Why do we need church family?

Matthew 22:37-39

There are several reasons kung bakit ang mga tao ay pumupunta sa church

(1) Tradition- Ayy kasi naging tradition na naming to mula pa sa kalolo-lolohan ko nagsisimba na talaga
kami every Sunday. Or meron naman yung tradition na ng pamilya na magsimba lang tuwing may
simbang gabi ganun. Next po na dahilan

(2) Habit – Alam naman po natin yung habit diba? Yung paulit-ulit nating ginagawa, or routine ganyan.
Nakasanayan ko na kasi, parang kulang yung linggo ko kapag hindi ako pumunta ng church ng Sunday.

(3) Guilt – Pumupunta yung ibang tao sa simbahan kasi they feel guilty. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Kailangan talaga natin magrepent kay Lord, pero meron kasi yung iba, I’m not saying na tayo yun. Pero
meron yung iba na hindi na umiiwas gumawa ng kasalanan dahil ang alam nila once na nagsimba sila
mababawasan na yung guilty feeling nila. May mga napanood po kasi akong movies na ganun eh. Okay
lang magkasala ako ngayon magco-confess na lang ako sa Sunday.

Those are just the few reasons why people go to church?

Now, my question is why do you go to church? Why do you keep on coming back to this church? Hindi
ko po tinatanong to dahil sa ayaw naming kayo dito, actually masaya nga po kami kapag nakikita naming
kayo dito every Sunday.

Balik po tayo sa question, anong dahilan kung bakit tayo bumabalik sa church na ito?

IT’S BECAUSE THIS IS OUR HOME. Sabihin nga po natin sa katabi natin HOME.

Ano bang ibig sabihin ng HOME

Home means an enjoyable, happy place where you can live, laugh, and learn. It’s somewhere where you
are loved, respected, and cared for.

Sino dito they feel loved kapag andito sa church? They feel respected or they feel na may nagca-care sa
kanila. Diba kapag kunyari hindi ka nakapag church ng isang Sunday bigla na lang may magcha-chat sayo
mangangamusta ganyan, or kahit nandito tayo sa church makita mo sila babatiin ka.

That’s what home is.

Home is something na binabalikan natin. Tulad ng mga bahay natin diba, kahit san pa tayo mapunta,
kahit sa abroad ka pa, babalik at babalik ka pa rin sa bahay mo.

Home is where we feel comfortable to be vulnerable. Ano po ibig sabihin non? Diba kapag nasa bahay
po tayo kahit hindi tayo mag-ayos or kahit ano lang isuot natin kasi nasa bahay naman tayo. Ganun din
po tayo dito sa church, this is your home if you let yourself to be vulnerable meaning you let your guard
down you feel comfortable dito without being conscious kasi tiwala ka na yung mga tao sa paligid mo
mapagkakatiwalaan, hindi ka iju-judge.

At hindi mo matatawag na home ang isang lugar kung wala kang pamilya. Bakit andito ako tuwing
Sunday kasi andito yung pamilya ko, yung SPIRITUAL FAMILY KO. Ang sabi sa Bible dalawang beses
tayong ipapanganak. Yung isa, we are born physically that’s why we have our Physical Family, and yung
isa naman po, spiritually, that’s why we have our SPIRITUAL Family.

John 3:3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born
again.”

So dalawang pamilya po dapat ang meron tayo, PHYSICAL FAMILY and SPIRITUAL FAMILY. Sino po
Physical family natin, yung nanay at tatay natin, ako po I belong to PABLO Family at the same time I also
belong to MLCM, Diffun family. Pano yun? Nakalagay ba yun sa NSO? Pablo family tapos MLCM, Diffun
family. Hindi po sa NSO nakaregister yung Spiritual family ko, sa heaven po. Amen.

Ang Physical family po natin makakasama lang natin yan until 70 or 80 or kung blessed ka until 120. Pero
ang Spiritual Family po natin we will be together till eternity. Kaya tingnan niyo na po yang muka ng mga
nasa tabi niyo, yan yung muka na makikita mo panghabang buhay. O baka may magreklamo pa dyan
“Lord wala bang iba?”

