BUILDING YOUR FAMILY S SPIRITUAL VISION...TOGETHER

Transcription

1 BUILDING YOUR FAMILY S SPIRITUAL VISION...TOGETHER Copyright 2010, Steven A. Zeller

2 LEADER S GUIDE The Unstained Family Vision Project is specifically designed to assist your family in working together to form a unified spiritual direction. It seeks to build a family identity that is firmly rooted in Scripture. This devotional guide provides discussion questions that correspond to each Scripture presented within the Unstained pledge. Questions are formulated to maximize the interaction of every member of your family, no matter the age, so be sure to provide adequate opportunity for each person to share their thoughts and ideas. Feel free to bring in additional Scriptures to further enhance your study and discussion. This may be a project that you complete together in one sitting or it may be something that you choose to tackle in smaller pieces over a period of weeks or months. Make it work within your family s schedule. Scripture quotes are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB). The pledge poster has been designed to be colored together by your family in order to make it your own. Markers, colored pencils or just about any other medium may be used. When you have completed your poster and have gone through all of the Scriptures together, have each family member sign the poster in the boxes provided at the bottom. Emphasize the importance of the commitment that each one is making to uphold the Scriptural principles within the pledge. You may wish to laminate the poster for greater protection, or have it framed. Whatever the case, you will want to make certain that it is prominently displayed in your home as a continual reminder of what your family stands for. You may even want to use this project as a springboard to compile other Scriptures for your own unique family pledge. The possibilities are limitless, so dream big about what God is calling your family to be for Him! 1 Luke 14:33 I AM A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST. I VE GIVEN UP THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD TO FOLLOW HIM ALONE. -What are some ways that our material possessions can get in the way of being a disciple, or follower, of our Lord Jesus? -What two possessions do you find most often pull you away from following Jesus? -Imagine for a moment that all of your material possessions are stacked nicely in a gigantic pile. Next, imagine that Jesus Himself is standing next to them telling you that you must choose between He and the possessions. Would it be a difficult choice to make? Why or why not? -Sometimes it is easier to value things we can see physically than spiritual things which are unseen. How can we as a family help each other to focus on the importance of eternal, spiritual things?

3 2 LIKE MY KING, I AM NOT OF THIS WORLD, BECAUSE OF THE TRUTH I HAVE KNOWN. John 18: What are some of the characteristics of Jesus that made it obvious that He was not of this world during His earthly existence? -Being accepted and approved by the world often makes us feel good about ourselves. What scares or intimidates you the most about being rejected by the world because you are not of it? -What are some characteristics of our family that you think demonstrate that we are not of this world? -Are there characteristics in our family that perhaps make us look too much like the world? How might we be able to remove or improve upon those characteristics? 3 I RECOGNIZE THAT I AM A STRANGER AND AN EXILE ON THE EARTH IN MY GENERATION, LIKE MANY WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE ME. Hebrews 11:13 -Being exiled to a foreign, often hostile, place is a form of punishment. What do you think would be the most difficult challenges if we were exiled from our home and country? -An exile is a stranger in a foreign land. As a family of disciples following Jesus, in what ways do you often feel like a stranger living in this earthly, temporal world? -God was able to accomplish some amazing things through the faith heroes in Hebrews 11. What are some of the positive things that can come with being an exile in this world? -Think of Joseph, Esther or Daniel, all exiles in foreign lands. What characteristics that they possessed enabled them to thrive in such challenging circumstances? 4 I MAY BE YOUNG BUT I M SETTING AN EXAMPLE OF PURITY. 1 Timothy 4:12 -What kind of characteristics does the worldly culture typically expect young people to possess? -How can a young person set an example for other believers, including those older than them, while at the same time remain humble and respectful? -Which of the five areas given to young Timothy (speech, conduct, love, faith and purity) do you find most challenging to set a good example in? -Share at least one way that you think that each member of our family sets a good example for others in each of the five areas: speech, conduct, love, faith and purity.

