What is family worship? (Click the arrow to the left)
As Christians, particularly Christian men, we are responsible to lead our households with strength and resolve in the ways of Christ. Leading our families in devotions and family worship is one way to lead our families, raising our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Jesus Christ (cf. Deuteronomy 6:7; Ephesians 6:4).
In my house, we do morning and evenings. In the morning after we eat breakfast together, we all have our quiet times. We read our Bibles seperately and journal what we see. In the evenings before bed, we talk about what we saw in our morning Bible reading, I share my insight from my own devotional time, we ask questions from the New City Catechism, we sing a couple worship songs together, and then we pray as a family. Family worship doesn’t have to look like this. It may look different for every household, but I want to invite you to join me in leading our families well. Every weekday on this blog, I want to provide a guide for fathers to lead their families in some form of family worship. If your household doesn’t have a father, I believe the responsibility falls to the mother. Design a routine that works for your family, but be intentional about leading in the only way that matters instead of getting too caught up with the affairs of this world. Every Christian man is the pastor of his home. I believe the most important thing we can do for our children is (1) lead them in the home and (2) be faithful to the church as a family. As the family goes, so goes the nation. Our job as pastors to our family matters.
Today is Wednesday, and we have activities for children, youth, and adults at ASBC! If you can’t make it tonight or want to supplement our time together with a family worship time, here is today’s guide.
If you went to church, talk as a family first about what everyone learned at church.
John 3:9-17
9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?
11 “Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.
12 “If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
13 “No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.
14 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His conly begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
Nicodemus did not understand how one must be born again by the Spirit. As basic a truth it was for Jesus, not even Israel’s teacher understood. That means it is perfectly okay if we don’t understand exactly how salvation works. Christians argue from different points of view about the order of salvation, but I don’t think it is necessary to do so. Jesus saves us. We have faith He is just in how He brings about our salvation. With childlike faith we seek to follow after Him. The Christian faith is easier than we often make it.
If Jesus is teaching about earthly things, how will nicodemus understand heavenly things? Explicitly, Jesus claims that teaching about the kingdom of heaven is an earthly thing. It’s not teaching about heaven as an etherial place. In the Old and New testaments, the kingdom of heaven is always the expanding kingdom of the messiah on the earth. It isn’t like the kingdoms of the world, but it is on the earth. Jesus is teaching about earthly things, not heavenly things, because Nicodemus certainly would not understand heavenly things.
Jesus is the only one who came from Heaven to Earth to establish His kingdom. He must be lifted up. When people look to Him, they will be healed of sin’s venom. Whoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have everlasting life. He came to save, not condemn.
Considering all of John 3, the regenerative work of the Spirit precedes individual belief and acceptance of salvation as a gift. We are made citizens by the Spirit first, then we believe upon Christ. I believe this to be a logical order, not a temporal one. Because God is timeless, all of His economic operations are inseparable and indistinguishable from the others
Today’s question from the New City Catechism:
Q- What does God require in the ninth and tenth commandments?
A- Ninth, that we do not lie or deceive. Tenth, that we are content, not envying anyone.
James 2:8 says,
8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
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