Belong | Pr Raph | Sept. 07, 2025

Belong

(Ephesians 2:19) So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

Christianity is not a religion—it is a living relationship with the personal God who loved us so much that He came in our direction. Out of His love, He gave His life on the cross so that we could be restored to Him. This is the foundation of all true belonging: knowing that we don’t have to fix or save ourselves, because God Himself has made a way for us.

We are a grace-driven, vision-inspired, and spiritually-empowered family, where your gifts are recognized, your faith is strengthened, and your calling begins to take shape. When you belong, you discover that you are not alone—you are joined with others on the same journey, walking out the mission of God together.

When you're part of a family, you can recognize each other's voices. Yesterday, at one of our kids' birthday parties, dozens of children were screaming and running around. It was fascinating to see moms and dads turn their heads precisely at the right moment when only their child called for help. Despite many voices screaming simultaneously, parents could clearly distinguish their child's tone. This truly signifies a sense of belonging.

Our Story

Pastor Raph and Juliana, raised in revival in Brazil, left a thriving ministry to start Vine Church in Fort Myers in 2012 with one LifeGroup of 12 members. Now, the church has grown into hundreds of members meeting in LifeGroups, part of a global family of over 1,400 Vine churches dedicated to making disciples and sharing Christ's love.

(1 Peter 2:5) You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Fuel during Trials

Many brothers and sisters today feel worn down by life. Trials, financial struggles, pressures at home, and the weight of responsibilities can leave us discouraged. Often, the temptation in those moments is to pull back—to step away from church involvement, stop leading a LifeGroup, or slip into passivity as mere attenders. The enemy whispers that rest can be found in withdrawing, becoming inactive, or distracting ourselves from spiritual responsibility. But the truth is the opposite of that.

Just this week, my wife—though physically exhausted and emotionally drained—led chapel at Vine Christian Academy. She could have said, “I need a break.” Instead, she gave her heart, and the first thing she shared afterward was, “My heart is so full, happy, and thrilled. Seeing those kids raising their hands and being used by God in their lives really fueled me up.” What looked like another drain on her energy became the very thing that filled her spirit.

In the same way, JP went through a week of hardship at work. He came to lead our middle and high school students—kids running around, joking, interrupting him at every turn. But when they responded to the gospel through his life, his words to me were, “I felt so energized, satisfied, purpose fulfilled.”

This is the paradox of the Kingdom: strength and joy are not found in withdrawing from God’s house but in pouring ourselves out in His service. 

 (John 4:34). “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work”

Real satisfaction and strength are found when we walk in our divine purpose—when we belong, grow, and flourish in the household of God. The trials may still surround us, but in serving, we encounter the presence of Christ, and His Spirit empowers us with joy that no hardship can steal.

Galatians 6:10 – So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Our Vision

Our Vision is to be a church of overcomers, where every member is a minister, and every house is an extension of the church, conquering our generation and the next through LifeGroups that multiply.

(1 Peter 2:5) You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

We exist to multiply overcoming disciples of Christ.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20)

Belonging through Christ

At the very heart of Vine Church is our first and foremost value: Christ. 

He is not simply the center of our doctrine; He is the foundation and source of our very life. Christianity is not a religion where we attempt to climb our way to heaven through rituals, rites, or good works. Instead, it is the living reality that Jesus came down to us. Where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more. The ultimatum of God is not “do more to reach Me,” but “see what I have already done for you in Christ.” Because of Him, we no longer stand as isolated individuals trying to earn God’s favor—we belong to a family built on grace.

A Relational Household, Not a Religious System.

As I reflected on the faces of many young people and beloved brothers and sisters who have passed through our church, I couldn’t help but notice that some are no longer connected—neither to a local church nor to a small group. And I find myself asking: what happened? Why did they drift away?

I believe the clue is found in Hebrews 12:1 - 2:

 Hebrews 12:1–2 “Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” 

Many get tired, distracted, or weighed down by life’s struggles, and in that weariness, they step back from the very place where their faith could be renewed. But the Word points us back to where strength and endurance are truly found—fixing our eyes on Jesus.

He is the initiator and sustainer of our journey. 

“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever” (Romans 11:36).

 Our belonging is anchored in Christ Himself, not in our religious performance.

We don’t have the strength to hold onto God’s hand on our own. If it depended on us, we would all slip, stumble, and fall away. But the good news of the gospel is that it is He who holds us.

“No one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). 

Paul declared, 

“Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39).

