Benefits Part 1- Intimacy of Relationship April 12, 2007
Posted by Erin in : Family Worship Series , add a commentJoe,
I will forgive you for wandering from our well-planned mind map of the family worship series. I think the reflections on reward were a warranted diversion!
Today I am going to start in on the second area we wanted to discuss on family worship, which is the benefits it brings to the family. You hit upon rewards yesterday, but these will be tangible effects you will experience from spending time worshiping together as a family.
The first area we wanted to speak about was the growth in intimacy between the members of your family. And many of you can probably attest to this in other relationships in your lives, not just in regards to family worship. I know when Joe and I were engaged, one of the chief ways we grew in intimacy with one another was by faithfully praying together every night. Whether it was in person or on the phone, whether it was for 15 minutes or 5 minutes, those times of prayer drew us closer together in intimacy.
In family worship, you will have many opportunities to grow in intimacy as you pray, sing, read the Word and memorize Scripture together. God does something supernatural in our relationships with one another when we focus on Him. Many of you have probably heard the analogy of a triangle when it comes to couples. God is the apex of the triangle, while the two people are the two bottom points. As they each grow closer to God, they grow closer to one another as well. When a family is focused on God together, they naturally grow in love and intimacy with one another as well.
You may be thinking that you are already close with your family. But I would encourage us all to evaluate our definition of a “close family”. I have heard so many people say that their family is “so close”. But can we really experience true intimacy apart from all being fixed upon Jesus?
When you worship together as a family you are able to share your struggles and your fears. In essence, you sin is exposed and you really get to know one another. You see one another cry in prayer and rejoice over a section of the Word. You get to celebrate together as a long section of Scripture is memorized. You may even dance to the Lord during the singing of hymns as our daughter will do at times. These are intimate moments that are rarely shared with others.
This is a wonderful benefit and will serve to strengthen not only the relationships in your family, but also the love for the Creator of your family!
Growing in intimacy with you,
Erin
Big Picture Part 5- Eternal Rewards April 11, 2007
Posted by Joe in : Family Worship Series , add a commentErin,
I realize that the outline I gave you didn’t have a part five, but that was simply because I just thought of it now! Of course, I am sure that there is much more than what we have to say, but this one was on my heart today, so I figured I would share it.
In particular, I was thinking about Jesus’ words in Matthew 25. In the parable of the talents, he tells the story of three men whose master entrusted to them part of his property–one servant received 5 talents, another received 2, and one other received one. It is probably a familiar parable to most of those who read this blog, so we remember the master’s words to those faithful servants, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (v. 21; 23).
Now, surely we will have to give an account to God for how we raised our children. And if the worship of God was not central to our homes, how do we expect to impart that to them? We can’t really, of course. As this regards family worship though, I would like to point out that the simple discipline of daily family worship can serve to bring a greater God-centeredness to our homes. The reason I think this is important to point out is because I know I am apt to say that our failure to be faithful with family worship is an indication that we are not centered on God. But it also works the other way. Daily gathering as a family to worship the Lord is a means through which we become more God-centered (which we all need to be).
We have pointed this out already to some degree, but I think it is good to make plain here. This is a discipline that is absolutely necessary because it is a means to saturating our homes with God. And, as the text I quoted above points to, it is a means through which we can faithfully raise our children to the glory of God. That is, this simple practice can serve as one faithful act that the Lord Himself will commend one day. “Well done…”
I know I want to hear that from Him–and so do you. This practice is nothing fancy, and it is not always easy (or ever easy), but it is rewarding indeed. For if it can serve to help us saturate our homes with God and center our children’s hearts (and homes!) on God, the rewards will be sweet and they will be eternal.
So, when we are struggling to do what we know we should one day, let us think about hearing those precious words from the Father, “Well done….”
Seeking to be faithful and fruitful with you,
Joe
Big Picture Part 4- Evangelism April 10, 2007
Posted by Erin in : Family Worship Series , add a commentJoe,
That was great stuff on the vision of family worship in light of the local church. It would be wonderful to see a church experiment and see what might happen if families vowed to spend time worshiping together and see the results that came.
Today I am tackling the fourth part of the vision of family worship, which is a view towards evangelism. This is one that I believe will make a tremendous impact on our children as they grow older and begin to understand all we are praying about.
In our time together as a family, one of the things we do is to spend time in prayer. In this time of prayer, we daily pray for those family members who do not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We also look to pray for missionaries who are serving the church in unreached places of the world. These two areas, I believe will serve to give our children a heart for evangelism of the lost.
