Scripture: Deuteronomy 11:19: “You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land." 23 "then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves.”
Question: As leaders, how do we provide memory aids for our families that they might hold fast to God’s Laws and Grace in Christ, to assure them of more abundant life, and eternal life?
Question: What mighty “nations” (troubles, adversities, health and relationship issues) do we need to drive out, to enlarge our “territory” (greater faith, inner peace, effective discipling)?
Scripture: 2 Timothy 1: “when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.”
Question: If you had (had) no godly parents or grandparents, how and where do you start? Helpful: The Lord Himself will provide what you need – wisdom, knowledge, goodness, good things, and peace. Proverbs 22:”For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding” Psalm 34: Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. . . . Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.
Our purpose as a church is to make disciples. We work to do that by obeying God's call to provide for the needy. We also work to do that by making disciples of the youth in our community. That begins with raising our children to know Christ, but we want to reach out to young people in this area and lead them to faith as well. Most of our resources are dedicated to these two things, and we will talk about why this coming Sabbath.
" I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also." (2 Timothy 1:5)
Timothy's faith first lived in his grandmother and mother. That is, they were believers long before Timothy, and they took their responsibility to share that faith with Timothy seriously. And so Paul was able to mentor a young man who was raised in the faith; who was already equipped to some degree to lead others to faith. That is one of the greatest responsibilities of a Christian parent, if not the greatest. We want to help our children come to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for in doing so we equip the next generation to serve as ambassadors of Jesus Christ until He returns. If you had Christian parents, thank them this week for their role in helping you to put your faith in Jesus Christ -- for being disciples who make disciples.
"Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord." (Psalm 34:11)
One of my favorite things in elementary school was "show and tell." It was awesome to take something I was excited about to school and not only tell my friends about it, but let them see it as well. Sometimes when I did that others would adopt my enthusiasm. That same process is at work as we raise our children in faith or even when we share our faith with those around us. It isn't just a matter of telling them about our faith, although that is critically important. We must also show them our faith so that they can see the difference Jesus has made in our lives. As you seek to be a disciple who makes disciples, remember to "show and tell" someone about your faith today.
"Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6)
This is one of those passages that I think ought to come with various disclaimers. Maybe as Solomon wrote it he had a guy in the background reading all of the various conditions as fast as he could. Lots of us have worked hard to lead our children to faith in Christ only to find that, as they got older, they did indeed turn from it. I don't think that is a failure on the part of the parent. We can't have faith for someone else, and as the old saying goes, "God doesn't have any grandchildren." But I think that we can believe "for" those we love; that we can put our faith and trust in God as He works in the lives of those who have not yet trusted Him as Savior, or who have chosen to not fully trust Him as Lord. Watching our children do what is right in their own eyes is painful, but our hope is in Christ. If you know a Christian parent whose child is struggling in his or her faith right now, take a moment to pray both for the parents and the child, asking God to give the parents hope and to lead the child to faith. Let the parents know you are doing that so as to encourage their faith as well, praying that God's Word in this passage will be fulfilled in the lives of their child or children.
"Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth." (Deuteronomy 11:19-20)
God promised the Israelites that if they would pass along their faith to their children, if they would talk to them about their faith and make that faith visible, their days and the days of their children would be many in the Land. In short, if they wanted to hold on to the Promised Land, they would need to hold on to their faith and help their children hold on to it as well. This makes sense, if you think about it. Many times a man or woman will work hard to build a business, pouring their heart into that endeavor, working long hours and staying focused on what it takes to be successful. But their children don't learn those lessons. They somehow miss the importance of hard work and focusing on building the business up. In a few years they have eaten their seed corn, so to speak, and the business fails or has to be sold. In the same way the Lord cautioned the Israelites to pass on their faith to their children, lest they lose all that God had blessed them with. We know that the nation as a whole failed to do that. Kings became less righteous and more venal with the passage of time, and the people did too, until eventually the Land was taken from them. That is why we need to do all we can to be disciples who make disciples, so that the work God has established through us will bear continue to bear fruit until He returns.
We want to be disciples who make disciples. That is our purpose. And one of the groups we focus on as a church is the youth in our community, and you have a role to play. But how do you get started? I've got a plan, and I want to share it with you this morning. See you at church!
Scripture: Deuteronomy 11:19: “You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land."
ReplyDelete23 "then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves.”
