Victory Groups

Materials App

Family Government

Weeks 8 to 13

The Purpose of Family

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • Who was there for you in your family when you were growing up? What stories do your parents or guardians tell about your birth? • What is one thing your family or clan is known for? What would you say is a characteristic or classic trait of your family? • What is one thing you are grateful for about your family? Why? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘚𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮; 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, “𝘉𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩.” 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗦 𝟭:𝟮𝟳–𝟮𝟴 The family is known as the basic unit of society, and there is much truth and biblical support for this. In the beginning, God gave Adam and Eve (the first husband and wife) His mandate to be fruitful, multiply, and take dominion over all the earth. Society and all nations began through this family. Even today, families are the building blocks of a nation and play an essential role in it. The erosion of the family leads to the erosion of society. If we are to disciple a nation, we need to disciple families and teach them about God’s design and purpose for the family. Based on this passage, we will look at why God designed family. 𝟭. 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗛𝗶𝗺. 𝘚𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮; 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗦 𝟭:𝟮𝟳 God made man in His image. This refers to His attributes, not His visual appearance. As God’s image-bearers, human beings are intended to reflect His image both individually and corporately. This can be experienced most in the context of a family. God is a triune being, three persons in one: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is relational in nature and even uses terms like “Father” and “Son” to reveal who He is. We first begin to experience, understand, and reflect God to others in healthy, godly, loving relationships within a family. However, many relationships even in our families are broken or dysfunctional because of sin. As a result, our image of God may be distorted, and we may have difficulty relating with and trusting Him, as well as reflecting His goodness to society and the world. The good news is that God’s grace can overcome our past and bring restoration to individuals and families. As we are discipled, we experience God’s healing and transformation more and more. Because of this, our lives and families increasingly reflect God to those around us and to the rest of society. What kind of family did you grow up in? What truth about God did you learn or experience by being part of your family? 𝟮. 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗻𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, “𝘉𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘵 . . .” 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗦 𝟭:𝟮𝟴 God intended the human race to continue through the family. This is not just about reproduction, though. If it were, people could do this by having sex apart from marriage and the family. God wants humanity to both multiply and be fruitful, which means growing, thriving, and being productive. To do this, God originally designed the family to meet our physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual needs. As a result, each family member can flourish and become who God wants them to be, equipped to thrive in life and advance His kingdom in their sphere of society. How have we distorted God’s command to 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘺? How can this be redeemed? 𝟯. 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, “𝘉𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩.” 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗦 𝟭:𝟮𝟴 Aside from being fruitful and multiplying, God commanded man to 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘵, and 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯. Through families, God intended mankind to perpetuate His rule and reign on the earth, so that life on earth would be an expression of His benevolent kingdom. This is where we first learn about government, authority, teamwork, relationships, and justice. It’s also where we learn about character, humility, service, self-sacrifice, and love. Why are families a crucial part of discipling a nation? What is the value of helping children know and follow God from a young age? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Why do you think God has placed you in your family? How is He redeeming your family and accomplishing His purpose through you? • What is the role of family in discipling a nation? Why are families so important, and how do you want to grow in your understanding of family government? • Think of one or two friends whose family situation is especially challenging. How can you pray for and encourage them this week? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for your family. In spite of sin, brokenness, and dysfunctions, pray that your family would fulfill its purpose and reflect God’s goodness to the world. • Pray that you would fulfill your role in your family well (e.g., as a father, mother, child). Ask God for wisdom, grace, and patience to do this. • Pray that God would redeem families in your community. Pray for healing, transformation, and peace in families and society.

