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Family Ministries at Lord of Life
Christian families face
enormous pressures in our
world today, so it is
important that they have a
good understanding of God's
intentions for families and
how to respond to the many
challenges that confront
them.
The Board of Family Ministry
exists to address the
special needs of the
families of the Lord of Life
congregation by providing family fellowship
opportunities and supporting
and equipping all types of
families in all stages of
life with the hope,
strength, and growth in a
strong relationship with
Jesus Christ.
One of the most important
things a family can do is
spend time together in the
Word of God. So much
of popular culture appeals
to humanity's most sinful
inclinations and encourages
them with a barrage of
images and words. Children
are led to believe that
being disobedient and
disrespectful to parents is
normal, even amusing, or
that the elderly are to be
viewed as a burden, or
subjects for humor.
Pop-culture further
professes that sexual
relationships outside of
marriage, or before
marriage, are perfectly
natural, and that a
homosexual lifestyle is
merely an alternative to
"traditional" marriage.
Christian families must
openly face the challenges
to God's Word that exist in
our society; ignoring
reality will not make it go
away. It is crucial
for Christian parents to
spend both quality and
quantity time with their
children. Christian
families need to make
worshipping every Sunday an
absolute priority as it
renews them and provides
them with the strength they
need to cope with the
challenges of daily life.
Husbands and wives need to
make the time to simply talk
to one another, discuss
their needs and problems,
and work together to grow in
their love for one another
and for their children.
The key to Christian
marriages is mutual
submission to and love for
one another, modeled after
Christ's love for the church
and the church's submission
to Christ her Lord.
(See Genesis 2:22-24,
Matthew 19:5, Ephesians 5).
Parents need to discuss
their faith with their
children, pray with them,
encourage them in love to do
what is right, and not
hesitate to say "no" when
necessary. Parents
need to discipline their
children with love and
compassion and to "bring
them up in the training and
instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians
6:4). Parents are
critical role models for
their children; therefore,
they must consistently
exhibit their faith to their
children and all others
around them.
More importantly, Christians
need to pray for the Lord's
blessing on their marriages
and families, asking God to
forgive them for their sins
and failures as parents and
spouses, and then turning to
the Lord's mercy through
their Savior Jesus Christ.
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