Born Into God’s Family: The Heart of the Gospel
Christianity is an invitation into God’s family. This article explores new birth, spiritual parenthood, and evangelism as relational belonging — not rule-keeping — at the heart of the Gospel.
At the very centre of the Christian faith is a simple but often overlooked truth: God wants a family.
Christianity is not merely about rules, rituals, or religious instruction. It is about relationship — being brought into the family of God. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about being “born again,” He was not just using spiritual language. He was describing something profoundly human and deeply relational.
Born Again Means Being Born Into God’s Family
When Jesus told Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3), we often focus on the change implied by new birth. But we sometimes miss the obvious reality of birth itself: a baby is always born into a family.
New birth is not just a fresh start; it is an adoption, an inclusion, a welcome into God’s household. The rest of John 3 unfolds this truth — that God, motivated by love, acts decisively to bring people into His family through Jesus Christ.
God’s motivation is love, and His goal is relationship in His family.
God’s Family Has Always Been the Plan
From the beginning, God’s purposes have been family-shaped.
Adam and Eve were created not merely as individuals, but as the founders of a family meant to fill the earth. After humanity’s fall, God did not abandon this intention. Instead, He reaffirmed it through Abraham:
“In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)
The Hebrew word mishpaha ( מִשְׁפָּחָה ) means family or clan. God’s promise was never limited to one ethnic group or generation — it was always aimed at all families on earth.
This family vision continues throughout Scripture and finds its complete fulfilment in Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Fathers and Generational Faith
The New Testament reinforces this family dynamic through the language of spiritual parenthood.
Paul describes himself as a spiritual father to Timothy, and it is multi-generational:
“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me… commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:1–2)
Here we see generations of faith — fathers, sons, and grandchildren in the Lord. Christianity was never meant to be transmitted merely through information, but through relationship and imitation.
Paul makes this even clearer in 1 Corinthians:
“For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 4:15)
Today, we live in an age of endless instruction. Millions have access to sermons, podcasts, YouTube teachers, and social media influencers. Yet spiritual fathers — men and women who walk with others, nurture faith, correct in love, and model Christ — are increasingly rare.
The Church does not need more online content. It needs fathers and mothers who will raise sons and daughters in the faith. This means our front door and fridge door are open to the next generation, because they are truly family.
The Prodigal Son: Servants or Sons?
Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15) beautifully captures God’s heart for family.
When the younger son comes to his senses, he decides to return home — but only as a servant (“… and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” Luke 15:19). He believes he has forfeited his place as a son. Yet the father has no interest in gaining another servant. He wants his son restored.
The ring, the robe, the sandals, and the celebration are not rewards — they are symbols of sonship. The father publicly reinstates his child into the family.
Tragically, the older brother also misunderstands his place. Though he has remained in the house, he lives like a servant, not a son. His complaint about his father not having a celebration for him reveals his heart: he obeys as a servant, but he does not belong as a son.
Both sons needed the same revelation and repentance — that the father’s joy is found not in service alone, but in relationship.
Sharing the Gospel as an Invitation to Family
When we share the Gospel, we must go beyond presenting facts or arguments. We are inviting people into God’s family.
Evangelism does not begin with a sermon. It begins with a greeting.
The most important word is often simply: “Hello.” (G’day. Shalom. Bonjour. Howdy y’all.)
Genuine conversation opens hearts. As trust grows, opportunities arise to share the Gospel naturally and clearly. One simple conversational framework uses four letter acronym for four words — PPRR:
PLAN
God has a plan for your life.
“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
God’s plan is not merely survival or moral improvement. His deepest desire is relationship — that you would be born again into His family.
PROBLEM
Something stands in the way.
“All we like sheep have gone astray…” (Isaiah 53:6)
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
Sin separates us from God. It is not merely bad behaviour, but a broken relationship we cannot fix by our own effort. No amount of self-improvement can bridge that gap. Sin leaves us condemned to an eternal place of torment without God or family. No matter how unpopular, we cannot understate how terrible this is.
REMEDY
God Himself provides the solution, the sacrificial Lamb, His son Jesus.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Salvation is not earned — it is received. Grace, not performance, restores us to God.
RESPONSE
Every invitation requires an answer.
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)
“if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9–10)
Jesus’ first message was clear:
“Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
Repentance is a turning — from independence to trust, from self-rule to surrender. Belief is not mere agreement, but reliance on Christ.
Conclusion: A Family Worth Belonging To
God is still building His family.
He is calling sons and daughters home. He is raising up spiritual fathers and mothers. And He invites His Church to reflect His heart — not as an institution of servants, but as a household of divine love.
When we understand the Gospel as an invitation into God’s family, our faith deepens, our evangelism becomes an invitation to family, and our witness becomes irresistible.