Kaya mahalaga ang SPIRITUAL FAMILY/ CHURCH FAMILY dahil sila na yung makakasama mo panghabang
buhay.

Now, kapag sinabi pong church ano po ba ang nasa isip natin? Building? Diba madalas po ganun “alam
mo yung MLCM Diffun?” “Aah oo, yan yung building dun sa may highway” “Aah oo, doon ako
nagsisimba” DOON ibig sabihin you are referring to a location, to a place. Why don’t we change that?
Let’s change that by reading this one

“A church is not a place nor an event I go to, it is where I belong to”

Now punta po tayo sa Acts 2:41-42 “Those who believed… were baptized and added to the church…They
joined with the other believers and committed themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to the
fellowship…They worshipped together regularly at the Temple courts and met in small groups in homes
for communion, and shared meals with great joy and thankfulness.”

Based on that verse what can we conclude about church?

Church is a group of baptized believers who joined together for the purpose of helping each other fulfill
God’s purposes for their lives. Tayo po yun, yung mga tao, we are the church. Sabihin nga po natin sa
katabi natin we are the church, kung nasaan tayo, andun ang church.

Balik po tayo sa title natin why do we need church family?

Bakit natin kailangan ng isang church family?

God wants us to have a God-centered life and not a self-centered love. God wants us to learn to
love Him, to enjoy Him, to have a relationship with Him. And saan po natin matututunan yan, tanging
dito lang po sa church. Kahit saang department ka pa pumuntang department walang nakalagay na they
will help you to center your life around God, only on the church. Your church family will help you center
your life around God. Sino po dito simula nung nagchurch dito sa Miracle napansin nila na yung buhay
nila paunti-unti nagrerevolve na around kay God. Who help you to do that? It was our Pastors syempre,
and yung ibang members. Alam niyo po dito po natin makikita yung pagiging family kasi diba po as
mentioned earlier it is home when you feel na naalagaan ka, you feel loved. And we are so blessed
because we have our Pastors here na talagang mahal na mahal tayo kasi kung hindi nila tayo mahal hindi
sila mag-aaksaya ng panahon na puntahan ka sa lugar niyo or kamustahin. They care for us kasi sila yung
tumutulong sa atin nag awing sentro ng buhay natin si Hesus.

So kung pumupunta tayo dito sa simbahan it’s not because out of guilt, out of habit, but
because we need help. What help? We need help to put God in the center of our life and only the
church can help you. How? Through worship. Worship is our first purpose in our life. Worship is simply
building your life with God in the center. God didn’t put us here on earth for our own benefit. He put us
here for our own benefit. God wants us to put Him as the core of our life, gusto Niya Siya ang nasa gitna
hindi yung parte lang Siya ng buhay mo. God wants to be the focus of our attention. Tuwing si Lord ang
nasa sentro or si Lord ang focus natin automatic we are worshipping God. Tulad po kanina diba we are
worshipping God maliban na lang kung hindi Siya ang focus mo.

Pano natin malalaman kung si God nga po ang sentro ng buhay natin? When you stop worrying.
God is in the center of your life when you stop worrying. Sabihin nga po natin sa katabi natin stop
worrying. That’s why sa church niyo lang po talaga mahahanap yung ganito, bakit? Kasi minsan dadating
tayo sa church may bitbit tayong problema, mapapansin mo na sa mukha eh, sino dito yung naabutan
po yung kapag magiigib ng tubig noon yung may kahoy sa balikat tapos may dalawang timba sa gilid,
diba kapag binuhat nila yun yung itsura nila ganito. Halatang mabigat yung dinadala. Kaya check niyo po
yung katabi niyo kung ganun yung itsura. Pumapasok tayo minsan sa church ng may worry. Alam niyo po
ba na isa ang worry sa mga symptom na hindi si God ang snetro ng buhay mo. Kasi kung si God ang
sentro ng buhay mo yung worry mo mapapalitan ng pananampalataya.

