Howdy Church, if you got your Bibles, it is Devo Time.

Philippians chapter 3.

We're going to pick it up in verse 17.

And I want to talk to you.

Paul's talking about discipleship.

Remember?

Justification, sanctification.

And he does not go now to glorification, but what he goes to is an aspect of

the Christian life that essentially without it, none of the sanctifying work is going to happen

in our lives. This is called fellowship. All right. Verse 17,

brothers. Notice, really all through the Bible, but notice Paul's familial language. Like the people

that he knows at church, he doesn't just call them buddies or acquaintances or fellow congregant.

He calls them brothers.

Now, a part of it is because if God is your father, then you are my brother, for sure.

But I believe that there's also an intimacy here, a knowledge here. There's a band of brothers.

Sisters, this counts for you too. I just don't have to say it over and over and over, but this is us, man.

This is supposed to be family that when a church built on the gospel of Jesus Christ,

trying to be a place that makes disciples,

it makes disciples, and makes disciples, man, we are family. I want to ask you,

are you connected like that to a church? Or is it just the thing you attend? You see,

a church is not supposed to be an event to attend. It's a family to belong to.

And I'll tell you this too. And when it doesn't go your way, you don't just get to get up and leave.

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