The church best treats the family when she provides the things that Christ has commanded for the families and the individuals that come and be a part of her. God has placed His people into a care center called the Church. And He has commanded church leaders to make sure that certain things happen in that life of the church. Those experiences are all the family needs for their equipping, for their comfort, for their instruction. God has told the church what to do.

If the church does those things, it's a blessing to the family. What are those things? God has commanded that there be preaching of the Word of God, that the apostles' doctrine would fill the church. The family needs the teaching of scripture. God has also made it clear that when the church gathers, we gather for prayer.

The family needs prayer, and the church needs to offer times of corporate prayer for the family. God has also commanded that we celebrate the Lord's table. The family needs the Lord's table. The Gospel is preached every time we celebrate the Lord's table. There is singing.

God has commanded that we sing when we come together. That we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord. Singing is something that the family needs. All the things that God has commanded the church to do, including church discipline, including baptism, including fellowship, including evangelism, All those things are the components that God has provided for the family.

All those things strengthen the family. All those things bless the family. Unfortunately, people look at all those things and say, Well, I like the preaching, but I don't like the evangelism. I like the fellowship, but I don't like the prayer. No, that's not healthy for the family.

And the church needs to make sure that the family understands that they should engage in all of these things together as a body. And this is how God desires to shepherd his family, his flock, the church. He provides for them all these different experiences. And it's all they need. We live in an era when people want something more than that, to make them more excited, something more interesting.

But God has provided preaching, prayer, singing, evangelism, communion, discipline, and baptism, and all those things to nourish the church. So one of our messages is, be satisfied with what God has provided for you in the church. Just engage in those year after year. God has so designed the church that He would bring you into it, and then He would nurse you all your life long through these things, just day after day, year after year, decade after decade. And then after all these things have taken place, all your lifelong, he'll take you home.