Kaya nandito yung church, yung mga Pastors natin, yung mga workers, with the help of God,
tinutulungan ka nila na mawala yung worry. Kaya tingnan niyo mamaya after ng church maaliwalas na
mukha nila-tinulungan na ni Lord eh. Amen. When God is the center of your life may peace ka. Pero
kapag pinalitan mo yung center ng life mo, you are prone to anxiety, to fear, to worry.

Philippians 4:7 said - Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for
good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the
center of your life.

Kahit na ano pang ipalit mo na sentro ng buhay ni career, gadgets, studies, nothing is strong
enough to hold you together kapag dumating yung mga bagyo sa buhay mo, there is always a possibility
na mawala yang mga yan and that’s when you start to worry. But when God is the center of your life, no
worries.

Ang sabi po sa Matthew 22:37 - 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.  Bakit knowing
and loving God is the most important reason, because that is the first purpose of our life. Yan po ang
purpose ng Church o Church Family, hindi po ito nageexist dahil sa tradisyon or dahil sa habit or para
mabawasan ang guilt ng isang tao. Church exists to help you center your life around God.

2. Church Family will help you to love others

Sabi po sa Matthew 22:39 -  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ So hindi
lang dapat si Lord ang minamahal natin, we should also love our neighbors. Tingnan po natin yung katabi
natin tas bigyan mo siya ng heart, o diba. Kailangan po ngayon pa lang nagiistart na tayo na mahalin
yung kapwa natin kasi yang katabi mo makakasama mo na yan pang habang buhay. Sino masaya dito na
yang katabi mo ngayon makakasama mo sa habang panahon? Habang nandito tayo sa mundo
magpractice na tayo, kasi sa heaven full of love talaga eh.

God gave us the privilege to be born again that’s why we have to admit that the person that sits
beside you probably is a member of God’s family. Tingnan niyo po ulit katabi niyo, membryo yan, kapag
tumanggap ka na kay Jesus member ka ng pamilya ni Lord pero kung hindi pa kapitbahay mo lang. Sino
dito gusto hanggang kapitbahay lang. Diba wala naman. Bakit puro love ang tinuturo niyo, pagod na
pagod na ako magmahal. Kasi yan po ang gagawin natin sa heaven. God Himself is love. So God wants us
to love each other. He created us as an object of love. God wanted a family called the church. And if we
are a family we have to stay connected. Sino dito connected? Sa panahon ngayon how do we stay
connected, yung mga gc natin. Sino dito nasa gc ng Awakened Souls? Sino dito nakasama na sa youth
service ng Friday. Kasi hindi tayo makapagkita-kita eh kaya technology na lang yung gagamitin natin to
stay connected with each other.

We have to be connected with each other. Diba yung mga may pamilya na nasa ibang bansa
kahit na ang layo layo connected ka pa rin sa kaniya. Distance is nothing when it comes to family.
Makipag connect tayo. Ayan kaya yung mga hindi pa connected it’s time. Sa iba naman po kung gusto
niyo pa mas maging connected attend po kayo ng midweek, kung gusto niyo mas maging malalim. So
dito tinuturuan tayo to love other people to connect to other people. And when you say love,
mamahalin mo kahit kayo vibes.

May nabasa po ako na isang blog sabi niya sa blog niya nagulat daw siya inakap siya nung taong
for years eh ini-isnob siya, tas saka niya lang nalaman na kaya pala siya inakap nung taong yun is because
chinallenge sila ng Pastor nila to hug the person that they don’t like. Ikaw kaya mo bang gawin yun?
Kahit magkaaway kayo ng katabi mo aakapin mo pa rin yan, kahit hindi kayo vibes aakapin mo pa rin
yan. That’s what family is, diba. Aminin man natin o hindi minsan naiinis tayo sa ugali ng isa dito sa
church, ako minsan sa kapatid ko meron pa yung time na nagaway-away kami bago mag service
napaiyak ko pa si JD, ang ginawa naming nag pray po kami bago kami magstart, tas pagdating sa bahay
parang walang nangyari balik ulit sa dati. Ganun po ang family, kahit naiinis ka na dun sa tao but because
you treat him/her as your family, ngingitian mo siya. Kahit na may flaw yung ka member mo sa church
tatanggapin mo siya. Bakit? Lahat naman tayo may flaw eh. Kahit na may ginawa sayo yung member na
yun pero dahil mahal mo siya at pamilya mo siya you will choose to forgive. Yun po ang gustong ituro sa
atin ni Lord. To love one another, to forgive each other. And I believe yung mga andito ngayon
marunong magmahal at marunong magpatawad. Amen.

