember watching the cake rise higher and higher as it baked, transforming from a bowl of chocolate batter into a wonderful chocolate cake. Even that was part of the experience. Even that waiting built anticipation.
We had to wait while the cake baked.
When it finally came out of the oven, we had to wait again because if you didn’t let it cool before putting the icing on, you’d ruin the cake.
Then my mother would begin icing it.
She was so good at it.
She would swirl that chocolate icing across the top, and every swirl looked so beautiful you just wanted to scoop it up and eat it. She was truly an artist.
Finally, after all the waiting, she’d cut each of us a piece of cake, pour us a glass of milk, and we’d sit down together and enjoy it.
Looking back, I realize the cake wasn’t the greatest part.
It was everything leading up to it.
The anticipation.
The smells.
The tastes.
Watching it all come together.
Talking with my mother.
The waiting.
The excitement.
The experience of doing it together.
We’re missing so much of that today.
We’re missing those moments with one another.
We’re missing the preparation.
We’re missing the fellowship that happens while the food is being made.
There’s something special in those moments when the fragrance of life fills the room. There’s something beautiful about the anticipation of receiving something that’s being lovingly prepared. God created us that way.
Today everything is instant.
If it can’t be downloaded in five seconds, we think it’s taking too long. We want everything overnighted. Traffic is too slow. Everything has to happen now.
But when we return to God’s original intent, we discover something we’ve forgotten.
There is actually joy in the process.
We spend so much of our lives trying to hurry to the destination when God wants us to enjoy the journey.
Enjoy the Journey with Jesus
When you’ve made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, your eternity is already secure.
Now enjoy the journey.
What does He want to do in your life today?
What has He called you to do?
Jesus told us to love one another.
When we do that, something supernatural happens.
The world begins to recognize that the Father loves us just as He loves His Son.
Think about all the marketing plans churches spend money on.
What if people simply wanted what they saw because they witnessed genuine love inside your fellowship?
They would.
Authentic family is attractive.
Whether your gathering includes ten people or two hundred families, you can still meet in homes, share meals, build relationships, and come back together again.
Vital relationships matter.
Who would you call when life falls apart?
Who knows your story?
Who has God entrusted to you?
Jesus Started with Family
Before Jesus began His public ministry, He prayed all night.
Then He chose twelve men.
He didn’t begin by building an organization.
He began by building a family.
Near the end of His ministry He prayed, “I was faithful with those You entrusted to Me.”
That same question comes to every believer today.
Who has God entrusted to you?
Becoming the Church Again
Don’t become fearful because of everything happening in the world.
Simply become what God has called us to be.
The church.
Jesus said that wherever two or three are gathered together in His name, He is there in the midst of them.
He’s enjoying that fellowship with you.
Church is not nearly as complicated as religion has made it.
Turn to God.
Begin being the church.
Begin loving one another.
Begin eating together.
Begin enjoying the process again.
Because no matter what happens in this world, systems may fail you.
Organizations may fail you.
But family will be there.
May family return to God’s church again.
Begin Your Journey Today
Jesus didn’t just call us to believe in Him. He called us to follow Him.
Step into the life He designed for you through Emmaus Road’s The Commands of Jesus. This is more than learning. It’s an invitation to walk with Him, obey Him, and experience Him in a real and powerful way.
You don’t want to miss this journey.
Start today: https://GregLancaster.org/StartHere