In This Family We _________ (fill in the blank): The Wonder of Being a Child of God

By Elden Daniel

In This Family We _________ our earthly family and the Spiritual family of a Jesus follower are compared and contrasted. The influences of our earthly families are examined and discussed. The characteristics of members of the Lord's family are identified from Scripture. The process that the Lord has designed for the Jesus follower to become more

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elden Daniel
• Release date: May 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781087956237

Elden Daniel

...the unsearchable riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:8 KJV). ...the endless treasures available to them in Christ (Ephesians 3:8 NLT). ...the boundless riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:8 NIV).

Book preview

Forward

I am writing this review and endorsement for the book, "In this family we….." written by Dr. Elden Daniel, because I believe it is something that is very needed in the church today. I have pastored for fifty years and am very concerned with the nature of the habits of those who profess to be believers and members of the Body of Christ. Although Dr. Daniel is my brother, I would write a favorable review for anyone that wrote this kind of valuable information to challenge the Body of Christ in this 21st Century chaos in which we are living.

Let me explain that last statement! Secular humanism with all its rejection of Judeo-Christian principles and Biblical absolutes has produced a very selfish and self-centered society and church. Unfortunately, it is not only the lost world but the church that has been influenced by this ego-centric philosophy. God ordained the family as the foundation of society by His pattern of creation. Furthermore, He has reinforced throughout His Word the importance of the family as defined and designed by His creation and instruction. In the Old and New Testament, God challenged the fathers to assume their role as spiritual leaders and to be responsible to train up their children in the way they should go- Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:1-4. Therefore, when the pattern is not followed faithfully, there will be problems- Ps 11:3, If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? Dr. Daniel has done an excellent job of developing the issues represented in the earthly family, In this family we ________! and then enlarged that beautifully to address what believers are to be doing as members of the family of God. Rom. 8:14-17, declares that believers have been adopted into the family of God and can know Him intimately as Abba, Father.

Moving forward from that foundation, it is valuable for the church to examine and understand what it is that we do in God’s family! The Epistles were written for the family which is the Church. Therefore, we have a manual to study. As you read this book by Dr. Daniel, I exhort you to examine how you are doing both in the sense of your earthly family identity, but more particularly how you are doing in the family of God. In this family of God, we_________!

God bless you as you grow through reading and digesting this book.

Sincerely in Him,

Pastor David Daniel

Emmanuel Chapel

South Fork, CO 81154

Preface

There is no down side to being a member of the family of God. It is all good. I believed this before I wrote this book. After writing this book, I REALLY believe it. I also believe that, after you read this book, you will REALLY believe it too.

In this book we recognize and explore being a member of an earthly family and being a member of the family of God. We compare and contrast the two, which is a good way to increase understanding.

Some writers very effectively insert phrases from Scripture to support their narrative. I have done this a few times. Others will list references in parenthesis to support their narrative, assuming the diligent reader will pause and look up the references. I have chosen to quote the entire Scripture references.

You may wonder why I have included so many Scriptural references, at times rather lengthy passages. The truth that impacts and changes lives is found in the Word of God. My comments may or may not be helpful, but the Scriptures will always be helpful. Where I have grouped a number of scriptural references around a specific topic, the message from the Scripture somehow seems clearer.

My reasoning has been based upon this truth: The Holy Spirit indwelling the believer will apply the Word of God in the believer’s personal life in an appropriate manner that only the Holy Spirit knows. Every believer is on a personal individual journey in which the Holy Spirit is renewing his/her mind and transforming him/her into the image of Christ.

Presentation style

Some authors very effectively insert phrases from Scripture to support their text. Other authors will list references to support their text assuming the diligent listener will pause and look up the references. I have chosen to quote the entire Scripture passage. My reasoning has been based upon the truth that the Holy Spirit indwelling the reader will apply the Word of God in the personal life of the reader in an appropriate manner that only the Holy Spirit knows. Every believer is on a personal individual journey in which the Holy Spirit is renewing their mind and transforming them into the image of Christ. 

The truth that impacts and changes lives is found in the Word of God. It is important to remember when we read Scripture it is the Lord speaking to you and me. The words we read from Scripture are meant to be taken personally.

 My comments may or may not be helpful but the Scriptures will be helpful. Many times, I have grouped several Scriptural passages around a specific topic, this way, the message from the whole of Scripture somehow seems clearer.

My personal experience has been and this may be true for you as well, sometimes, usually during a time of solitude and quiet, the Scriptural concepts, principles or benefits move from my head to my heart. It is not unusual for the move from head to heart to also generate a few tears of thankfulness and blessing.

The Word of God is God speaking to mankind. Think of it, Almighty God the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and everything in it is speaking to you and me. Jesus, God's Son, came to earth as a man and died for the world's sin, was buried and rose again, is speaking to you and me. The Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit to teach and guide believers in Jesus is speaking to you and me. This reality is both humbling and wonderful. It is good to listen to hear and obey.

You may wonder why so many Scriptural references are quoted including at times rather lengthy passages. Although I cite the reference of the passage, if there are multiple verses, I include them continuously without dividing them into individual verses. I believe this supports the continuity of the passage.

Each separate topic is part of a whole. My goal is to separate some content from Scripture, focus on it, and indicate or imply its importance to the whole of Scripture. I also want to provide insight into the application of the Word in the life of the Jesus follower.

When presenting passages, I deliberately left out the numbering of verses. When you read a passage that involves several verses, it will be one continuous passage. That is the way it originally appeared. Noting chapter and verse is a wonderful tool for referencing. We often see numbering in legal documents. However, it is my view that often breaking up a passage with the numbering of verses can be a distraction that hinders grasping the full meaning. Think about it. If you write a letter to a friend, you don't number the sentences or the lines. You want your thoughts to flow together.

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The Family

So, in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith (Galatians 3:26).

Many years ago, my wife, Karen, and I drove to Denver to watch our granddaughter, Jessie, play a softball game. Jessie was six or seven at the time. The game was a story in and of itself, but the story I want to tell happened before the game.

When we arrived at their home, Jessie’s dad, Larry, was warming Jessie up for the big game. Now, Jessie’s dad was an athlete at both high school and college levels and has served as a coach and an athletic director. So, the pregame prep was important. In the front yard there was a pitching machine and Jessie was getting in her pregame batting practice. However, Jessie’s younger brother, Little Larry, was in full protest, demanding a turn in the batting practice. His dad patiently explained to him that today was Jessie’s game and she needed to get ready so Little Larry didn’t need to have batting practice. Then Little Larry’s protest appealed to principle. With his hands firmly planted on his hips, he repeatedly declared, In this family we share!

Now this story is really cute and precious in its own way, but it is an example of a bigger principle. Just like every baby, when Little Larry was born, he came into the world loved by his parents, his sister, his grandparents and other relatives. Babies are born with a knowledge of how to nurse, but all other body functions are part of involuntary systems. So, babies have a lot to learn.

Babies are born into families. This is a positional thing. Babies don’t choose their families and, apart from adoption, parents don’t choose their babies. This is the way it works. Being born into a family brings with it the status of being a family member. This status includes receiving a personal name and a family name. This is all straightforward information.

Where am I going with this? In John 3 we read:

Now there was a Pharisee, a