Biblically Functioning Family

Title: Three Pillars for a Biblically Functioning Family

Text: Various Texts

We need desperately to understand what it means to have biblically functioning families because healthy families will help promote a healthy church.

The family is a microcosm of the church.

If a church is filled with unhealthy families, that church itself will be unhealthy.

“Small Groups and Youth Groups” A lot of churches talk about “small group” ministry and “small group” studies and “small group fellowship”.

Beloved, the individual family is the genuine “small group” within the church.

Some people break their backs to have church folks come to their homes and have a bible study and prayer time, but never study the word or pray with their own families.

They are more than willing to try to feed their christian friends while their children starve for the word.

Instead, the children are carted off to “youth group” and the parents OUTSOURCE their responsibility for ministry to their children to someone else.

It is like preparing a gourmet meal for our friends and sending our children to Mcdonalds.

The kids may love it, but it is not healthy!!!

Each of our families constitute the small groups which make up this church.

And while we need to have interfamily fellowships, we first need to be concerned about whether or not our homes are seeking to live for Christ.

Important Question: Are our homes being the small discipleship groups that they are supposed to be, or are they just the places wherein we live like the world between Sunday services?

So, we ask ourselves the question: What is the Biblically Functioning Family?

There are Three Pillars which Uphold a BIBLICALLY FUNCTIONING FAMILY:

- The Proper Love for Christ

- The Proper Love for Your Spouse

- The Proper Love for Your Children

In each of these points, I have included the word “proper”

I have done so because I know a lot of people would claim to love their spouses, love their children, and even love Jesus.

But the question is, “are we loving them in the way the Bible says we should.”

Love is not JUST an emotional feeling; It is the outgrowth of a proper understanding of what the Bible means by the word “LOVE”.

Love is not a feeling, love is a VERB - it shows action - thus, in loving Christ, our spouse and our family, there are ACTIONS involved.

I. The Proper Love for Christ

What do we mean when we say, “Proper love for Christ”?

As I said, many people claim to love Jesus.

People of all types of religious backgrounds claim to love Jesus.

Even unbelievers claim to love Him for His teachings on forgiveness.

But, according to Christ, love for Him includes one very distinctive quality: OBEDIENCE.

John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

This verse is based on the “if/then” principle.

Basically, “IF” this thing happens, “THEN” this other things will happen as a result.

We use this with our children all the time.

“IF” you go outside and get mud on your clothes, “THEN” I will punish you.

-or-

“IF” you do not go clean your room, “THEN” you will not be able to attend the party.

Well, this same idea is being used here.

Jesus says, “If you love me you will keep my commandments”

He doesn’t use the word “then”, but it is implied within the context.

He is saying that obedience is a NECESSARY OUTGROWTH of love for Him.

“IF” you love Him, “THEN” you will keep His commandments.

Note: This is not a claim that you will be perfect in your obedience, but that your desires will be toward obedience.

And Christ says this same thing, only inversely, just a few verses later...

John 14:21a “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me...”

He even goes on just a few verses later to make another assertion which backs up this one...i.e. that if you do NOT love Him, you will not obey Him.

John 14:23-24 “Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.”

John was so convicted by this idea, that he continually makes it a point of His writings...

John 15:10 “Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.”