Because at the end of the day, everyone is looking for a place to belong — and God has made room for us all in His mishpaha ( מִשְׁפָּחָה ) — family.
Between Passover (Easter) and Pentecost this year, the Canberra Declaration will be focusing on increasing God’s family by all of us praying for and reaching at least five people with the good news of Jesus Christ. There will be daily Zoom meetings, and daily devotionals published on The Daily Declaration. This is in partnership with Reaching Australia 2033 and the GO Movement.
“May the Lamb who was slain receive the due reward for His suffering.”
___
Image courtesy of Adobe.
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This is an utterly brilliant article that I One Trillion per cent agree with. Great work Kym!!!!
Thanks mate !!
In his classic book ‘Knowing God’, JI Packer is at pains to stress, from page 230 to page 239 in chapter 19, that God’s greatest gift to humanity is not the cross, it is adoption, and that the entire Christian life must be understood in terms of adoption!
Yes. It’s both spiritual birth and adoption per Gal 4 and Rom 8.
Being in God’s family is both ‘Abba’ signalling intimacy, and ‘Father’ signalling authority/lordship.
Christianity is not merely about rules, rituals, or religious instruction.
I can understand what you are trying to say: that many non-Christians see Christianity as nothing more than that. And that’s true. To non-believers yes, Christianity is about rules, rituals and religious instruction and yes you’re right, that’s the main part of it for traditional churches.
Now I know that there are many Christians in traditional churches that love all the old rules. rituals and religious instruction. And I know there’s even an argument that a small number of young people are attracted to the structure of fundamentalism and the culture of formality, rites and initiation.
The largest protestant denomination in Australia is not like that at all. Australian Christian Churches (ACC) are not in the slightest about rules, rituals or religious instruction – yes even on that last point – they are decidedly non-religious when it comes to Christian teaching, preaching and evangelism. It’s all about freedom in Christ through the Holy Spirit.
On the issue of the family, the ACC seems to agree with the premise of this article. People often think of Jesus as teaching traditional family values, but in fact he seems to be rather dismissive of the natural nuclear family. To be fair, maybe his family was to blame. In Mark 3:20, 21 we are told that some of his family [kinsmen] sought to take custody of him because they thought he had lost his mind. Not very supportive. Then when his mother and brothers arrived and called for him, Jesus responded:
“Who are My mother and My brothers?” Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:33-35
Jesus viewed his disciples as his true spiritual family instead of his natural family. But Jesus did not leave it there. In Matthew Jesus gets more direct about family:
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” Matthew 10:34-3. Jesus draws a line in the sand: love me more than your family, or you are not worthy of me, even if it causes division in your family.
So yes, in that respect this article is right on track. Our family is now the church, not our natural family. Notably, our political party ‘Family First’ is about the Christian family – the ACC, the family of Christ – that’s who we are putting first, not Mum and Dad and the kids at home.
I am glad to see there are Pentecostals and Charismatics involved in the every believer evangelism you guys are doing. And I pray for more souls to be won for the Kingdom through these efforts.
In the meantime, Australian Christian Churches continue to grow exponentially, not through any contrived PPRR type schemes, but through the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit moves, people will come. And that’s been the case with our movement since Azusa.
All the best in the meantime and bless you in your work, and bless those from the ACC who are helping you guys out. But inviting people to a regular service at an ACC service has a much higher success rate than people fumbling around with some PPRR type contrived conversation all tied up in rules, rituals and religious instruction.
We just let the Holy Spirit do his work.
PPRR is a conversation structure, not a rigid formula per se.
In conjunction with ACORN (watch the video) it’s all about the Holy Spirit leading us in sharing the Gospel.
This is a summary of what I teach for simple personal evangelism.
How wonderful and how good of God, that we can be born again into his family and know him as Abba {Daddy/Dad], and still revere him as Elohim, Creator and sustainer of our vast universe.
Thanks Ian, you are a faithful prayer warrior!
Ian Moncrieff,
Yes I agree! And while you may revere Elohim, many of us revere Yahweh.
Is there a difference? Yes. You’re giving honor to them – the creators who created us in their image and the sustainers of our vast universe. And that’s fine – it’s all there in Gen 1.
But there’s also Gen 2 – which is where the rest of us come in!
We are born again into Yahweh’s family. Yahweh is the God of Israel.
They are not the same. There are two separate creation accounts in Gen 1 and Gen 2, One is the Elohim creating, the other is Yahweh.
If you’re going to talk about being born again into his family you’d probably want to hitch a ride with the God of Israel.
‘PPRR is a conversation structure, not a rigid formula per se.
In conjunction with ACORN (watch the video) it’s all about the Holy Spirit leading us in sharing the Gospel.
