S5 E25 - God's Family

We had an unexpected life event last week, as my wife ended up in the hospital for a period of four days. Over those four days, we received an outpouring of love and support from our local church family. We needed help, and they responded. 

This is how God designed the church. It's not like a family, it is a family. Serving one another is never a burden, nor is there ever a limit to this. We love, we serve, and we fullfil the law of Christ as each member as they same care for one another. 

#SetYourMindAbovePodcast

Transcript

What if I told you that God could be seen in the most ordinary things every day? 

What if I told you that every day, ordinary events could teach us extraordinary eternal truths? Would you believe me? 

Welcome back to season 5 of the Set Your Mind Above Podcast! My name is BJ Sipe, and I am a Christian, a preacher, a husband, and a father. And I’m excited to share a few moments together with you learning some important lessons from the simplest things. Let’s grow together! 

We’re back after a very unexpected pause to the podcast last week, as a matter of fact, everything in life took a pause in the Sipe household. Let’s just give a little bit of context to the things that led up to what ended up being a perfect storm landing my wife in the hospital for four days. The week prior, we all had been sick with something, we weren’t exactly sure what it was – as mine ended up manifesting into a double ear and sinus infection. But as it turned out, what we all had initially that Kylie got sick with was Covid. She felt better after a few days, and by Monday and Tuesday was ready to go back to normal activity – part time work, working out, etc. In that same period of time, Kylie has also been waiting to get into the chiropractor and had a massive headache that she had been taking ibuprofen and Tylenol for around the clock. It also didn’t help that we had run out of her electrolyte power she puts in her water because they stopped carrying it at Sam’s Club. So, all this brings us to Wednesday morning. When Kylie woke up, she literally could not move. I’ve never seen her in so much pain – it was not normal soreness. Something was wrong. I insisted that she make an appointment with her primary doctor, who happens to also be a dear friend and sister in Christ named Christi. So, Thursday morning she went in to get some muscle relaxers, but they decided to do some blood work also to make sure everything was okay. Around noon, Christi called us – everything was not okay. Kylie’s bloodwork for both her liver and her CK levels (an enzyme in your muscles) were off the charts, and we needed to go to the hospital right away. 

So there I was, putting my 2 year old down for nap with a 5 year old and a 6 year old outside playing – and I needed help and someone to watch them, right away. I’ll leave names out because I’ll end up accidently leaving someone out, but within fifteen minutes another dear sister in Christ was at our door and had rearranged her whole day in order to come watch the kids for us while we went off to the hospital. We weren’t exactly sure what to expect before talking to the doctor, thinking they might keep us overnight and send us home in the morning. That was not the case. Kylie was going to need to spend several days in the hospital being treated for what ended up being a pretty bad case of rhabdo, brought on by the perfect storm of her previously being sick, being on medication, and then going back to working out. We had no clue and couldn’t have known – and as a result not only did Kylie get really sick, but suddenly I was going to need a lot of help over the next few days. Before even a few hours had gone by, I had received dozens of texts and calls from our church family asking what they could do. Over the next four days, we had six different families all involved in taking turns watching the kids so that way I could stay with Kylie as much as possible at the hospital. And they went above and beyond that too. They cleaned our house, did our laundry, our dishes, everything. This is not even taking into account the hospital visits, over 60 texts and calls, taking over duties we needed to perform for the church over the weekend, or the meals that were suddenly prepared and brought over to help in our time of need. We were overwhelmed with support, help, and love. 

This past week was so humbling for us. We have never felt so loved or cared for, and it reminded us of just how special God designed his church to be. We are not like a family; we are a family – God’s family. That is exactly how Jesus designed it. In Mark 10, we find a conversation between Peter and the rest of the disciples with Jesus. In vv. 28 we begin reading starting with Peter that, “Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.” Following Jesus is not always easy, in fact many times it can be divisive. It can separate families, and it has on many occasions. What is one supposed to do if following Jesus means that they are ostracized from their family? This is when Jesus stated the most comforting words – that one would receive a hundred times more not just in the life to come, but even now in the present age. What was Jesus talking about? He was talking about the church. When you become a part of the body of Christ, you are adopted not only as a child of God, but you become a part of God’s household. While I still have a close relationship with my own parents and my brother, in Christ I have received countless others who have stepped in and loved me as a father, a mother, a brother, or a sister. When you become a Christian, you become a part of a spiritual family. 

That spiritual family cares for one another, and every single one of us needs one another. In 1 Corinthians 12, starting in vv. 24 we read, “. . . God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.” This is a description of how God designed the church, the family of God, to move and act in their care for one another. No one is to be overlooked. No one is to be neglected. No one is to go uncared for. When one member suffers, all suffer with them. When one is honored, all rejoice with them. We rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. When the church behaves how God designed it, we truly will have the same care for one another and serve one another just as God intends for us to do as a spiritual family. We see a great picture of this in the early church, recorded in Acts 2:44-47, “Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” The early church cared for one another and served one another, because they were the family of God. Today, the church is called to do the same. We are so blessed to have witnessed this ourselves over this past week. Kylie and I have said it time and time again, we don’t know how people go through life and make it without a church family. We are so incredibly grateful for ours here in Danville. 

When a church loves one another in this way, such service is never a burden upon the family of God. In fact, it is a willing labor of love, and a fulfillment of the greatest commands. This is what we read in Galatians 6:2, “Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” To love and serve others as a family is not a burden, it’s a blessing. God’s people are called to see it this way. Paul would double down on this point when he would go on to say in vv. 9-10, “Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.” There is not point or period in which we stop serving one another. There is no point in which a member of the family has become “too burdensome” and therefore we stop helping them. For each and every individual member of the body, as there is need and opportunity, we are never to grow weary of doing good. 

My friends, we got to witness the beauty of the church this past week. We know that there will be opportunities in the future for us to return that same love and care for the very ones that loved and cared for us this past week. We are eager and ready to do so – because that’s what family’s do. I pray that you also live out these things. I pray that your local churches move and act not as an institution or a business, but as a family of God. When it comes down to it, may we all be able to say with a heart full of love the old saying, “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.” 

This has been the Set Your Mind Above Podcast, season 5 episode 25 – and I’m so thankful that we had this time to grow together! A new episode is dropped every Friday, so be sure to tune in next week.  Also, if you’re able to, go ahead and like and subscribe to the podcast, give us a good rating or most importantly share it with someone else – it would help to reach others that I never could alone.  And more than anything, always remember the following: know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above. 

#SetYourMindAbovePodcast