Thanking Our Faith Family
Introduction
Faith family was an essential part of Paul’s mission work. In the beginning of several letters, he thanks God for the believers in the local church—and even names a few key people. Let’s take time to be like Paul and thank God for how He has blessed us through those special people.
Who Is Our Faith Family?
Unlike legal or blood-related families, faith family is defined by God’s authority in our lives. Jesus lays this out in Matthew 12:46-50 when he says, “[W]however does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
The Global Church
While a local church or mentor obviously counts as family, Jesus’ definition crosses time, culture, and even some of the finer points of theology. In 2019, the Center for the Study of Global Christianity reported 45,000 Christian denominations in the world. Add to this Christians throughout history, and we find that our prayers join with a crowd that resembles the great multitude described in Revelation: “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (7:9).
Remembering and embracing global and historical believers can keep us from becoming too narrow-minded and exclusionary in our faith. We are not the first people facing the question of how best to live out God’s love in our lives. And, our picture of God benefits when we learn from the stories and practices of other believers.
Our Communities
In an episode of The Redeemed Man podcast, Luke Smallbone of the band For King & Country shared how God worked miracles through his family’s neighbors.
When the family first moved to the United States, they struggled to put food on the table. However, by God’s grace local churches, schools, neighbors, and even total strangers helped sustain the Smallbone family. “We literally didn’t have any furniture,” Luke said, “and a few days later [a church the family wasn’t even attending] came and brought two box trucks full of furniture and furnished our entire house.”
Moments like these stand out as evidence of God moving in our neighborhoods, but miracles like furnishing a family’s entire house start with the choice to get involved. Later in the episode, Luke encourages us to resist the urge to retreat in relationships. Choosing to engage takes courage and patience, but that choice forms the foundation of every act of neighborly compassion and companionship.
Our Inner Circle
While engaging the global church or your entire neighborhood may take more deliberate planning, these folks walk with you through daily life. But rather than an “easy win,” these relationships often require extra care. Our actions impact the members of our inner circle whether or not we put time and attention into those relationships. Most of all, daily faithfulness with these brothers and sisters in Christ means presence and communication.
Why Is Faith Family Important?
When we hear about the great works church fathers have accomplished, it can be tempting to see God’s story as tales of individual glory. In reality, God’s story hinges on “with.” John 1:1 reads, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The model for all goodness, beauty, and truth works with Himself, us, and all Creation. Love as a verb requires an object.
Faith family provides support, accountability, and tangible modeling of God’s grace. For example, Acts 18 offers the story of a faithful couple, Priscilla and Aquila, who took a passionate young believer under their wing.
Priscilla and Aquila Instruct Apollos
Aquila and his wife Prisca (also called Priscilla) were tentmakers who first met Paul in Corinth. They hosted Paul briefly, (Acts 18:1-3) and later became his travel companions to Ephesus (18:18). Through mentions across Paul’s letters, we can see the pair became essential partners in spreading the Gospel and supporting local churches.
Perhaps the most clear example of their participation in church life comes in their instruction of Apollos. The author of Acts describes Apollos as “an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures” (18:24).
While he taught accurately about John the Baptist’s call to repentance, Apollos didn’t have the whole picture. That’s where Priscilla and Aquila stepped in. We read, “[T]hey took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately” (18:26).
Notably, this one-on-one follows Jesus’ guidance from Matthew 18:15 for handling sins between brothers of the faith. Pulling Apollos aside shows their priority here is not to publicly shame or discourage Apollos from preaching but to help him learn and grow. It can take extra planning and patience to practice respect, but the extra effort is the care due to our faith family.
While we don’t know exactly what the couple said, the fruit of their conversation tells us plenty. After their talk, Apollos travels to Corinth and “he greatly helped those who through grace had believed” (18:27) with his ability to skillfully show Jesus is the Savior.
Secondly, we can learn from Apollos’ humility. Rather than allowing the instance to discourage him, Apollos continues to speak boldly and share what he has learned. Hearing and embracing correction is a difficult task, especially when it comes to matters of faith.
Apollos already spoke with conviction and education, but his interaction with Priscilla and Aquila refined his message and impact. When we build difficult conversations on mutual respect and share the same goal (glorifying God), we can address the confrontation as an opportunity to strengthen our character.
Gratitude for and with Our Faith Family
Support, accountability, and grace among believers are powerful blessings of walking with a faith family, but there’s one more blessing to be counted, giving thanks for and with fellow believers.
In Luke 19:40, Jesus responds strangely to a group of religious leaders. As Jesus enters Jerusalem to crowds of praise, the Pharisees tell Jesus to tell the crowds to stop. Jesus replies, “If these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
Praise and thanks are natural and right responses to God’s goodness, but Jesus’ words hint at another truth. Gratitude is a communal project. Whether it’s the stones crying out in Luke or the heavens declaring God’s glory in Psalm 19, we will never be alone in giving thanks to God.
Make the Call
With the end of the year approaching, we have the opportunity to reflect on God’s faithfulness. As we’ve already seen, God’s faithfulness appears to us in part through our faith family. Next time you get a quiet moment, think of the people in your life who have helped you on your walk with Jesus. What part of God’s character have you witnessed in them? How has that changed your relationship with God?
If you have their information, take a moment to reach out—whether by call, text, or even a letter—and share your thanks.
If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve put together a template for a letter. It offers a few questions to get you thinking and some stationary to put pen to paper. Remembrance and praise go hand in hand. We pray that you would be blessed by this opportunity to remember God’s faithfulness together.
Connect with The Redeemed Community
If you’re inspired to explore the transformative power of spiritual freedom and would like to journey alongside like-minded believers, consider joining one of The Redeemed’s small groups. Whether you prefer meeting in person or connecting online, our community is here to support and grow with you. Join us and discover how surrendering together can lead us into greater freedom.
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