This is a summary of what I teach for simple personal evangelism.’
Thanks Kym! Yes I’m about ½ way through the video – still getting used to his accent ‘Me mam said I had two ayes and a mouth’. Yes I’ll watch it fully.
Look I have a great respect for what you do and this project. The thing is all of us have been approached by someone. Where’s just sitting in a mall. And someone says ‘hello’ and we respond to friendliness. And they start chatting and we feel comfortable, then not too far into the conversation we realise ‘this person is not just being friendly, they have an agenda’ now this person could be trying to sell something but more often than not they are cults. Sit alone by yourself in Queen Street Mall and you will be approached. Shincheonji Cult are active almost every day. But there are others as well. I know this from experience. And it’s been that way for decades. Cults approach people and what’s the first thing they say:
Hello
They’ll talk about the weather, they’ll show an interest in you. And you get chatting, they are following a conversation structure.
PPRR – a structured conversation is straight out of the Cult playbook. It’s like telemarketing. Or door-knockers. These people seem nice but nothing about the conversation is real – it’s all incredibly contrived and manipulative.
Jesus never witnessed like this. Nor did he tell us to witness like this.
So suddenly we are having conversations with close family (who aren’t saved) and these conversations aren’t just real, natural conversations anymore but are following a P P R R formula. We’re no longer ourselves, we are no longer genuinely interacting with them, we have a formula – like the telemarketer or the door to door salesman.
That’s actually horrible. As Christians we cease to be genuine and suddenly start just being evangelistic automatons following a script, with the people with love the most – our own family!
Furthermore, this whole idea that we are being forced to witness to five people each seems straight out of the ‘rules. rituals and religious instruction’ edict of these people. Seems we all have to witness to five people every year because that’s the rule, this is our yearly ritual and this is our religious instruction.
You miss the point all together.
The five is an encouragement to ask the Lord for those He wants us to connect with.
PPRR is, as I said, a conversation guide, which is used at the right time, i.e. within ACORN you are prepared to be able to explain the Gospel.
It does not mean you use it in every conversion, we are looking to the leading of Holy Spirit and the Father’s heart for the lost.
If anyone sees this as a legalistic framework then maybe it’s time to remove Pharisaical glasses.
Thank you Kym for sharing this transformational truth. Thank you for being like a loving father to us in CD. And thanks for your constant encouragement to rise up and be fathers and mothers to the next generation.
Ros, Thanks for your faithfulness! You are such a blessing on our Zoom calls.
‘Between Passover (Easter) and Pentecost this year,’
As Christians we should be valuing Easter above Passover. Not the other way around.
Easter is fundamental to Christianity – the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. It is not a parenthesis to a Jewish festival. It is the foundation of our faith.
Kym and his wife value Judaism above Christianity. Hence why you will always find them promoting Jewish festivals above Christian ones. Kym’s wife suggests Christians should be celebrating Hannukah rather than Christmas.
Even in this article he’s obsessed with Judaism.
‘God’s greatest gift to humanity is not the cross, it is adoption’
So the fact that we are adopted into the Jewish faith is more important than the fact that Jesus came and died on the cross for us?
Christianity is an invitation into God’s family
So Christianity is an invitation into Judaism?
Sadly this seems to be the agenda that Kym has. As he mentioned the other day, he is close friends with the Jewish Council and indeed these people seem to be his puppet masters.
Infiltrate Australian Christian Churches, disrupt them, destablise them and convert them to Judaism.
These people are clever. At first they they talk Christianity, then they start talking about our ‘Judeo-Christian faith’ and we all agree and all start thinking of ourselves as Judeo-Christians and they get us wearing tzitzits and blowing shofars. Then they drop the Christian part.
And we’re then organising red heifers and constructing a third temple and offering lambs as blood sacrifices.
When you advocate for a third temple, when you put Easter in parentheses, sorry Kym, but your devotion to Judaism denies Christ.
Jesus did not know of ‘easter’, He celebrated Passover with the Disciples at the last supper.
and
The word for Easter (e.g., Pascha in Greek, Pâques in French) is directly derived from the Hebrew word for Passover, Pesach (פסח).
Early Christians initially celebrated the resurrection on the same day as Passover.
However, at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, the Church decided to set a date for Easter independent of the Jewish calendar to distinguish the two faiths (BIG mistake).
I’ll follow Jesus on this one.
Hi Col. Can I suggest that while the ‘Great Commission’ applies to all believers, every believer has a different approach to sharing the truth revealed in God’s Word. Many avoid sharing verbally about Christ because they fear “saying the wrong thing”, or perhaps struggle to get a real/genuine heart-to-heart conversation going. What is being offered by Kym, and others, are some tools and encouragement to “give it a go” – a little like a dad giving a child the tools to fix their bike, then also giving some simple instructions to give them confidence to ‘give it a try’.