The Role of a Husband

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • Do you consider yourself to be an organized person? In which aspect of your life is this seen the most? • Think of one of the husbands in your extended family or community who sets a positive example for marriage. What do you like most about how he relates with his wife? • What is one loving but painful thing someone has done for you? How did you respond? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘞𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟮𝟮–𝟮𝟯 God established a government structure and appointed roles and responsibilities in the family so there would be order and clarity in the home. When this structure is in place, the family becomes stronger and follows God’s original design in society. Today, we will study the God-given role of husbands and fathers in a family. Our fallen world has imperfect families that are far from the ideal. For many reasons, not all families have a husband or father present, and with God’s grace, they have to adjust to fill those roles. Though our families are imperfect, we can grow into God’s divine design as we encounter His grace and kingdom. He alone can transform families to reflect His original design. 𝟭. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆. 𝘞𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟮𝟮–𝟮𝟯 There needs to be a clear leader in the family; otherwise, there would be chaos. A husband and a wife don’t always agree on every decision. For things to move forward, someone needs to make the final call. Instead of each family figuring out who the head should be, God clearly established that the husband is the head of the family. He is responsible for making the final decisions. If each family could decide who its head should be, what do you think would happen? 𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘥. 𝟭 𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟭𝟭:𝟯 Since man is fallen and imperfect, in order to lead his family correctly according to God’s ways, he must first be under the headship of Christ. All authority ultimately belongs to God and all instituted human authority is merely delegated (Romans 13:1). This includes the family. When the man has a relationship with God and seeks to know and obey Him and all His ways, he can truly lead his family as God called him to. In your community and nation, what would it look like if more heads of households were being discipled and leading according to God’s character and ways? 𝟯. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲. 𝘏𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘳, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘩. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟮𝟱–𝟮𝟳 Under the headship of Christ, the husband should follow Christ’s example of leadership. Jesus does not lead for His own advantage. He is not selfish or self-serving; He leads by serving others out of love for them. As the head of the Church, He demonstrated His love by sacrificing His own life for us. His goal is to perfect the Church. In the same way, God did not appoint the husband to be the head of the home to lord it over the family or have his own way. God intended man to lead his household with the motivation of love for his wife and children and the goal of pursuing what is best for them, according to God’s word. This also entails that the husband knows how his wife and children are doing, listens to what they have to say, and takes them into consideration when making decisions. This kind of selfless and loving leadership can only be lived out when he has first experienced Christ’s selfless love and servant leadership. When family members experience this kind of leadership at home, they are more prepared to lead in different areas of society. In Matthew 20:25–28, what did Jesus say about leadership in His kingdom? 𝟰. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱, 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩.” 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟯𝟭 After God, a man’s wife and children are to be his priority. This is God’s design. The husband is the leader of his family. Neither his parents nor his boss are the main considerations when making decisions. God comes first, then his wife and children. If men fail to recognize this truth, this could cause problems in family government and, consequently, in society. This blurs the God-ordained government structure in the home and causes relational strain. However, when this truth is practiced, it will result in greater stability within the family and, consequently, in society. This truth is so important that it’s mentioned four times in the Bible: Genesis 2:24 by Moses; Matthew 19:5 and Mark 10:7–8 by Jesus; and Ephesians 5:31 by Paul. What do you think a marriage would look like if this truth were not applied and a man did not 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • What did you learn from today’s lesson, and how will you apply this in your life? • What is the value of leadership in the home? How do you think your family will grow stronger in light of this? What is your prayer for your family? • How did Jesus exemplify leadership motivated by love and service? What are you willing to do to demonstrate the same love and service in your home? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for instituting family and giving each person a role to play in the home. Pray that through the families in your church, God’s love would permeate your community and nation. • Pray that your understanding of a family would be based on God’s word. Ask God for your heart and mind to align with His, in spite of past experiences or challenges in your family. • Pray that the head of your family and household would lead according to God’s ways. Declare God’s blessing of wisdom, courage, and strength over the head of your household. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺.

The Role of a Wife

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • What comes to your mind when you hear the word “wife”? Why? • Who is the strongest woman you know? Recall an instance explaining this. • How do you show a person respect? What do you do or say? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦; 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮.” 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗦 𝟮:𝟭𝟴 (Read also 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟮𝟮–𝟮𝟯.) The Bible describes the woman as a 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘵 (in the ESV) or 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 (in the NKJV) to the man. In the original language, this is literally “one who stands in front of” a man, meaning the man and woman are a match, much like a pair of shoes or slippers. They are not exactly the same (there is a left shoe and a right shoe), but they are equals. In the same way, women are equal to men in intrinsic value, even though they are not exactly alike. However, when it comes to family governance, though a husband and wife are of equal value, God established a government structure in the home. He appointed roles and responsibilities in the family so that there would be order and clarity in the home. When this is in place, the family becomes stronger and plays its God-given role in society. Today, we will look at God’s design for the role of a wife in the family governmental structure. In the same way that not every family has a father or husband, a wife or mother may not always be present. In such cases, the family has to adjust and God’s grace is sufficient to fill the gaps. There is also no such thing as a perfect wife or mother, so we will be looking at God’s original design. When people encounter Jesus, put their faith in Him, and come under His kingship, God will transform their families as He intended. 𝟭. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦; 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮.” 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗦 𝟮:𝟭𝟴 The word 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘳 in Genesis 2:18 does not mean an “assistant,” where the wife simply assists the man, who plays a major role. 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘳 appears in the Bible twenty-one times: • Sixteen times, it refers to God being the rescuer of His people. • Once, it refers to people who are rescuers. • Twice, it means people who are very useful in accomplishing what needs to be done. • And twice, it is used to describe the woman or wife. Clearly, God has gifted the woman with strength. In God’s family government structure, He has called the wife to help her husband accomplish God’s purpose for their family. Especially where her husband is weak or not gifted, she can extend her strength. She can also help support and rescue him during hardship or trouble. How does Proverbs 31:10–31 describe 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦? What do you think this would look like in today’s times? 𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱. 𝘞𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟮𝟮–𝟮𝟯 Another role of the wife is to submit to the headship of her husband. This does not mean that she has no voice or say. As mentioned, the wife is to extend her gifts, voice, wisdom, and insight in helping her husband seek God for direction for their family. If there is a disagreement on the direction, she is to follow her husband’s final decision, while trusting God on the matter. However, if the husband’s decision is sinful, she is under no obligation to obey him. Ultimately, all authority belongs to the Lord and the man’s headship at home is merely delegated authority. What does Acts 5:29 say about obedience to earthly authorities that go against God’s commands? Submitting to authority is usually a challenge for us. However, relying on God’s grace and trusting in His providence and wisdom empower us to do so. 𝟯. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱. 𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟱:𝟯𝟯 Submission is not all about obedience. It is firstly an attitude of respect to the one who is in authority. A wife could yield to every decision of her husband and yet be disrespectful and rebellious. This is not the biblical idea of submission to authority. As the wife submits to her husband 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 (Ephesians 5:24), there must always be humility and respect. If her husband asks her to sin, she can remain humble and respectful as she refuses to follow him. What does 1 Peter 3:1–2 say about how the wife’s respectful attitude and conduct could affect her husband who does not obey God’s word? How can this motivate and empower her to show respect? In what ways could a godly wife’s attitude of respect and submission make an impact on advancing God’s kingdom and discipling a nation? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • What is the role of a wife in a family and home? What did you learn from our lesson today? How will you apply this in your life? • Growing up, what was the traditional or cultural perspective you had of wives? How do you think your mindset needs to be aligned with God’s word? • Ask God to reveal to you one married couple you can pray for this week. How can you pray for them? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for His word that guides us into all truth. Pray that your understanding of the roles of a husband and wife would be based on the Bible, not your culture or upbringing. • Pray for the wives in your extended family and church community to reflect God’s design for marriage. Pray that through their faith and example, the message of the gospel would reach many others. • Pray for strong marriages in your Victory group and church community that will reflect God’s love and purpose in our society and nation. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺.