4 5 I DON T CARE IF I M PUT DOWN OR PUNISHED FOR THE STAND THAT I VE TAKEN. 2 Timothy 3:12 -Has our family received persecution for following Jesus? Share some examples. -All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Do you really desire to live godly? Why or why not? -God seems to promise here that persecution is a guarantee for His disciples. What kind of persecution is most intimidating to you? -What are some of the spiritual benefits that result from enduring persecution with faithfulness and boldness? Are there any physical benefits that can come from persecution? 6 FOR I SERVE A KING IN A KINGDOM THAT CANNOT BE SHAKEN. Hebrews 12:28 -Since God is for us, why do we sometimes worry too much about who is against us? -What are your two favorite attributes or characteristics of your King, Jesus? -How does it make you feel when you realize that you are a part of the same kingdom of saints and servants that includes the apostles, Mary, David, Abraham and others? -As servants in the kingdom of God, what are some ways that our family can show our gratitude to Him with reverence and awe? 7 I AM KEEPING MYSELF PURE SO THAT I AM USEFUL TO MY MASTER, PREPARED FOR EVERY GOOD WORK. 2 Timothy 2: Considering your unique talents and gifts, what good works of service do you think that God has specially prepared you for? -What things in the world are most damaging to our family in distracting us from being useful to King Jesus? -A useful vessel is one that is sanctified or set apart. In what ways has our family chosen to set ourselves apart from the world so that we are useful to Him? -How do we actually pursue righteousness in daily life? How about faith? Love? Peace?

5 8 WHEREVER I FIND MYSELF IN LIFE, I WANT MY DEVOTION TO MY LORD TO BE UNDISTRACTED AND PURE. 1 Corinthians 7:35 -What two things are distracting you from being devoted to our Lord right now? -It s much easier to be devoted to things that we love and appreciate. Share three things about your relationship with God that make it easy to be devoted to Him. -How can we encourage one another in a positive way within our family to be more focused on following Jesus wholeheartedly? -How can we model an undistracted devotion to our Lord Jesus to other beleivers? How can we model it to those in the world? 9 Acts 2:38-39 I M READYING MYSELF FOR THE DAY I M MADE NEW AND HIS HOLY SPIRIT I RECEIVE. -Being forgiven is an awesome thing! When you receive forgiveness from someone, how do you usually feel? -What do you think God is capable of achieving through us when we realize that Christians have the very Spirit of Christ Jesus Himself dwelling in them? -God tells us that the body of the Christian is the temple of His Holy Spirit. What kind of choices should we be making about what we let happen to our bodies if this is where the Spirit makes His home? -How can we practice forgiveness more effectively within our family? 10 I WANT TO BE READY TO ROLL AND PREPARED TO CONQUER AS A GOOD SOLDIER OF THE KING. 2 Timothy 2:3 -The life of a soldier is a difficult one. What do you think would be most challenging about living the life of a physical soldier? -What characteristics make a soldier a good soldier? -What two things tend to discourage you when fighting the spiritual battle? -Soldiers in a physical army tend to have great comradery with their fellow soldiers and they take great joy in pleasing their commanding officers. What do you appreciate most about the spiritual comradery we share in our family? How do you feel when you know you ve been pleasing to God?

6 11 CALL ME SHELTERED, CALL ME SQUARE OR EVEN CALL ME THE SCUM OF THE WORLD. 1 Corinthians 4:13 -How do you think that our family is viewed by many of the people that we know who are in the world? What words do you think they would use to describe us? -God wants us to overcome evil with good. What good responses can we return when we are slandered for being followers of King Jesus? -It s not a very flattering term at first glance, but are there benefits to being the scum of the world? -How important is it to you how the world views you? Rate the importance you place on it, with 1 being little importance and 10 being extremely important. 12 Hebrews 12:1 BUT I M DOING MY BEST TO AVOID IMPURITY AND THE SIN THAT SO EASILY ENTANGLES. -The picture of sin entangling us and tripping up our spiritual progress is a powerful one. Share about a time when sin got in the way of your growth as a disciple. -God wants us to lay aside the things that cause us to stray from Him. How can our family encourage one another to lay aside sinful habits in a way that is edifying? -We tend to be less likely to get entangled in sin if we have a clear purpose and vision for our lives. How has our family s clear spiritual focus helped us all to avoid sin? -How can our family s spiritual vision help to direct people in the world to Christ Jesus? 13 Romans 5:1-2 OH, I MIGHT TRIP AND I MIGHT STUMBLE, BUT BY HIS GRACE I LL STAND FIRM UNTIL THE DAY I STAND IN HEAVEN. -When you consider the grace of God that we receive through Christ Jesus, what strikes you as most amazing about it? -Share two ways that you will try to demonstrate grace to others more effectively within our family. -Grace helps us to stand. How does the fact that you know that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin help you to be strong in every-day life? -We can also demostrate grace with our words. Share about a time when another family member s gracious speech encouraged you.