Question: As leaders, how do we provide memory aids for our families that they might hold fast to God’s Laws and Grace in Christ, to assure them of more abundant life, and eternal life?
Question: What mighty “nations” (troubles, adversities, health and relationship issues) do we need to drive out, to enlarge our “territory” (greater faith, inner peace, effective discipling)?
Scripture: 2 Timothy 1: “when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.”
Question: If you had (had) no godly parents or grandparents, how and where do you start?
Helpful: The Lord Himself will provide what you need – wisdom, knowledge, goodness, good things, and peace.
Proverbs 22:”For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding”
Psalm 34: Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; But those who
seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. . . .
Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.
Our purpose as a church is to make disciples. We work to do that by obeying God's call to provide for the needy. We also work to do that by making disciples of the youth in our community. That begins with raising our children to know Christ, but we want to reach out to young people in this area and lead them to faith as well. Most of our resources are dedicated to these two things, and we will talk about why this coming Sabbath.
ReplyDelete" I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also." (2 Timothy 1:5)
ReplyDeleteTimothy's faith first lived in his grandmother and mother. That is, they were believers long before Timothy, and they took their responsibility to share that faith with Timothy seriously. And so Paul was able to mentor a young man who was raised in the faith; who was already equipped to some degree to lead others to faith. That is one of the greatest responsibilities of a Christian parent, if not the greatest. We want to help our children come to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for in doing so we equip the next generation to serve as ambassadors of Jesus Christ until He returns. If you had Christian parents, thank them this week for their role in helping you to put your faith in Jesus Christ -- for being disciples who make disciples.
"Come, my children, listen to me;
ReplyDeleteI will teach you the fear of the Lord."
(Psalm 34:11)
One of my favorite things in elementary school was "show and tell." It was awesome to take something I was excited about to school and not only tell my friends about it, but let them see it as well. Sometimes when I did that others would adopt my enthusiasm. That same process is at work as we raise our children in faith or even when we share our faith with those around us. It isn't just a matter of telling them about our faith, although that is critically important. We must also show them our faith so that they can see the difference Jesus has made in our lives. As you seek to be a disciple who makes disciples, remember to "show and tell" someone about your faith today.
"Start children off on the way they should go,
ReplyDeleteand even when they are old they will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6)
This is one of those passages that I think ought to come with various disclaimers. Maybe as Solomon wrote it he had a guy in the background reading all of the various conditions as fast as he could. Lots of us have worked hard to lead our children to faith in Christ only to find that, as they got older, they did indeed turn from it. I don't think that is a failure on the part of the parent. We can't have faith for someone else, and as the old saying goes, "God doesn't have any grandchildren." But I think that we can believe "for" those we love; that we can put our faith and trust in God as He works in the lives of those who have not yet trusted Him as Savior, or who have chosen to not fully trust Him as Lord. Watching our children do what is right in their own eyes is painful, but our hope is in Christ. If you know a Christian parent whose child is struggling in his or her faith right now, take a moment to pray both for the parents and the child, asking God to give the parents hope and to lead the child to faith. Let the parents know you are doing that so as to encourage their faith as well, praying that God's Word in this passage will be fulfilled in the lives of their child or children.
"Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth." (Deuteronomy 11:19-20)
ReplyDeleteGod promised the Israelites that if they would pass along their faith to their children, if they would talk to them about their faith and make that faith visible, their days and the days of their children would be many in the Land. In short, if they wanted to hold on to the Promised Land, they would need to hold on to their faith and help their children hold on to it as well. This makes sense, if you think about it. Many times a man or woman will work hard to build a business, pouring their heart into that endeavor, working long hours and staying focused on what it takes to be successful. But their children don't learn those lessons. They somehow miss the importance of hard work and focusing on building the business up. In a few years they have eaten their seed corn, so to speak, and the business fails or has to be sold. In the same way the Lord cautioned the Israelites to pass on their faith to their children, lest they lose all that God had blessed them with. We know that the nation as a whole failed to do that. Kings became less righteous and more venal with the passage of time, and the people did too, until eventually the Land was taken from them. That is why we need to do all we can to be disciples who make disciples, so that the work God has established through us will bear continue to bear fruit until He returns.
We want to be disciples who make disciples. That is our purpose. And one of the groups we focus on as a church is the youth in our community, and you have a role to play. But how do you get started? I've got a plan, and I want to share it with you this morning. See you at church!
ReplyDelete