The ache of not fitting in is real, and Scripture says that for those who trust Jesus it is a sign that the Father has made them his children. In 1 John 3:1–3, the apostle John explains that the world does not know Christians because it did not know God, so belonging to the Father will sometimes mean feeling out of place in the world. John also points ahead to the promise that when Christ appears, those who trust him will see him as he is and be made like him. This All Saints’ Day message, a day when the church remembers God’s people, shows why conforming, complaining, or trying to remake the world are not the answer, and why the grace of God in Christ is.

Key Takeaways

• Because the Father has lavished his love on those who trust his Son, 1 John 3:1 says Christians are not merely called God’s children but truly are his children.
• John explains that the world does not know Christians because it did not know God, so the discomfort of not fitting in as a Christian is a testimony to the Father’s love rather than a sign that something has gone wrong.
• Scripture is honest that this discomfort is real, since coming to know Christ makes sin, suffering, and death feel heavier, because a believer now understands the good that God originally intended.
• People commonly respond to not belonging by conforming, complaining, or trying to transform the world, but conforming leaves Christ behind, complaining forgets the gospel, and no reform can heal a fallen humanity the way Christ’s work does.
• God’s grace turns the experience around: being at odds with a fallen world means being reconciled to the Creator through the life and death of his Son, and being shut out by the world means being adopted by God through Jesus.
• John promises that what Christians will be “has not yet been made known,” but that when Christ appears they will see him as he is and be made like him, a hope Scripture describes with the picture of God wiping away every tear.
• That hope shapes how Christians live today, because John says everyone who has this hope in Christ purifies themselves, which does not mean earning salvation but living out the identity God has already given them as his children.

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1 John 3:1-3

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Growing in faith can feel like a solo project, but Jesus grows his people as one body, connected to him and to each other. In Ephesians 4:7–16, the apostle Paul describes the church as the body of Christ, whose life and growth flow entirely from its connection to Christ as the head, and in which Christ gives every member grace and gifts to build up the others. This is part three of the Pass It On series on handing the Christian faith to the next generation, following parents in the home (Deuteronomy 11) and mentors in the church family (Philippians 3), and it shows that Christ builds his body through all of them, so no Christian is on the sidelines. For anyone who feels unprepared for that work, the passage offers a hopeful answer: Christ is faithful, and he supplies the forgiveness, peace, and gifts that his people need.

Key Takeaways

• Scripture pictures Christians as the body of Christ in Ephesians 4:7–16, and Christ is the head from whom the whole body receives its life and its growth.
• Ephesians 4 teaches that growing from spiritual infancy to maturity cannot be done alone, because growth flows from Christ and is shared among the members of his body.
• God’s grace in Jesus does more than forgive sins, because that same grace also gifts and equips every believer to serve others so that the body of Christ is built up.
• The Pass It On series began with parents in the home (Deuteronomy 11), who pass on Christ by first receiving his mercy for themselves, and continued with mentors and models in the church family (Philippians 3), whom God gives as a gift to help the next generation keep their eyes on Christ; Ephesians 4 shows that Christ himself is at work through both.
• Because Christ builds his body through the members of his body, no Christian is on the sidelines when it comes to passing the faith on to the next generation.
• Christ himself is at work in passing on the faith, sharing his own life with believers and giving the gifts they need, including the pastors and teachers he gave to equip his people for works of service.
• Christ is faithful, giving forgiveness through his wounds, peace through his blood, and grace through his life, death, and resurrection, and this is the mercy that parents and mentors receive first and then pass on to the next generation.

This episode is part three of the Pass It On series from Ascension Lutheran Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where the church is working to help parents and Christian mentors carry what is taught on Sunday into everyday family life, with daily rhythms rooted in Christ and guidance for the challenges young people face to their faith. If you missed parts one and two, look for them in the Ascension on Air feed. If this episode was meaningful to you, please subscribe to Ascension on Air, leave a review to help others find the show, and share this episode with a friend or family member.

Ephesians 4:7-16

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When everything around you pulls you off course, Christ has called you toward a goal and given you people who show you how to reach it. In Philippians 3:12–21, the apostle Paul describes pressing on toward the prize God has set before him in Jesus, even while many around him live as enemies of the cross, meaning they treat earthly things as their ultimate concern. Paul then tells the church to follow the example of Christians who hold to Christ with persistence rather than perfection. That pattern is one of God's gifts for passing the Christian faith to the next generation, beginning in the home and reaching into the whole church.

Key Takeaways

• Paul says he presses on toward the goal "to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus," which shows that the Christian life begins with what God has already done for us in Christ and then moves us in a new direction.
• Scripture describes a real tension: God's upward call in Christ pulls our hearts toward heaven, while both our own fallen nature and the surrounding culture pull them toward earthly things.
• Paul guides the Philippians to follow his example and to watch those who live as he does.
• The gospel, the good news that Jesus lived, died, and rose again for sinners, is what defines a Christian's identity, and it is what mentors are showing when they persist in following him imperfectly.
• The home is the starting point for passing on the faith, and Scripture and recent research on healthy households both point to the wider church family as a needed partner in modeling life with Christ for the next generation.
• Christ works through ordinary, shared rhythms such as worship, Bible study, and close friendships across generations, and each of these shows younger believers what it looks like to keep holding to him.
• Paul closes by pointing to the destination: Christ, the Savior Christians await, "will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body," and this promise is what Christians hand on to the next generation.

Ascension on Air comes from Ascension Lutheran Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. If this episode was meaningful to you, subscribe to Ascension on Air, leave a review to help others find the show, and share this episode with someone who would benefit from hearing it.

Philippians 3:12-21

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