Family Life Ministry 2016 = The Purpose Driven Family

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Preston Russell
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(Generational) Family Systems JUNE: Mid-Year Summary (Family Life Townhall) JULY: The Power in Unity of Purpose AUGUST: Purpose & Training

1 Family Life Ministry 2016 = The Purpose Driven Family JANUARY: The Power of Vision in The Family Setting FEBRUARY: Developing Your Child's Vision/Dream of Possibilities MARCH: Building Posterity With Your Tongue (The Power of Parental Blessing) APRIL: Developing Enduring (Generational) Family Systems JUNE: Mid-Year Summary (Family Life Townhall) JULY: The Power in Unity of Purpose AUGUST: Purpose & Training (Preparing Your Children for The Fulfillment of God s Purpose) SEPTEMBER: Modeling the Future OCTOBER/NOVEMBER: Family Retreat AUGUST: Purpose & Training (Preparation Time)

2 The Power of Vision in The Family Setting Success in any area of life happens on purpose, never by accident! In the family setting success only happens when you are in agreement and committed to the same purpose Lack of commitment to a common purpose results in misunderstanding, disunity, division (dualvision), disagreement, etc.

3 Unity Requires Openness! Genesis 2:25 - Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame Transparency (non-concealment) Communication Both parties talking beyond superficial level Delve into details Willingness to be vulnerable Create an atmosphere on no shame Welcome feedback Marriage is not about self it is about giving not taking Welcome each other s contribution to benefit the home/relationship Share your values Agree on goals

4 Mid-Year Townhall Q&A (I) 1. How many families in the audience have developed their family vision? 2. How has the understanding of your family vision impacted your family life & relationship? 3. What sort of questions/issues did the process of developing your family vision generate? 4. How did you handle those questions/issues? 5. What changes have you made or plan to make as a result of developing your family vision?

Text = Genesis 18:18-19 King James Version (KJV) 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

5 Text = Genesis 18:18-19 King James Version (KJV) 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? (PURPOSE/VISION/PROMISE) 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment (CONDITION); that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. (OUTCOME/CONSEQUENCE)

6 Fathers are Charged with Training Their Family You ll notice from our text that the responsibility of teaching children was placed on Abraham (not Sarah) A very important point from the text is that God had already determined/purposed to make Abraham a mighty nation and bless all nations of the earth through him and his family But the fulfillment of this purpose/promise was contingent on him commanding (teaching) his children to keep the way of The Lord!

7 Manhood Does Not Equate To Fatherhood! One of the greatest tragedies of our world today is the loss of fatherhood, because as men goes so goes the family and ultimately the nation! We are going to look at some statistics, but as we read please bear in mind that a man being in the house does not equate to fatherhood! Many men are physically present in the home but emotionally absent and disconnected from their wife and children!

8 Statistics: The Impact of Loss of Fatherhood America is rapidly becoming a fatherless society, or perhaps more accurately, an absentee father society. The importance and influence of fathers in families has been in significant decline since the Industrial Revolution and is now reaching critical proportions. As Alexander Mitscherlich argues in Society Without A Father, there has been a "progressive loss of the father's authority and diminution of his power in the family and over the family."

9 Statistics: The Impact of Loss of Fatherhood "If present trends continue, writes David Popenoe, a professor of sociology at Rutgers University, "the percentage of American children living apart from their biological fathers will reach 50% by the next century." He argues "this massive erosion of fatherhood contributes mightily to many of the major social problems of our time...fatherless children have a risk factor of two to three times that of fathered children for a wide range of negative outcomes, including dropping out of high school, giving birth as a teenager and becoming a juvenile delinquent."

10 Statistics: The Impact of Loss of Fatherhood According to David Blankenhorn, author of Fatherless America, chair of the National Fatherhood Initiative and founder/president of the Institute for American Values, organization, and research conducted by Popenoe and scores of other researchers: Fatherless children are at a dramatically greater risk of drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, suicide, poor educational performance, teen pregnancy, and criminality, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics. Over half of all children living with a single mother are living in poverty, a rate 5 to 6 times that of kids living with both parents;

11 Statistics: The Impact of Loss of Fatherhood Child abuse is significantly more likely to occur in single parent homes than in intact families; 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census; 72% of adolescent murderers grew up without fathers. 60% of America's rapists grew up the same way according to a study by D. Cornell (et al.), in Behavioral Sciences and the Law; 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes according to the National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools;

