When Families are not Perfect

Theme: Biblical families

Scriptures

• Genesis 17:9
• Genesis 17:15-19
• Esther 2:5-7
• Acts 16:1
• 2 Timothy 1:5
• Titus 1:4

Objectives: (From the D6 Fusion Sunday School Lesson book)

Know: God can use adaptive family models to disciple children and less mature believers in the absence of traditional generational discipleship.

Think: I can help disciple extended family or other less mature believers.

Do: Step in to disciple family members, or other less mature believers who need a mentor.

Notes and questions:

B1 Some statistics from the Sunday School Lesson Book. This on current statistics of grandparents in the United States. (This is an aside to inform us of an issue. Please pray for those who are living this ministry to their grandchildren).

• More than 13 million children live with their grandparents.
• 34% of grandparents are raising their grandchildren without the aid of a biological parent in the home.
• 45% of grandparents helping to raise their grandchildren are over 55 years old.
• The average household income of a grandmother alone caring for her grandchildren is less than $20,000. This is over one million households. 29% of all custodial grandparents live below the poverty line.
• Among grandparents who financially support their grandchildren, 49% of grandmothers and 34% of grandfathers are unemployed.

B2 Discipleship

C1 Defined:

D1 Disciple \Dis*ci"ple\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Discipled; p. pr. &
  vb. n. Discipling.]
  1. To teach; to train. [Obs.]
     [1913 Webster]

D2 I was surprised to find out modern dictionaries do not have the verb form. I had to find it in a 1913 Webster.

C2 A disciple whether it is our child, a new Christian, or a Christian who has not grown or been taught in the faith needs these things:

D1 Knowledge

E1 Bible knowledge

E2 Doctrine

E3 Life issues

F1 Temptation

F2 Sin

F3 Forgiveness

F4 Assurance

F5 God’s standards

F6 Prophecy

E4 How to grow in the faith

F1 Bible reading

F2 Bible study

F3 Fellowship

F4 Prayer

F5 Suffering

D2 Character

E1 In thoughts, desires, words, and deeds

E2 Time to grow (need experience)

E3 Truth

E4 Confession of sin

E5 Trust

D3 Apologetics

E1 Bible reliability

E2 Jesus

E3 Hard questions

F1 Problem of evil

F2 Creation

F3 Noah’s flood

E4 Issues of society

C3 The role of

D1 The believer (the individual him/herself)

D2 The church (members)

D3 The pastor and other church staff

C4 Attitude

D1 Of mentor

D2 Of student

D3 Be careful with religious lingo.

C5 Another author summarizes it as

D1 Message (Begin with the Gospel)

D2 Mission (Matthew 28:18-20 & Acts 1:6-11)

D3 Motive (Mark 12:28-34 & 1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

D4 Knowledge (Proverbs 2:1-6 & Philippians 3:8-14 together)

D5 Character (Galatians 5:6-26 & Philippians 4:4-9)

D6 Conduct (Mark 4:1-20 & Mark 9:33-41)

B3 Guidelines for raising children

C1 Love them

D1 Love is not showering them with gifts and activities.

D2 Love is not letting them do what they want without guidance.

D3 Love is setting limits. God does this with us. We do not have unlimited, sovereign freedom. If possible, it is good to teach them how to sit still at 2 years old. This mom tells us how she did (I can’t vouch for the website, as I haven’t checked it out. I only read the article). The pasture illustration.

D4 Love is spending time with them.

D5 Love is consistency.

D6 Love is steadfastness.

D7 Love is letting them have some freedom. Don’t be a helicopter parent. Some information can be found here—Let Grow. A program followed by a school is here.

C2 Listen to them

C3 Practice what you preach. This is showing a good example.

C4 Give them ideals

C5 Let them fail. Let them try things. Support them, not oppress them.

C6 Live and enjoy life as a family unit, not as separate individuals just living in the same house.

C7 Be a Christian.