I think it is far better to encourage people to start the conversation, even if it may seem to you who has had years of experience and can confidently share your faith, that the tools may start by feeling like “an agenda” or like a “telemarketer”. But as confidence grows, and we listen to the needs of the people and hear God’s answer, we can have a heart-felt and God directed conversation that can lead people to Christ.
If that still seems “contrived”, please remember, God used a donkey to speak to Balam to get his attention, so even if you think the tools are “a formula”, then remember that we are exhorted to “Be ready in season and out of season to give an account of the hope we have.” 2 Timothy 4:2 This includes “convince, rebuke exhort…and teaching.” That sounds like a powerful agenda to me.
Thanks Mac. Well said.
The bottom line is we need to proclaim the Gospel as effectively as we can; trusting Holy Spirit to draw the lost into God’s family.
“The Church does not need more online content. It needs fathers and mothers who will raise sons and daughters in the faith. This means our front door and fridge door are open to the next generation, because they are truly family.”
Agree Kym! Thank you for writing and sharing something so vital. I pray your words shape hearts and minds.
Thank you Kym, for the PPRR structure which I have found so helpful in wanting to bring the gospel in conversations without getting stuck on one aspect. I also greatly appreciated the replay of Michael Harvey as I will be sharing the Acorn approach with our Ladies Group soon.
Jesus of Nazareth, God the Son, Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus Christ is the central figure of human history, recognised not just as a great teacher or prophet, but as the Son of God and the Saviour of the world.
(John 3:16–17; Matthew 16:16; John 20:31)
Note: The word Christ comes from the Greek Christos (Χριστός), which means “Anointed One.”
It is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Mashiach (מָשִׁיחַ) — Messiah.
So: Christ = Messiah = Anointed One
** His Identity **
– Fully God and Fully Man
Jesus has two complete natures: one fully human and one fully divine. What the doctrine of the hypostatic union teaches is that these two natures are united in one person in the God-man. Jesus is not two persons. He is one person. The hypostatic union is the joining (mysterious though it be) of the divine and the human in the one person of Jesus.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)
“For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells bodily.” (Colossians 2:9)
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things.” (Hebrews 2:14)
– The Second Person of the Trinity
Jesus is the second of three persons in the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), being co-eternal and equal with God the Father.
“I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)
“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.” (Philippians 2:6)
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)
– The Messiah (Christ)
Derived from the Hebrew Mashiach (“Anointed One”), the title signifies that Jesus is the long-awaited deliverer prophesied in the Old Testament.
“We have found the Messiah (which means Christ).” (John 1:41)
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me.” (Isaiah 61:1; fulfilled in Luke 4:17–21)
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah… from you shall come forth for Me one who is to be ruler in Israel.” (Micah 5:2)
** His Life and Work **
– Miraculous Birth
Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit, a sign of His unique divine and human nature, born into a kosher Jewish family.
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son.” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22–23)
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you… therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)
“Born of woman, born under the law.” (Galatians 4:4)
– Sinless Life
Though He experienced all human temptations and sufferings, Christians believe Jesus remained entirely without sin.
Jesus (Yeshua) ministered as a kosher, Jewish Rabbi in Israel/Judea.
“He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth.” (1 Peter 2:22)
“One who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)
“Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God.” (John 3:2)
– Atoning Sacrifice
His death by crucifixion is seen as a voluntary sacrifice to pay for the sins of humanity, reconciling people with God.
“He was pierced for our transgressions.” (Isaiah 53:5)
“The Son of Man came… to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
“God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree.” (1 Peter 2:24)
– Resurrection and Ascension
Three days after His death, Jesus rose bodily from the grave, proving His victory over death and validating His divine claims. He later ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God.
“He is not here, for He has risen, as He said.” (Matthew 28:6)
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile.” (1 Corinthians 15:17)
“He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9)
“Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.” (Psalm 110:1; Acts 2:33–36)
** His Current and Future Role **
-Mediator and Advocate
Jesus is currently the high priest and advocate for us in heaven, interceding for believers.
“There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)
“He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)
“If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1)
– The Only Way to Salvation
Faith in Jesus is the exclusive path to eternal life and a restored relationship with God.
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
“There is salvation in no one else.” (Acts 4:12)
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” (John 3:36)
“After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14-15)
– Second Coming
Jesus (God the Son) will return to Earth to judge the living and the dead and to establish His eternal kingdom.
“This same Jesus… will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
“For the Son of Man is going to come… and then He will repay each person according to what he has done.” (Matthew 16:27)
“He shall reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)
—