Church Starts At Home

By ANGELIQUE VACCARO

 

Most people think they have to go to church to be good Christians or to be closer to God. Obviously, the church is the place of excellence to worship God, to be with other followers of Christ and be involved in the Kingdom… We must go to church because we need to be together to form the body of Christ and grow in our faith! (Hebrews 10:25) But, we must understand that church is not just a building, it is not just a place. The church is a body, we are the church! (1 Corinthians 12:12) And when we get married, we become the church as well. This is why church starts with us, in our home! Our home becomes the house of God and our marriage becomes a model of godly character that not only the world sees, but that our children and grandchildren witness too. Our marriage and our home must reflect what Ephesians 2:20-22 says: “Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” We should make our home a godly place; a holy temple filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit. We must let God be the cornerstone of our marriage and we must practice loving one another which Jesus taught us in order to build His church. And there is no better place to start than at home, with our family!

 

Love each other

Mother Theresa said “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” Loving our family starts by loving each other as a couple. In our marriage, we must make love a solid foundation of our relationship and be a godly example to others by honoring, respecting, forgiving, and serving one another. “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, […] In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Ephesians 5:25-33) By loving each other unconditionally, like Christ did for His church (us), we honor the sacred covenant God made with us. The love we have for one another then becomes an expression of the love between Christ and the church, and it will inspire growth in other people’s lives!

 

Pray together as a couple

Prayer is a very powerful tool in marriage. “The act of praying together brings us into God’s presence in a fuller dimension than when we pray alone.” – Connie Lee –

Praying together creates a holy atmosphere; it brings God’s anointing upon our home, our marriage and our children. When we pray together, the Holy Spirit communes with us and brings us closer to God’s heart. “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20) When we pray in harmony with Christ, we are a picture of oneness; we enter a spiritual intimacy with our spouse and God.  “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6) 

Praying for our spouse is also very important, because it shows that we care for one another as we encourage and build one another up. Surrendering our spouse and our marriage to God is humbling; it is acknowledging that we depend on Him for everything. We must care for each other in prayer all day long! Praying together and for one another should be a daily part of our marriage. It takes commitment and requires practice before it becomes a habit, but it is an essential part of a healthy marriage.

 

Pray as a family

Because children are very sensitive to the Holy Spirit, even if they don’t understand everything, it is necessary to teach them to have a relationship with God through prayer. There is no better way to show them how than by praying with them, as a family. At night, before putting our kids to bed, we sing a song together and each one of us thanks God for something. Teaching them to pray not only because we need something but also to be grateful for what we have is important. 

Reading stories from the Bible is also a great way to teach our kids about kindness, forgiveness, love and so many other fundamental traits and characters they should be developing as they grow older. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) It is our responsibility as parents to help our children grow in their faith, even if we don’t really know where to start. There is no proper way to do it! Kids are simple, so we should start with what’s simple! Our faith is a treasure that we pass on to our children and a legacy that they will themselves pass on to their own children. It is the most precious gift we can give them. “There is nothing more important than parents passing on a generational legacy of faith and values to their children.” – James Dobson –

 

Practice hospitality and generosity

“You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.” (Deuteronomy 28:6) When God lives in our home, not only people who enter it are blessed, but they will also be blessed when they leave! Through hospitality and generosity, we can bless so many people. Welcoming people in our home is like receiving Jesus himself; it is serving God. (Matthew 25:37-40) What an honor! Hospitality along with generosity is about loving and serving our neighbor, meeting their needs and giving them the best of ourselves… It is treating them the way we would treat Jesus in our midst! 

My husband and I have a big heart for hospitality and God has brought many people our way. One day, He sent us a sweet couple originally from France. The wife was about to have her first baby; the husband had to finish his thesis and work long hours at his job, and they were about to move back to France. All in the same month! We could see that it was too much stress for them and that it was impossible to deal with everything at the same time. We gladly offered them to stay with us for free so they could rest, prepare for the arrival of their baby, and not think about moving. We cleaned their apartment and moved their belongings to our house, prepared a room for them and their baby, and cooked meals for them. We shared precious moments together… We enjoyed their company a lot! They were more than friends; they became our family! We were heartbroken when they moved back to France, but they moved to the city we came from (how odd!), and they lived with my parent-in-laws for a week while they looked for an apartment. Our hospitality followed them there too! When we bless others, we are blessed too! We feel so honored to be able to be a blessing to people God sends us! Maybe the next ones coming to our home will be angels! “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2) That would be so amazing!

 

Care for the poor and the old 

We must not forget the most vulnerable ones like the poor, the sick and the elderly who are often invisible. I have seen so many people turn their head the other way and ignore them. Jesus came for these people too! In our family, we try to make a difference, even if it blesses only one soul. Every winter, we put blankets, bags of snacks and hygiene items in the car just in case we come across a homeless person. Every year my kids remind me to fill these bags, because they understand that we must be generous and compassionate towards people in need. They enjoy helping me gather items and give them away when we see an opportunity. I tell them that when we do that, it’s like we are doing it to Jesus. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40) 

We also bring meals to mothers who just had a baby to bless them during this busy and tiring season of life. Sometimes during Thanksgiving or Christmas time, we go to assisted living homes and bring cookies to the elderly; we chat with them and try to give them a little bit of joy. We are bringing the light of Jesus to the most vulnerable and blessing them, even if we have a nothing to give them. A little bit of our time is all they need! “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24) 

 

Building the Kingdom of God, building His church, starts at home with ourselves. It starts with willing hearts, serving Him in our marriages and families. By doing so, we are instruments of His grace, witnesses of His abundant blessings, and reflections of His Glory!