1. at Hebron December 20, 2009 Don’t Forget: Devotional/Fellowship tonight –Menu: Christmas dinner Church of Christ

2. The church as the Family Love FriendshipFidelitySecurity

3. Pillars of the church Family: I.The Command II.The Characteristics III.The Complexion Love

4. The Command Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another –phileo (friendship love) + storge (family love) –philadelphia (friendship love) –Romans 12:9—agape (self-sacrificing love)

5. The Command John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. –new in quality, not quantity –The command was not new (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18) –The quality/scope of the command was new

6. The Command I Thessalonians 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you –Both words mean “to superabound” –We are to continue growing in love toward one another

7. The Characteristics I Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently –anupokritos—without hypocrisy (Romans 12:9) –False love is: Spoken but not expressed (James 2:14-26) Practiced only when it advantages us (Matthew 5:44; cf. Romans 5:6-8) katharos—clean kardia—center of the mind, emotion, and will Hebrews 4:12; Romans 9:2 extenos—intensely; literally, to extend

8. The Characteristics Ephesians 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love –to hold oneself up against, to put up with –Both words indicate humility –Literally, long of temper

9. The Characteristics I Peter 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous –Literally, to experience pain alongside another –I Corinthians 12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. “suffer with”—same word “rejoice with”—to experience grace in close union with another

10. The Characteristics Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works –Literally, to sharpen alongside –Love can and should be infectious

11. The Complexion A congregation that is a loving family will: –Avoid strife caused by: Jealousy Personality conflicts Allegiances Greed Arrogance –How will this affect the world’s view of us (Romans 12:17)?

12. The Complexion How would your family benefit from an atmosphere of: –Compassion and sympathy? –Humility and patience? –Energy and honesty? Am I practicing love as a part of God’s family?

13. Consider During the Lord’s Supper: Isaiah 53:3-6 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.