The One Family that Will Last Forever—Part One
October 19, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readThe One Family That Will Last Forever—Part One
In the opening of a new series called This Is Us, Rick Warren begins with a striking claim: "God invented the universe because he wanted a family." Not because he was lonely—"God is love," Warren says, "but he didn't need us, but he wanted a family to love and to share his glory." That desire, he argues, is the reason everything exists, and the family God wanted is the church.
What the Church Actually Is
Warren spends significant time correcting what he sees as a widespread misunderstanding. "When I say the word church, some people think of a building," he says. "A church is not a building. A church is not a location." The church is not an event you attend, he insists; it is a family you belong to. "Technically," he says, "it'd be more accurate to not say 'I'm going to church,' but say, 'I'm going to a worship service' or 'I'm going to a Bible study.'"
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Opening & Series Introduction** - Rick Warren begins a new series "This Is Us" about finding your place in God's family.
- 2 (00:46) **Why Everything Exists: God's Plan for a Family** - The universe was created because God wanted a family to share his glory.
- 3 (02:11) **The Church: The Only Eternal Movement** - Jesus said "I will build my church," and nothing can stop it.
- 4 (04:19) **What the Church Is Not** - The church is not a building, location, or event you attend.
- 5 (05:37) **Biblical Definition of the Church: Part 1** - The church is God's family on earth and in heaven.
- 6 (06:44) **Biblical Definition: Part 2 – Saved and Baptized Believers** - The church is composed of those who have believed and been baptized.
- 7 (10:54) **Biblical Definition: Part 3 – Committed to Jesus and Each Other** - Church membership means commitment to both Christ and other believers.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
The only thing on earth that’s going to last forever is God’s family. That means the best use of our time, energy, and effort is to spend it on the church. Join Pastor Rick as he looks to God’s Word for instruction on how to fall in love with the church all over again.In this message series, Pastor Rick explains the role of the church and the many benefits of being part of God’s family.Before you join a church, you must first commit your life to Jesus. Join Pastor Rick as he teaches what it means to be part of the church.
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