3. We need Church Family to prepare us to serve God.

Sino naniniwala dito na yung katabi niyo meron yan something to contribute. Naniniwala ka ba
na yang katabi mo can serve God powerfully. Sa Bible, ang word na service is equivalent to ministry.
Kaya kapag tinatanong po tayo, ang tanong ‘Ano ang ministry mo?’ Ang tawag po sa mga tumutugtog o
kumakanta dito Music Ministry, nagse-serve sila through music. Dito naman po is tech/media ministry
nagseserve kami o sila sa pamamagitan ng pago-operate sa computer and sa live. Yung mga
sumasalubong naman po sa inyo ang tawag dyan ushering ministry-they serve through ushering, yung
nginingitian ka, pinagbubuksan ka ng pinto, binabati ka. Yan po yung ginagawa nila para kay Lord, yan
yung service nila para kay Lord. Lahat po dito naglilingkod na ikaw na lang ang hindi. Sino po dito
gustong magserve kay Lord? Sabihin niyo sa katabi niyo let’s start serving God.

So hindi ka lang pumupunta dito sa church dahil sa tradition, sa habit, or guilt. Pumupunta ka
dito sa church hindi lang to make God the center of your life, or learn how to love others, pumupunta ka
dito dahil gusto mo ring magserve kay Lord. Alam niyo po simpleng pagbibigay lang ng tubig sa mga
Pastor and Pastora natin you are already serving God. Kaya kung tayo po eh medyo matagal tagal na dito
sa church pero hanggang ngayon eh nasa sitting ministry ka pa rin, you serve God by sitting eh noh-it’s
time to upgrade, sabihin natin sa katabi natin, it’s time to upgrade.

Serving is not just for Pastors, Serving is something that everybody is called to do. Lahat po tayo
tinawag ni Lord para magserve. Ang ibig sabihin lang po ng serving is using your gifts and abilities to help
other people in love. Magse-serve po tayo kasi yun po yung gifts and ability or talent na meron tayo. For
example, boses palaka tayo tapos gusto natin maglead ng worship kakanta “Jesus be the Center” tas
ikaw Kokak Kokak, hindi po pwede yun. Pero, if you really desire it ibibigay sayo ni Lord, naaral po ang
pagkanta basta dinedesire mo talaga pwede pong ipagkaloob ni Lord sayo yun. Pero kung wala lang
gusto mo lang, wala ka talagang strong desire eh duon ka po sa ministry na kung saan magagamit mo
yung gift mo o talent mo. Yung mga madadaldal dyan, talent nila magsalita o di ba kaysa gamitin mo sa
mundo gamitin mo na lang sa pagspread ng Word ni Lord kaysa chismis. Yung mga tiktokerist diba,
marunong ka sumayaw, ibigay mo kay Lord.

If you have the talent, gift, or ability, give it to God. I-try niyo po matutuwa pa si Lord sa inyo.
And yung iba kung hindi niyo pa nadidiscover yung talent niyo, andito po yung church family niyo
tutulungan naming kayo, kasi yung iba nahihiya lang po yan, kailangan lang ng magpu-push nang mage-
encourage. Basta ang mahalaga you have the heart to serve the Lord. Amen.
Conclusion:

We may be different from each other (yung ugali natin, mga nakasanayan natin, nakalakihan natin)but
we all have a common denominator that make us a family-that is Jesus. We all have Christ in our lives.
Amen.