RESTORE THE HOME | SPIRITUAL PARENTING

Intro | Letters to God (picture slides)

A word for Tom & Guðrið

Question - When you think Discipleship, what comes to mind?

Focus on the Family | Not Discipleship but Covenant

What is a covenant? 3 versions (5 in the O.T.)

Contract | Agreement | Equal opportunity | 50/50

Relationship | Friendship over family | Society version of covenant

Godly Covenant | Unconditional | Promises without expecting something back.

We have the same potential in us.

Out do each other with kindness to each other.

This type of relationship | covenant will restore the home, that restores the church, that restores society

Mind sets – core values – changes laws | 1st church is a perfect example of this.

A Biblical Model for "Spiritual Parenting"

1 Thessalonians 2:3–13 NLT

So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery. For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money! As for human praise, we have never sought it from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children. We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too. Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you. You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers. And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory. Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.

They were singled minded in purpose | Commitment | Saying I instead of we analogy.

For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit.

But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ

They cared for the believers as a mother cares for her children

YouTube video story – can’t wait to hold my baby | Can’t wait to care.

Cherish means to keep warm | compared to Ephesians 5:29 – loving your wife as you care for your own body (Jesus)

But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.

So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.

They became role models | Modeling

GAF stories vs. Faroese friend from Bible school.

For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.

10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe;

They gave individual attention and instruction as a father | Personal Attention

We are worthy, holy, saints, no longer sinners | Prophecy & Discipline are one in the same

as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children,

12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

The Word of God was essential | Teaching | Through Authentic Covenant

For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

A Godly covenant | Restores relationships, marriages, society

Restore the Home

Closing Prayer

Play the song | Restore the Home by Andy Wallis