Our Home, God's HomeUzorak

POWER IN FAMILY

INTRODUCTION

Let every family, physical family, and spiritual family in the cell group have the same determination that is to do this word of God, bring the whole family to worship God. Do not worship and serve God alone, you should ask other family members to do it together. We need to learn from Joshua who said "But for me and my household, we will worship God". We can see the consequences of this decision, how the Israelites enjoyed the abundance of God's blessings. 

It also applies in our lives now. One level of worship that pleases God is to serve the family. And what God wants to build in the family is God's kingdom family. A healthy, holy, and joyful family. Therefore, relationships, communication, and love in the family must be built and maintained well. 

SHARING

In this one month, we have discussed many things about "Family", but this time we need to know the crucial things that happened at the beginning God created the Family:

1. God's Vision for Your Family (Gen. 2:18-25 and I Pet. 3: 1,7)

God has a vision for family and provides guidance on how to run a family. How to be a good husband or wife, to be a wise parent, to be role models, and to love their children.

We need to strengthen our family because God's vision for families is big and powerful. A family is needed as a place to share life and love, also a place where we can communicate well. It should not only be built but also need to be maintained, so that there is no chance for the devil to attack our family.

God's vision for the family:

a. God gives authority. Authority is given to the husband to organize his family, to protect, to love, and respect his wife.

b. A comparable helper. The wife must submit to her husband, love and respect her husband.

God’s purpose in creating families on this earth is to build the "God's Kingdom family", where inside there must be holy, happy, and healthy families. Have a good relationship with family members and other people around them.

2. God’s plan for family polluted by satan (Genesis 3)

Pollution from the devil causes a problem in relationships. That will ultimately affect the relationship between husband and wife and moreover their relationship with God. What triggers “relationship pollution” in husband and wife’s life and other people around?

a. Let the temptation in. If we can say "no" to temptation, then the devil will not be able to enter and live in our lives.

b. Sin.

c. Disobedience.

d. Guilt and shame.

Pollution in our relationship with God will cause relationship pollution among husband/wife and other people. The beauty of relationships can also be destroyed by fear, such as fear of being judged and spoken by others. Fear also can cause no more openness between husband and wife.

3. God's Solution to Restore the Family (Gen 3: 15-21).

Be grateful that God has a solution to restore family relationships.

a. God provides the Redeemer. To cover the shame of Adam and Eve, God had to sacrifice animals to cover their nakedness. And to restore our relationship with God, family, and neighbor, God promises redemption through Jesus Christ. Therefore, put on Christ and the mind of Christ.

b. The work of the cross restored family relationships. The curse is changed into a blessing.

c. Understand that our enemy is the devil, not the family member or husband/wife.

Our part in protecting families, establishing relationships between family and God, having a holy, happy, and healthy family is to provide the Divine order in family life, order in worship, and prayer life, so demonic pollution will not enter our family.

DISCUSSION

1. There is a saying "A strong family, A strong nation". We know that God has a purpose from the first time He created family, but these days a lot of pollution from the world and evil attacks families, including Christian families. How we as Christian families, in particular, face this challenge. Share your personal experiences and solutions.

2. Let's pray for the families. Therefore, each family return to the original plan of God where the husband loves and protects and the wife becomes a comparable helper for the husband. Parents become role models for children and children respect their parents.