First of all, the more we pray for the lost, the more our hearts are stirred for the lost. If our hearts are truly engaged in petitioning our Heavenly Father for the salvation of those who do not know Him, it will naturally follow that our words and actions will also look to show Jesus as precious to these people. This may lead to giving money and possibly going ourselves to the unreached places of the earth or simply sharing a word of truth with a family member.
Another way this family worship time serves to give us a greater heart for evangelism is in special connection with our children. When our children hear us praying for the salvation of family members and friends, it suddenly becomes very clear to them who is a Christian and who is not. Although we are not God and cannot ultimately judge people’s hearts, when Abby comes and asks us one day “Why isn’t _____ a Christian?” this will be a wonderful opportunity to speak of the true fruits of Christianity. Although it will be interesting to figure out how to share that she prays for them to be saved, but doesn’t go and announce to them that Daddy and Mommy says he/she is not a Christian!
May our hearts be stirred up for the lost as we spend time praying for them in our family worship times. Praying for the lost with you,
Erin
Big Picture Part 3- The Church April 9, 2007
Posted by Joe in : Family Worship Series , add a commentErin,
I am sure that we could always say much more about any topic we mention, but I think it is wise for us to keep on moving. Therefor, I am going to move forward today by discussing the way in which daily gathering as a family to worship the Lord serves the church. In particular, I am going to focus on how it serves the local church. More could be said about serving the universal church, but the principles are the same either way.
In contemplating the subject, the first thing that came to mind is how many problems we have in the church that would be taken care of if families–and in particular, fathers–were doing what they should do. Think of it. All of the different issues that arise–among children and spouses and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ–simply because we are not centered on the Lord. And that is only to speak about relational issues. We could become even more practical and speak about young children learning how to sit still in their seats during church, so that they are not a distraction to others.
Well, daily family serves the local church in a host of ways. First, and most importantly I believe, it serves to place responsibility for leadership where it deserves, namely, on the father (of if a single home, the parent). For in our day and age, we are much to apt to think that others should be doing what is, in fact, our own responsibility. More and more parents look to the school system to solve their children’s problems and, it could be said, to raise them. So in the church, many seem to think that the elders and Sunday school teachers and whoever should be responsible to instruct their children in righteousness. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Fathers, I will speak especially here to you. You have a wife and children whom you will have to give an account for. This isn’t an option. It is reality. Their spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical well-beings are under your umbrella. And you will give an account. As it relates to instruction in righteousness, no matter how inept you might feel yourself to be, you are called to lead your home in godliness. And the Lord will honor your efforts. Your wife and children need you to lead. They need you to step up to the plate and do what you know you should. Not only that, but your local church (and the church universal) needs the same.
We serve our local church best not by being out at meetings every night, but instead, by leading our homes in godliness. Imagine if we would really come to embrace this reality! Imagine if men really stepped up to the plate and embraced their high callings to lead and love their homes! Would the church suffer from less meetings? I think not!
Family worship is a given in this context. To lead our homes, we must lead those within by daily coming before the Lord together. If everyone in our local churches got a hold of this vision, things would be no means remain the same. Church leaders, do you emphasize this? Do you train your men in this discipline? We are wise to take a look.
That is enough for now. Erin, let us labor to serve our local body by leading our young ones well.
Seeking Him with you,
Joe
Big Picture Part 2- God-Centered Home April 6, 2007
Posted by Erin in : Family Worship Series , add a commentJoe,
Thanks for filling in more of part 1. I figured you would do so and will probably have to here as well! For the second part of the vision of family worship, we wanted to hit upon the big picture of being a God-centered home.
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. This was Jesus telling us that God has to be our everything. He needs to be our center and our passion. This not only holds true for our own personal lives as Christians, but for our marriages, our families, and our churches. And we have the promises that one day He will be the center of the whole world!
So if we say we want Jesus to be the center of our home, we must engage in family worship. Whenever you take the time to do something EVERY day, you communicate that it is important. Anything that is central to your life must be practiced regularly. Just think how odd it would be if someone told you that health was a central part of their life and then told you they exercised 2-4 times a month. It is the same thing when people say their home is centered on Christ when they rarely worship Him together as a family.
To be centered on God as an individual requires a time of focused attention on worshiping Him. The same holds true for a family. Just as an individual person can attend church, wear all the WWJD bracelets they want, know all the latest worship songs and still not have an intimate relationship with Jesus, so a family can attend church, fill their walls with Jesus plaques, play Christian music and know nothing of true God-centeredness.
To be a family (or person) centered on God, you must gaze upon Him. And this can only come by worshiping Him together as a family. Let us strive to consume ourselves with the glory of God in our family worship!
