Family Shepherds 1
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INTRODUCTION:
INTRODUCTION:
Family Shepherds
Men and Fathers are Important
Family is the cornerstone of society. (As go family so goes world. As go man so goes fam) God has revealed himself as “father.” Created marriage as reflection of the Gospel (Eph 5:25) So many of the problems in our culture is because of absent fathers and unchristlike husbands.
We’ve seen first hand the devastation that comes from doing it wrong. We’ve also seen first hand the absolute difference it makes when a man embraces his calling to Biblical manhood and family discipleship. This is a watershed issue for our culture in this generation.
Broadview exists to make disciples who express genuine faith through Christlike love. This includes a calling to disciple and train MEN who will embrace their responsibility to lead, love, serve and protect.
QUESTION: who’s responsible for discipling your family?
Most people would say it’s the responsibility of the HOME but to what degree and in what way is the CHURCH supposed to help?
What if there were no nurseries, or youth groups, or Sunday schools? How, then, would we propose a plan for one generation to disciple the next?
If you look in to the NT the first church didn’t have what we have today. How did they do it?
Their disciple-making model looked nothing like the models in today’s institutional church. Maybe we should return back to something like that. A return to the model of “Family Shepherds.”
What does Scripture have to say about this issue?
Deut 6:6-7 (Shema)
6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
5 He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
6 that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
1 Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction,
and be attentive, that you may gain insight,
2 for I give you good precepts;
do not forsake my teaching.
3 When I was a son with my father,
tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,
4 he taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
keep my commandments, and live.
5 Get wisdom; get insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will honor you if you embrace her.
9 She will place on your head a graceful garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
10 Hear, my son, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
11 I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
12 When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
and if you run, you will not stumble.
13 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life.
Genesis 1:28 (Creation Mandate)
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Matthew 28:19-20 (Great Commission)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?
4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All of these imply and require some kind of family discipleship. The New Covenant liberates us from the Old Testament Law. However the NT assumes and reinforces much of the wisdom from the OT and prescriptions about the relationships between men and their family.
Ultimately, it’s not a question of “either” the Church “or” the Home. It’s a thoughtful balance of both. The Church ought to come alongside “Family Shepherds” to encourage and equip them.
QUESTIONS:
Where have you had some “wins” in the arena of “family discipleship?” How have your experiences from the past influence the way you think about this issue? What are some difficulties you’ve encountered in the area of family discipleship? If you’re single or have kids out of the home, what kind of thoughts does this discussion bring up? If it’s not “either/or” between discipleship in the church/home - what IS the proper balance?