God gave the family as the foundation of society defining Family as the first form of society in human history. This means the family is the oldest institution established by God. It is older than the church.
Family is the origin of society. A number of families together becomes a community and ultimately a country. The family is not a product of the state. The state is the product of the family. The family produced the state. If you dissolve the family, you dissolve the state. It is a violation of custodial authority when the state becomes the parent.
Whatever is happening in the community tells us what is happening in the family. When the fabric of our social structure is falling apart, we need to build stronger families not more jails.
Neh 4:14 …Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” NIV
The promises of God are not written to me they are written to “we.” Our problem is we read the Bible as if God is talking to us and us alone. The promises of God are so vast that one person could never contain and fulfill all God has promised. This is why we must explore and experience the joy of community in order to experience the promises of God in the fullness the way he designed us.
The life God created you to live is not the life you can live alone. You must discover the joy of community to experience the fullness of life.
Often I love to quote how God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond our wildest imagination. Of course, I’m reference a single verse out of Ephesians, chapter three. A close look at the context of this verse reveals something very interesting about the unlimited abilities of God. These unlimited abilities are available to us within the context of community, together as God’s family.
Eph 3:14-21 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. NIV
God knows you not only need him but you need people. If you listen he will deepen your conviction about community. There is a certain wonder of community that is beautiful and enriching. A lot of people are intrigued by what we have as a church family but some lived a diminished life because they choose to live on the outside. They don’t purpose to live on the outside. They just give up every time it gets difficult. When conflict comes and they have to fight for family on a level of maturity emotionally and spiritually, they just bail out.
Underdeveloped people quickly abandon community and in doing so they sentence themselves to never experiencing the depth of what God has planned for their lives.
Understanding this is really important on many levels.
It’s the old bank account analogy. Immaturity demands a maximum withdraw but only provides a minimum deposit. Relationships are like bank accounts and they go bankrupt over time if you keep taking out of them more than you’re putting into them.
I inquired with our Staff and Elders to get some ideas to empower you to very practically make some deposits this week as you get together with family and friends for Thanksgiving.
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Begin to pray about your family gratitude strategy for Thanksgiving.
PRACTICAL IDEAS:
Everyone drew names of someone at the table. We said a few words of why we were thankful for whoever we drew.
Served at the mission as a family.
We went around the table to say what we are thankful for.
Cards to be bookmarks = write your name at the top. Pass cards to the right asking each person to write one word that comes to mind when you think of the positive characteristics of that person’s life.
Plan to play games and talk about the year asking every person to share some good reflection of the year.
DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY GROUP LEADERS
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. What is a wonderful memory you have from when you were growing up?
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. NKJV
We have been focusing on strengthening our inner man. We’ve been learning how it is not joy that makes us thankful. But it’s gratitude that makes us joyful.
This week’s challenge for us to bring God’s presence to real life GP2RL is: Begin to pray about your family gratitude strategy for Thanksgiving.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
2. What are some ways to make a holiday meal more meaningful? Share any of the things you may have as memories of how your family did this in the past. If you don’t have memories of this then share ideas on how you can create memories in the future.
Many people love to quote how God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond our wildest imagination. Of course, this references a single verse out of Ephesians, chapter three. A close look at the context of this verse reveals something very interesting about the unlimited abilities of God. These unlimited abilities are available to us within the context of community, together as God’s family.
Eph 3:14-21 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. NIV
Underdeveloped people quickly abandon community and in doing so they sentence themselves to never experiencing the depth of what God has planned for their lives.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
3. What are common excuses people use to refuse to get more deeply involved in the community of God’s family?
4. What are some ways you have conquered these excuses in your own life?
Neh 4:14 “…Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” NIV
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
5. Nehemiah says we are to rehearse how great and awesome God has been to us. Share how God has been faithful in your life.
Consider concluding by demonstrating something practical people could implement as an idea for the holiday around a meal. Here are a few ideas I gathered from some of our Staff and Elders:
Everyone draws names of someone at the table. We said a few words of why we were thankful for whomever we drew.
Cards to be bookmarks idea: Write your name at the top. Pass cards to the right asking each person to write one word that comes to mind when you think of the positive characteristics of that person’s life.
We served at the mission as a family.
We went around the table to say what we are thankful for.
Plan to play games and talk about the year asking every person to share some good reflection of the year.