D1 Teach them what a Christian is and why.

D2 Show them there are answers to hard questions.

D3 Tell them the gospel.

D4 Live the gospel.

D5 Pray with them.

D6 Confess and ask forgiveness.

D7 Love your spouse openly with kindness, respect, compassion, helpfulness, etc.

D8 Let them see you reading and studying the Bible.

D9 Live by the Bible’s concepts.

D10 Defend the faith.

D11 Show them the greatest fulfillment is loving God, and that the only way to love God is obey Him, and that the New Testament teachings are the voice of God.

D12 Show them by thoughts, desires, words, and deeds that being a Bible believing Christian is very important.

D13 Go to church.

D14 Make it a point to have your close friends be Christians.

D15 Serve and help others as much as possible.

C8 Emphasize empathy.

C9 Praise them for traits and attitudes. Do not praise them for natural talents or beauty.

B4 Bible study

C1 Genesis 17:9

D1 Verse

E1 Genesis 17:9 NKJV And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

E2 Genesis 17:9 HCSB God also said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations are to keep My covenant.

D2 What covenant is God speaking of?

E1 Always obey me and be blameless (Genesis 17:1). What does blameless mean, and what is the difference between being blameless and sinless?

E2 Male circumcision (Genesis 17:10).

D3 Why are Abraham’s descendants to keep (obey) God’s covenant with Abraham forever?

C2 Genesis 17:15-19

D1 Verse

E1 Genesis 17:15-19 NKJV Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. “And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.” Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.

E2 Genesis 17:15-19 GNB92 God said to Abraham, “You must no longer call your wife Sarai; from now on her name is Sarah. I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will become the mother of nations, and there will be kings among her descendants.” Abraham bowed down with his face touching the ground, but he began to laugh when he thought, “Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah have a child at ninety?” He asked God, “Why not let Ishmael be my heir?” But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son and you will name him Isaac. I will keep my covenant with him and with his descendants forever. It is an everlasting covenant.

D2 What did Abraham have to learn from this conversation with God?

D3 Why did God not accept Ishmael?

D4 How long will this covenant last?

C3 Esther 2:5-7

D1 Verse

E1 Esther 2:5-7 NKJV In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite. Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been captured with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

E2 Esther 2:5-7 HCSB In the fortress of Susa, there was a Jewish man named Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite. He had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the other captives when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took King Jeconiah of Judah into exile. Mordecai was the legal guardian of his cousin Hadassah (that is, Esther), because she didn’t have a father or mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was extremely good-looking. When her father and mother died, Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter.

D2 What is the importance of this adoption?

D3 What motivated Mordecai to adopt Esther?

C4 Acts 16:1

D1 Verse

E1 Acts 16:1 NKJV Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.

E2 Acts 16:1 GNB92 Paul traveled on to Derbe and Lystra, where a Christian named Timothy lived. His mother, who was also a Christian, was Jewish, but his father was a Greek.

D2 Timothy was considered a Jew because his mother was a Jewess.

D3 Timothy’s father may not have been a Christian. How can we help the child of a mixed marriage to believe and live a Christian life?

C5 2 Timothy 1:5

D1 Verse

E1 2 Timothy 1:5 NKJV 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.

E2 2 Timothy 1:5 HCSB Clearly recalling your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois, then in your mother Eunice, and that I am convinced is in you also.

D2 How do we decide what is genuine faith?

D3 What characteristics would Timothy have shown so Paul would consider him to have genuine faith?

C6 Titus 1:4

D1 Verse

E1 Titus 1:4 NKJV To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

E2 Titus 1:4 HCSB To Titus, my true son in our common faith. Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

D2 How is Timothy a son of Paul?

D3 Why is it good to pray and bless another?

B5 Next week:

C1 Pass it on

C2 Theme: Generational Discipleship

C3 Scriptures: Deuteronomy 6:5-9, Ephesians 4:11-13, and Galatians 5:22-23