What I Would Do Differently
Lesson 5: Church History, Review, Debriefing, and Post-Survey
7. TAKE POST SURVEY
38 Stinson and Jones, Trained in the Fear of God, 120.
39 Timothy Paul Jones, “The Faith at Home Movement: What Makes It Distinct and What Gaps Still Remain?,” in Practical Family Ministry: A Collection of Ideas for Your Church, ed. Timothy Paul Jones and John David Trentham (Nashville: Randall House, 2015), 11.
40 Stinson and Jones, Trained in the Fear of God, 126.
APPENDIX 3
LESSON GUIDES FOR NOTE TAKING FOR PARTICIPANTS
Lesson 1: A Call to Personal Commitment to Growing in Christ
One of the key biblical texts concerning this important topic is __________________________:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
There are three parts of this passage I want to focus on about: Personal growth and discipling your children.
1) You are to know God and love Him with ____________________ your being.
2) You are to strive to _____________________________________________on to your children by diligently teaching them in word and deed, whether by focused times of explicitly teaching from the Bible, or implicitly, by referring to God, His character, and commandments as they apply to the special or mundane events of life.
3) Your ___________________________________ of Christ-likeness, which can teach your children more than just your words.
What are family discipleship and family worship?
Family _______________________________. Family discipleship involves
“parents…engag(ing) actively in their children’s spiritual development,”1 whether in
“planned discipleship processes,” such as “family devotional times,” or “spontaneous spiritual conversations,” to “shape the souls of children.”2
Family ______________________________. That element of family discipleship which involves “formal training”3 through “a regular time of pulling the family together”
(family devotions) for learning the Word of God, praying, and/or employing other means of grace for spiritual growth. This is also called “the family altar,” “family devotions,” or
“faith talks.”4
3) We will deal with the first issue in our first lesson: Loving and knowing God with all our being.
LESSON AIM: YOU ARE COMMANDED TO ______________________ IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND LOVE HIM WITH ALL YOUR BEING. IF YOU ARE NOT ACTIVELY DOING THAT, YOUR ATTEMPTS AT DISCIPLESHIP OF YOUR CHILDREN WILL LIKELY BE SERIOUSLY LACKING.
I. Are you a child of God?
A. Have you truly _____________________________of your sins?
B. Are you putting ________________________ in Christ as your only Savior and Lord?
II. The discipleship of your family is doomed to failure if you are not first growing in Christ ___________________________________.
A. Importance of Parents’ Personal Discipleship Commitment
1. Luke 6:40: “A disciple (a learner; in this case, your child) is not above his teacher (you, as the parent), but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”5
2. Where you are godly, they have a powerful ________________ to imitate.
B. “The greatest obstacle parents have to overcome in leading their children spiritually is their own _________________________________ or morbidly religious relationship with God accompanied by a juvenile
2 Jones, Family Ministry Field Guide, 25.
3 Randy Stinson and Timothy Paul Jones, Trained in the Fear of God (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2011), 195.
4 Ibid., 87.
5 The majority of verses cited in these lessons are taken from the English Standard Version, with some coming from the New King James Version.
understanding of His Word…Many of us have never been truly discipled ourselves.”6
III. Are you currently and actively growing in Christ personally?
1. 2 Pet. 3:18: “But _________________________ in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...”
2. I Tim. 4:12b-16: “Be an ____________________________ to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading (the Bible), to exhortation, to
doctrine…Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”
*Again, listen to these words as a parent: Meditate on the things of God; give yourself __________________________ to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the teachings from God’s Word. Continue in them, for in doing this you will ____________________ both yourself and those who hear you.”
QUESTION: WHAT ARE THE BASIC MEANS OF GRACE THAT WILL HELP YOU GROW IN CHRIST?
1. The basics: prayer, Bible study and meditation, faithful attendance at church, and striving after holiness
a. Prayer: What is your ________________________ life like?
(1) I Thess. 5:17: “Pray without ceasing”—an ongoing communion with God, lifting up praise, confession, thanks, and requests throughout the day.
(2) Phil. 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, (STOP YOUR WORRYING!) but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
(3) Mt. 6:6: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
(a) While the other two verses focus on a heart attitude that prays to God throughout the day, here is a command that you get _____________________________ with your Heavenly Father for special times of prayer.
b. The _____________________________
(1) Josh. 1:8: “This Book of the Law (THE BIBLE) shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
(2) Job 23:12: “I have not departed from the commandment of (God’s) lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.”
c. Faithful attendance at _________________________
(a) Ps. 122:1: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’”
(b) Our attitude about going to church should be happiness and eagerness.
(c) Heb. 10:24-25: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not
_________________________________ to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
(d) Or moving to another thing that gets in the way: Are children’s (or adult’s) ___________________and other activities more important than God’s appointment with you? Is work? Is apathy or drowsiness? Is entertainment?
Are your children’s coaches and instructors’ schedules more important than God’s? Please, if there is anyone who tries to impose on your schedule a conflict with God’s appointment with you at church, just say ______________!
(e) Your attitude toward church attendance on the Lord’s Day and other times will teach your children volumes about how important it really is.
d. Striving after _________________________; fighting sin and seeking to grow in your devotion to God
(1) I Pet. 1:14-16: “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
(2) Phil. 4:8-9: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
What you have learned and received and heard and seen in
IV. BREAKOUT SESSION: Discuss with your spouse or a neighbor in this class about two topics:
A. One area already mentioned in which you want to thank God He has helped you grow, and how that growth is exemplified in your lives.
B. One area already mentioned in which you desire to grow. Discuss specifically how you can make it happen, so that it is not just a nebulous concept, but becomes an action plan in your lives.
IN THE NEXT LESSON, YOU WILL GET A CHANCE TO DISCUSS WITH YOUR SPOUSE OR A NEIGHBOR IN THE CLASS YOUR PROGRESS IN GROWTH IN CHRIST
HOMEWORK:
1. SEEK TO ACTIVELY GROW YOUR OWN SPIRITUAL LIFE THIS WEEK BY COMMITMENT TO PRAYER, BIBLE READING AND MEDITATION, FAITHFUL CHURCH ATTENDANCE, AND HOLINESS IN PUTTING OFF SIN AND PUTTING ON GOOD WORKS; BE READY TO DISCUSS YOUR FAITH JOURNEY NEXT WEEK WITH A PARTNER.
2. ALSO, PLEASE HAVE A NUMBER WITH YOU NEXT CLASS TO TALK TO YOUR PARTNER ABOUT: HOW MANY DAYS YOU SPENT A
MEANINGFUL TIME ALONE WITH GOD IN PRAYER AND/OR BIBLE/DEVOTIONAL READING.
3. BEGIN THINKING ABOUT WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE AT YOUR HOUSE WITH YOUR FAMILY HAVING REGULAR FAMILY WORSHIP (OR “FAITH TALKS”) AND ALSO TAKING ADVANTAGE OF “GOD MOMENTS” WHEN YOU CAN POINT YOUR CHILDREN TO GOD OR HIS TRUTH IN THE SPECIAL AND/OR MUNDANE EVENTS OF LIFE.
Lesson 2: Family Discipleship, Especially the