Week of October 14th - A Godly Family

Key Thought:
Regardless of the type of family you grew up in, God has called you to play a key role in helping Him make your current family perfect. As we learned last week, “perfection” doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve “arrived,” but that you are in a “process” toward perfection (perfection meaning “complete, mature, lacking nothing, sufficient and adequate for the job you’re called to perform”). God is perfecting our church and part of that process is the work He’s doing to perfect our families. A perfect church is made up of perfect families. If you feel like your family is quite imperfect and you don’t see much hope of it getting better (let alone perfect), God is asking you to let him do the work required. It’s time to stop trying to fix everything on your own strength and fall on your face, humbly asking God to do a miracle. He knows better what a perfect family looks like and He’s the only one with the power to complete the job. All you have to do is be sensitive to his direction for what to do and when. Then, when he speaks to you about your family, be sure you don’t hesitate to respond. If God says that you need to confess your own sins that are affecting your family, then do it. If God is telling you to get some Christian counseling or to meet with the Pastor – do it. If God convicts you that you aren’t spending enough time with your kids or you’re not prioritizing your spouse, then change your priorities. God can also use other families as an example for you to follow, so make it a priority to build relationships with families you admire as being spiritual and committed (remember though, they are also in process, so don’t expect everything in their life to be perfect). Above all begin to pray and search God’s Word for His wisdom for your life. Only through obedience to God can you experience God’s blessing in your family. In the end an obedient and blessed family will bless other families!

Sermon:
Take some time to write down some important thoughts that have stuck with you from Steve’s Sermon, “Picture Perfect Family” (Oct 14th, 2007).

Bible Reading:
Mon – Genesis 21:1-21
Tue – Deuteronomy 4:1-10
Wed – Psalm 133
Thurs – Acts 16:22-40
Friday – Genesis 32, 33

Key Questions to Ponder During the Week:

1. What were the healthy and unhealthy patterns you observed in your family of origin? Have you repeated any of these patterns in your current family?
2. Do you find that there are common issues that most families are struggling with in our world today?
3. List the characteristics present in families that have moved significantly toward perfection? How many of these characteristics are present in your family? Which is one characteristic God wants you to let Him work on immediately?
4. What typically prevents families from moving toward perfection?
5. How does the issue of perfect families directly affect our church? What implications does this have for our witness to a lost world?