The Family Business

Let the word of  Christ richly dwell within you,
with all wisdom teaching and admonishing
one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,
singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16 (NASB)

 

Series: Hands and Feet

 

When I was a junior in high school, my father invited me to work for him at his law office. Having delivered papers as my first job, I excitedly accepted this proposition. No heavy loads to carry over my shoulder anymore! I celebrated the end of walking up and down the hills of my hometown in pouring rain, beating sunshine, or icy snow. I was elated to assist my father and join the family business.

What started as part-time help after school led to over twenty-three years of service and sustenance. I grew from answering calls and making copies to holding appointments and drafting documents. We both learned from each other as we worked together all those years. As much as he helped me, he would say I helped him. The commitment to support my dad in his business led to a lifetime of valuable lessons I still benefit from today.

You may recall the story in Luke 2 when Jesus stayed in Jerusalem while his family left to travel home to Nazareth after the Feast of the Passover. Mary and Joseph, realizing Jesus was not in their caravan, returned to Jerusalem and looked for Him. After three days of searching, they finally found Jesus in the temple. When told His parents had anxiously sought Him, Jesus replied:

“Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49 NKJV)

Jesus was found not just learning, but also asking questions and discussing openly with the teachers in the temple. At the young age of twelve, Jesus understood His need to be about His Father’s business—in His presence, learning, growing, sharing, serving, and teaching. The scripture reports that everyone who heard Jesus speak marveled at His understanding and answers. Then, Luke 2:52 (NKJV) says:

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

This picture of Jesus shows that our faith in God is not to be bottled up and kept only for our individual benefit. Instead, we are to grow in our knowledge and understanding of truth and share our faith with others so they, too, can grow in faith. In doing so, the church will thereby grow.

We see this in the Book of Acts. The early church shared the Gospel and consistently grew. The apostles taught, preached, and shared with all, and through their hands, signs, wonders, and miracles were experienced. Like Jesus, they grew in favor with the people. Acts 5:14-16 (HCSB) reports:

Believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers—crowds of both men and women. As a result, they would carry the sick out into the streets and lay them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. In addition, a large group came together from the towns surrounding Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

The miracles of healing and deliverance are wonderful! Albeit, the sick and tormented would not have received these blessings if no one had told them about Jesus and if no one brought them to the apostles. Believers acted in faith by telling others about Jesus, inviting them to come, and bringing them to the place where they could hear and experience Truth. And, the family of God continued to increase.

As we read further in Acts 5, we learn that the high priest and Sadducees were jealous of the apostles. They ordered the apostles to be arrested and put in jail. During the night, an angel appeared to the apostles, opened the doors of the jail, and instructed the apostles to stand in the temple and teach. The apostles obeyed, and at daybreak, the jail was discovered empty and the apostles were found, again, teaching in the temple. Acts 5:25 (HCSB) states:

Someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple complex and teaching the people.”

And in Acts 5:42 (HCSB) we read:

Every day in the temple complex, and in various homes, they continued teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

As we learn and grow in faith, we are to share with others this miraculous Gospel and help the Kingdom of God increase. Who can you tell the good news to? Who can you invite to church? Who can you bring?

Let’s learn from one another, grow together, serve one another, invite others, and bring people to meet Jesus. May the Word of Christ dwell in us, and may we be found teaching and encouraging others. After all, if we are in Christ, we are in the family of God, and we, like Jesus, should be about the family business.

Holding Fast to Hope,
Maryann

 

Scripture References: Colossians 3:16; Luke 2:41-52; Acts 5:12-42; Galatians 3:29; Romans 8:16-17