Our endurance is not in our own grip but in His grip on us.

The moment we take our eyes off of Him, the weights and sins of life pull us down. But when we fix our gaze on Him, we remember: we belong to a God who never lets go, we are part of a family secured by His love, and we can flourish because His grace sustains us.

“For us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Corinthians 8:6). 

To belong to Christ is to belong to His household, His relational family, where grace is greater than sin, where love is greater than shame, and where purpose is greater than any trial we face. In this family, our identity is secured, our calling is awakened, and our lives flourish because they are rooted in Him.

Belonging Through Love

If Christ is our foundation, then love is the language of His family. To belong to God’s household means to belong to a relational family where love is not just spoken but lived out. Christianity is not about climbing toward God through religious works—it is about living in the reality that He came down to us in grace, and that same grace is expressed when we care for one another.

At Vine Church, we believe love is both our language and our culture. 

 Culture is the system of values, practices, and worldviews that shape how people understand life, relate to others, and interpret meaning. It encompasses the visible elements, such as language, as well as the invisible assumptions, beliefs, and norms that influence behavior and interaction. Culture is seen as the form through which meaning is expressed.

We walk in empathy and know how to "rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (Rom 12:15)

This is what it means to belong—not to a system, but to a family shaped by grace.

We don’t love because we are strong enough; we love because He first loved us 

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. [...] We love because He first loved us.”(1 John 4:7, 19)

What captivates people is not perfection or performance but the atmosphere of acceptance, love, and forgiveness. Belonging here means finding identity in God’s grace and expressing that identity through care. 

“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:20–23)

. To belong is to live out this care—joyfully, relationally, and missionally—because God’s family is held together not by rules, but by love and grace.

Our cheer is meant to be contagious. Our joy is missional

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so [...] we might live with Him. [...] Encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:9–11)

Belonging Means Living as Overcomers in Christ

To belong to God’s family is not only to be loved and cared for—it is also to be empowered to overcome. At Vine Church, we believe that belonging is not passive; it means stepping into the identity God has given us as conquerors in Christ. We are not spectators, but as sons and daughters who share in His victory.

Romans 8:35-37 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Our belonging is grounded in His love, and from that love flows power to face fear and adversity. To belong to Christ’s household is to live under the banner of His triumph, not our defeat.

That’s why Jesus promised, 

“The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also conquered and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:21). 

Belonging to God’s family means you are not just accepted—you are called, empowered, and destined to overcome. We are a people held by grace, shaped by love, and marked by victory.

Strength of Belonging: Character That Lasts

Belonging to God’s family is not only about being loved and empowered—it is also about being shaped. At Vine Church, we believe character is the invisible foundation that sustains visible fruit. 

To belong is to allow God’s Spirit to form in us the essence of Christ—integrity, courage, consistency, and honor. 

We are not defined by titles or appearances but by the inner life that reflects Jesus.

Genesis 1:27-28 27 So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

From the very beginning, we were created in God’s image (character). That is the source of our influence and authority. 

That means belonging to His household is not simply positional—it is transformational. 

“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3–4). 

In belonging, even our trials are not wasted—they are used by God to form Christlike character within us.

That’s why Paul exhorts, 

“Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). 

Belonging to the household of God means we are grounded—not tossed by every storm—but established in character, producing fruit that lasts.

Belonging to God’s Eternal Plan: The Church

To belong is to know that you are not just connected to God individually—you are also planted in His eternal plan, the Church. The Church is not man’s idea; it is the astonishing fulfillment of God’s design, His new covenant people chosen, redeemed, and indwelt by the Spirit. 

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”

(1 Corinthians 12:27)

 Belonging to Christ means belonging to His body.

This belonging is expressed in love that goes beyond words into action. We give of our money, time, knowledge, and service because the Church is our family and our mission. 

 “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully… God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:6–7). 

Belonging is not passive—it’s a joyful investment of our lives into God’s household.

That’s why at Vine Church we say:

We are all about Christ. 

We are all about our city. 

We are all about our church. 

To belong here means to step into God’s story, to be part of His people, and to embrace both the privilege and the responsibility of being His Church in this generation.

Belong: Rooted in the Core of Who We Are

Belonging to Vine Church means being rooted in these five values: Christ as our foundation, Care as our language, Conqueror as our strength, Character as our formation, and Church as God’s eternal plan. 

Together they form the heartbeat of who we are—a grace-driven, vision-inspired, spiritually-empowered family, called to make disciples who make disciples through LifeGroups.l