Jesus Loves Families

The Bible teaches that discipline is not merely about punishment but is rooted in love and so dedicated to instruction and training in the constant direction of righteousness. No parents will discipline their children properly unless they continually strive to follow Scripture’s guidance in raising children in a way that honors God. The Old Testament’s Wisdom Literature arguably lays the foundation of direct wise instruction about parental discipline. Fo r instance, Proverbs 22:6 instructs, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” This passage emphasizes the importance of early and consistent training. Proverbs 13:24 says, “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.” This verse highlights the fact that it is highly likely that an undisciplined child will grow up to be an undisciplined adult, which is a sinner doomed to a rough life and, perhaps, even worse eternal destiny. Any parent who w...

  Read the text and briefly discuss it together. Some discussion-starter questions are provided. Then read the closing text as a guide to your family prayer and finish by praying together and singing a hymn. Attending Bible class, also called Sunday School or Bible Study, is really important. It's when church members attend classes together before or after worship to learn more about God and the Bible. Here are 12 good reasons why you should go all the time unless you’re sick or something like that: (1) God is pleased when we get together to study His word (1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 2:15). (2) Your friends at church want you to come because they know it's fun and you'll learn a lot. (3) The people who teach work hard to make sure they have good stuff to share. (4) Sermons are essential, but you can only learn a little from listening to one sermon a week. Bible class gives you more. (5) As you learn more, you can also help your friends understand things. (6) If you've ev...

Read the text and briefly discuss it together. Some discussion-starter questions are provided. Then read the closing text as a guide to your family prayer and finish by praying together and singing a hymn. Worshiping God the right way is super important. The Bible (John 4) says we should worship in a way that's spiritual and true. That means we follow what the Bible tells us (John 10:35; 2 Tim 3:16–17; 2 Pet 1:20–21). A long time ago, in the Old Testament, people worshiped God at altars with special fires, animal blood, and smoke from incense (Genesis–Deuteronomy). But we don't do those things anymore. Why? Because Jesus came and changed things. He did everything the Old Testament Law required and finished it (Ephesians 2:15). Now, we follow what Jesus and His apostles taught, which is written in the New Testament. So, to please God when we worship, we do it the New Testament says, not the old way (John 1:17). We listen to what the Holy Spirit taught the apostles to write in th...

Read the text and briefly discuss it together. Some discussion-starter questions are provided. Then read the closing text as a guide to your family prayer and finish by praying together and singing a hymn. In John 4:23, Jesus tells us that true worshippers will worship God “in spirit and truth.” Here's what that means: First, “in spirit” could mean different things: It might mean with the help of the Holy Spirit, so we're connected to God through Him when we believe and follow the Bible. Or, it could mean from our own spirit, the inside part of us that thinks and feels. This means we should worship with our whole hearts, not just by going through the motions. It might also mean with the right attitude, like being happy and sincere when we worship, not grumpy or fake. Finally, it could mean that worship isn't limited to a specific place; it can happen anywhere because God is everywhere. Since Jesus didn't specify, it’s best to say He means all of these things. So, what d...

Read the text and briefly discuss it together. Some discussion-starter questions are provided. Then read the closing text as a guide to your family prayer and finish by praying together and singing a hymn. Hebrews 11:23–27 tells us that Moses endured a lot during his ministry, but he endured it all because he lived as if he could see God, even though God is invisible to us in this life. What would you do if you could see invisible things? Some people might think of movies or books where characters have the power to become invisible or to see those who can, but in real life, seeing the invisible isn't about magic or superpowers. It's about believing in real spiritual things that we can't see with our physical eyes. The Bible says faith doesn't believe in things without proof; it knows about things we can't see (Heb 11:1). God put a sort of invisible curtain between us and the spirit world so we wouldn't get hurt by seeing things we're not ready for. If God we...