Articles
Becoming A Child in His Church Family
Everyone is created by God and He has lovingly given us all the choice to receive or reject Him. John 1:9-13 reads, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Thanks to His love for mankind, God sent His son Jesus down to this Earth to teach us righteousness and become our eternal savior. Jesus willingly shed His blood on the cross so that all of mankind can have the opportunity to be cleansed from our sins. Only by being spiritually reborn in the waters of baptism can anyone gain the right to be called God’s child. In John 3:4, the Pharisee Nicodemus asked Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus Christ replied, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
Being baptized means more than just getting wet with water and having your sins cleansed. When anyone becomes one of God’s children through baptism, that person also accepts that they should live by the instructions given to them by their Father in Heaven. Colossians 3:16-17 reads, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” You have the opportunity today to become a shining light to others in a world that can seem so dark. Have you received the free gift of grace by becoming a child of God? What will you do this week to uplift and encourage others to walk in the light of His Spirit?
