The church and the home are the two primary entities that God has positioned to have influence in the world. But today the church and the family are at a crossroads. The church is losing its influence, and the home is losing its heart.
More than ever, we need to rethink how the church partners with and influences families to best equip them for the work of discipleship. Both are hard at work to build faith in children and youth, but they are not always working in sync. Working on the same thing at the same time is not as effective as working on the same thing at the same time with the same strategy.
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
In our new “Better Together” message series this June we will examine God’s plan for the family, the strategic role He’s given to the church, and the unique calling everyone in the church has for helping disciple the next generation. We’ll explore how the church, rooted in the Gospel, is the only place with a purpose big enough to fill our lives. To this end, one of the chief goals of family ministry is to help kids and students — along with their families — mobilize to share their faith and serve in the community.
There is a great deal at stake if youth and kids walk away from our churches without a concept of God that captures their imaginations. We need to show them the wonder, mystery, and power of a God who is too big for them to define, yet who has proven through time and space that He loves them intimately.
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:13-16
I encourage you to be present in worship these four Sundays in June. If you have children or youth, use this series as the basis for greater discussion about the process of discipleship in your home. And if you know families in your neighborhood or social circles who may be looking for help or encouragement, please invite them to join you for church these Sundays.
Praying for you and the families of our church.