12 Statistics: The Impact of Loss of Fatherhood In single-mother families in the U.S. about 66% of young children live in poverty; 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes; Children from low-income, two-parent families outperform students from high-income, single-parent homes. Almost twice as many high achievers come from two-parent homes as one-parent homes according to a study by the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes according to a study by the Center for Disease Control;

13 Statistics: The Impact of Loss of Fatherhood Daughters of single mothers are 92% more likely to dissolve their own marriages. In a longitudinal study of 1,197 fourth-grade students, researchers observed "greater levels of aggression in boys from mother-only households than from boys in mother-father households," according to a study published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. Children in single-parent families tend to score lower on standardized tests and to receive lower grades in school according to a Congressional Research Service Report. Source:

14 Fathers are Charged with Training Again let us think about this statistics with the understanding that a man being in the house does not equate to fatherhood! Fatherhood requires emotional presence & connection! There is a major role for fathers to teach their children that cannot be filled by women! Remember we said that the fulfillment of God s purpose/promise was contingent on Abraham commanding (successfully teaching) his children to keep the way of The Lord! (Genesis 18:18-19) Let us validate this by comparing with what the scripture says of another father Eli = 1 Samuel 2: 27-31

15 Eli: 1 Samuel 2: And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? 28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel? 29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? 30 Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.

16 Severe Consequences of Lack of Training 1 Sam 2:30-31 I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. God s purpose to bless is reversed A family s honor is turned to dishonor Generations becomes inconsequential

17 A Father s Teaching is Generational The consequence of poor fatherhood is generational! We see this truth in the Genesis 18:19 we re looking at 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord Note that Abraham was expected to teach beyond his own immediate children, he was going to continue to teach/impact household after him i.e. generations to come!

18 A Father s Teaching is Generational How do you do that when you will not be there at that future date? You do so by being generational minded as a father You do so by focusing on leaving a legacy rather than leaving an inheritance! Legacy is stronger than inheritance! Inheritance (material & tangible things) will fade away, while legacy (enduring intangible values) will go from generation to generation! Inheritance is given, while legacy is taught! (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

19 Deuteronomy 6:6-9 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

20 Example of Training Living On For Generations Abraham Jethro Moses Genesis 25:1-8 1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. 4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. 6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. 7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. 8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

21 Example of Training Living On For Generations Abraham Jethro Moses Genesis 18 1 When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt; 5 And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God: 6 And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her. 10 And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. 12 And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God.

22 Example of Training Living On For Generations Abraham Jethro Moses Before sending away the children of Keturah (Midian +5), Abraham took the time to train them in the way of The Lord The legacy he left with them was transitioned over generations to Jethro who became the priest of midian He recognized the hand of God in Israel s deliverance from Egypt He spoke of the greatness of God He made a sacrifices to God Where did he learn all that? From Abraham s enduring legacy (training in the way of The Lord!) This was 100 s of years after Abraham s death! That is the power of legacy (lasting) vs. inheritance (temporal)

23 Inheritance is given, while legacy is diligently taught! Leaving a positive legacy requires conscious, continuous, diligent and deliberate actions/effort directed towards passing on unique/godly values! Deuteronomy 6:7 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

24 Fathers Teaching = Leaving a Legacy Teach/Train/Educate Your Children in The Way of The Lord Leaving a legacy requires the understanding of your divine positioning as a father to leave a message for future generations! The truth is that whether you realize it or not does not matter, from the day you father or adopt a child (it does not have to be biological) you are teaching him/her something with your words and your actions; and whatever you teach them will carry on for generations! We must become generationally minded with our fatherhood responsibility, and take the trust that God has placed in us as fathers to train children with a great sense of accountability for multiple generations!

25 Audience Question & Answers What questions do you have about today s teaching?

26 Prayers Lord, please grant me the grace to train my children in Your ways so that your purpose for my family will not be derailed

We Three Kings. Grace Baptist Church December 20, 2015 Adult Sunday School

We Three Kings. Grace Baptist Church December 20, 2015 Adult Sunday School We Three Kings Grace Baptist Church December 20, 2015 Adult Sunday School We Three Kings The Purpose of this lesson is to: Show where the tradition may have originated Expound the scriptures that may have