Seeking a God-centered home with you,
Erin
Big Picture Part 1 Part 2 April 5, 2007
Posted by Joe in : Family Worship Series , add a commentErin,
Catchy title hey? Well, it is not that you missed anything yesterday, but I just wanted to say more on that topic (imagine that!).
I’ll begin by saying that the reason the kingdom of God matters is because the glory of God matters. And God aims to manifest His glory through the building of His kingdom. His kingdom is His rule, His reign. Wherever that reign is established and evident, there is His kingdom. And it is as He establishes His reign that He reveals the glory of His Person. And this is ultimately what everything is all about. For the kingdom would not matter if it did not reveal God. Indeed, nothing would matter if it did not reveal God.
As it relates to family worship, I think it is vital for us to keep in mind the big picture. Too often we become caught up in our own little four walls, so to speak. We just lose ourselves in the ‘hum drum’ of life and fail to realize all that we are living for. The kingdom! And ultimately, the glory of God revealed through His kingdom! This is why Jesus calls us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness–and then promises that when we do so, we will be granted ‘all these things.’ Where the reign and righteousness of God is sought, the blessing of God is received.
Family worship is a means to pursuing His blessing because it is a means to seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. We are fooling ourselves as families if we try to say that we are seeking first the kingdom of God and leading our children in the same without leading them in daily worship! No way! Impossible, I believe. If we are truly about the business of the kingdom, we will be about the business of leading our homes. We will be about the business of family worship.
More could be said, but I just want to re-emphasize a point I made above. Daily family worship is not ultimately about teaching your kids to sit still or teaching them the Scriptures or teaching them how to pray or bringing greater family intimacy. Those are positive effects to be sure, but none of them are ultimate. Daily family worship is about the glory of God being revealed through the up-building of His kingdom–one home and one child at a time. It is about centering our homes on the worship of the Lord our God. It is about prioritizing our lives on that which matters. If we have children, this discipline is foundational to our calling to seek first the rule and reign and righteousness of God.
It cannot be ignored. And it must not become dull routine. For if it does, it shows we have lost sight of the big picture–indeed, we have lost sight of God. So let us labor to set our eyes on that which is eternal, on that which matters, on that which will forever last–the glory of God revealed through His kingdom. Then let us daily come together as families to seek first His rule and reign.
Seeking Him with you,
Joe
Big Picture Part 1- The Kingdom of God April 4, 2007
Posted by Erin in : Family Worship Series , add a commentJoe,
Wow. I don’t know that I am ready to take the first big topic here! I do think this is a great topic to linger on though, so I am sure that if I miss anything, you will fill in admirably!
So probably the biggest reason family worship is vital to our lives is because of the way it is used to expand the kingdom of God. Jesus left us instructions to go and make disciples, but too often we forget that the disciples we have the greatest influence over are the little ones in our home. So many Christians can be heard saying that they “want to do something great for the kingdom”, but fail to begin in their own homes.
To make the biggest impact for the kingdom, we must first look at our personal relationships with God, but then must come the spiritual lives of our families. Many of us will make a greater impact for the kingdom of God by pouring into our young ones than we ever would trying to run around and do a hundred things. You could be raising the next Jonathan Edwards or William Carey or William Wilberforce!
The kingdom of God is made up of people; and the smallest unit those people comprise is that of the family. Let us have a view to impact the kingdom through the daily discipline of family worship.
Impacting the kingdom together,
Erin
Family Worship Series April 3, 2007
Posted by Joe in : Family Worship Series , add a commentErin,
As we spoke of this morning, I do think it would be beneficial to a write a series of posts on Family Worship. The interview I linked to the other day combined with your post from yesterday definitely stirred my heart to address the topic at length. We have seen what a blessing this practice has been in our home and thus, are confident that it will serve the same interest of joy in the homes of others. In relationship to our emphasis here, I do think that this practice has a special influence on the lives of children. I am thankful that the Lord woke me up to lead in this area before Abigail became too old (with your help of course!).
So, after our short brainstorming session, here are the topics we have to address.
1) The Big-picture of Family Worship
2) Basic Benefits of Family Worship
3) Normal Pitfalls of Family Worship
4) Primary Components of Family Worship
5) Helpful Resources on/for Family Worship
Each topic contains a series of posts, so we could linger here for about a month! I do think, however, that it will be beneficial for us to do so. Maybe it will help clarify some convictions and expose some areas of weakness. I hope and pray it also serves to help others faithfully practice this discipline. It is interesting to think that there has probably been no family in the history of the world that has ever regretted this practice! Amazing isn’t it? So let’s do some pondering on the topic and pray for the grace to have something worthwhile to say! And let’s get it started tomorrow.
Seeking first the kingdom with you,
Joe