7 14 HE S FORGIVEN ME AND I LL FORGIVE YOU, MORE THAN SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN. Matthew 18: Share about a time when you found it difficult to forgive someone who had wronged you. -Tell about a time when another family member forgave you and restored your relationship. -What can make the process of forgiveness more effective and complete in our family relationships? -How does being a person who easily and quickly forgives others make us a more effective disciple of Jesus? 15 Hebrews 11:25 I VE SEEN THE TEMPTATIONS AND OFFERS TO ENJOY THE PASSING PLEASURES OF SIN. -Share about a time when you were glad that you resisted sin, even though it looked very appealing at the time. -As we see families all around us spending so much time in sinful pursuits, what is it that you appreciate most about where our family is directing its attention and efforts? -What is most effective in getting your attention when it comes to others warning you about the dangers of sin? -Sin is merely passing pleasure. Walking by the Spirit as a disciple of Jesus is where life is really at! What aspects of following Jesus make sin pale in comparison? 16 Hebrews 12:14-16 BUT I WAS MEANT TO LIVE FOR SOMETHING MORE THAN HEARTACHE, BITTERNESS AND DEAD ENDS. -What do others do to you that is most likely to cause bitterness to spring up in you? -What helps you to avoid being bitter when you are wronged by others? -What can we do as a family to make our home a place of peace? -Bitter people tend to spread bitterness to everyone that they come in contact with. Share about a time that you had to interact with a bitter individual. What is the best way to counteract the negativity that bitter people bring to others?

8 17 Philippians 4:8 I LL STAND FOR TRUTH, I LL STAND FOR HONOR, I LL STAND FOR EXCELLENCE AND WHAT IS RIGHT. -What can others in our family do to help you dwell, or focus, most effectively on these wonderful kinds of qualities? -How would you define honorable? -Share about a time when someone motivated you to focus on what is excellent. -Share three things that are worthy of praise in your life. 18 I M A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST IN MY GENERATION, AND BY HIS POWER I LL LIGHT UP THE NIGHT. Matthew 5: Share two ways that you think that our family is a light for King Jesus. -Light shines brightest in the darkest darkness. Do you see the world as a dark place right now? Why or why not? -Share about a time when you were encouraged by the example of someone else who was being a light for Jesus. -What tends to make you shy away from shining your light for Jesus? How can we as a family encourage you to be more bold in this area? 19 James 1:27 WE ARE THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNSTAINED AND WE STAND STEADY. -We often keep ourselves unstained by the world by helping those in need around us. Share about a time when helping others in need helped to keep you from stumbling in some way. -It seems that selfless, sacrificial service to others is what God is really looking for in His disciples. How do you think that we are doing in this area as a family? How might we excel still further in this area? -Being unstained is a beautiful thing. How does it make you feel when you serve others? -How can we be an example of pure and undefiled religion to others?

9 20 Luke 12:35 OUR KING IS COMING, OUR LAMPS ARE ALIGHT, WE ARE PURE AND WE ARE READY. -Share about a time when you were not ready for an event or occasion that was important. How did it make you feel when you were not ready or prepared? -What are you most excited about regarding the return of King Jesus? -How can our family continue to dress ourselves in readiness for the return of the King? -It feels good when we know that we are adequately prepared. It gives us confidence and boldness. What do you need most right now to boldly proclaim that you are a member of the Fellowship of the Unstained? ADDITIONAL FAMILY VISION You may choose to use your Unstained Family Vision Project as a guide for family prayer time. Go through each of the twenty sections of the pledge and pray through their corresponding Scriptures together a day or a week at a time. Work together as a family to memorize each of the Scripture passages on your Unstained poster. This will insure that your family s vision is forever etched on the hearts of every family member, and able to keep each of you focused on who Christ Jesus has made you to be! Share your family vision with other families! Let them know what you are striving for as a family of disciples and what your family identity is built upon. Not only can this inspire other families to follow in your footsteps, it also builds accountability within your own home to keep focused on what God has called you to be. May God Richly Bless Your Family As You Boldly Move Forward As A Part Of Copyright 2010, Steven A. Zeller