The Role of Parents

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • What is one of your earliest childhood memories? How old were you, and what do you remember about it? • Growing up, whose family did you spend a lot of time with? What did you like most about this family? Why? • Do you like playing with children? What do you like most about them? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟲:𝟰 If we are to disciple the nation, parents must know the role God designed for them and be equipped to disciple their children. This is because, as we know, the future of our nation belongs to our children and the generations to come. The family serves as the basic building block of society, the training ground and launching pad for the next generation. As parents are discipled and disciple their children, they are working toward discipling the nation. Today, we will look at another aspect of family government under God: parenting. Being a parent is a noble and challenging calling. The truth is, none of us were raised by ideal parents. Many of us did not have godly role models and were not brought up according to God’s ways. However, God can bring people into our lives, especially from our church community, who can teach us God’s ways and serve as role models. Furthermore, the Bible describes God as having both paternal and maternal roles. When we experience Him as our perfect parent, we can be healed and transformed to become the parents or future parents He desires for us. Here is the role of a parent according to God’s design. 𝟭. 𝗚𝗼𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗱. “𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘖 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 . . .” 𝗗𝗘𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗬 𝟲:𝟰–𝟳 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟲:𝟰 One of the primary roles of parents is to disciple their children by teaching them about God and His ways so that they would love, trust, and obey Him. In Deuteronomy 6:7–9, God goes to great lengths to describe how to do this. The Old Testament shows positive and even nation-transforming results of discipling children and the consequences of failure to do so. Wisdom books like Proverbs contain exhortations and practical wisdom on teaching children. This is echoed in the Gospel accounts and epistles in the New Testament. To love God is the greatest commandment and the basis of all God’s other commands for faith and life. With this foundation firmly established, children will be equipped to fulfill their God-given purpose in society. What is diligence? Why do you think God commanded parents to teach their children diligently? 𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘱 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘰; 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵. 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗕𝗦 𝟮𝟮:𝟲 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝗣𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗠 𝟭𝟮𝟳:𝟰 King Solomon uses the illustration of arrows to describe one’s children. A warrior shapes and maintains the arrow, then carefully and deliberately aims it to hit its intended mark. Preparing and aiming the arrow is critical, because once released, the warrior no longer has control over it. In the same way, godly parents recognize the limited time they have to directly influence their children and train them in the way they should go. This doesn’t just include practical skills and knowledge for the real world; it’s also about teaching them to rely on God, hear from Him, and live out His purpose for their lives. While many think that the goal is to shift children from dependence to independence, the goal should be to shift their dependence from their parents to God. When children are dependent on God, they will be guided even when they are older. How did your parents or guardians prepare you for life? 𝟯. 𝗚𝗼𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝟭 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗬 𝟱:𝟴 𝘈 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 . . . 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗕𝗦 𝟭𝟯:𝟮𝟮 Aside from providing for children’s spiritual needs, God’s design is for parents to provide for their physical and material needs. This includes food, shelter, clothing, and whatever they need to survive and thrive. Furthermore, the Bible exhorts parents to do their best in providing an inheritance for their children and even grandchildren. This will serve as a springboard that will help children accomplish their God-given purpose and advance His kingdom even beyond their parents’ lifetimes. Do you think an inheritance is limited to the physical and financial? What spiritual inheritance can you leave for the next generation? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Based on this lesson, what is the role of parents? How will you apply what we’ve learned today in your life? • What inheritance do you want to leave for the next generation? What’s one thing you are willing to do to prepare them for life? • Think of a parent who could use some encouragement in raising his or her children. Commit to pray for this person and the family every day this week. Ask God how you can encourage him or her. 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for the parents or guardians He gave you. Thank Him for His sovereign will over your life, how you were raised, and how He led you to know Him. • Pray for the parents in your extended family to disciple their children and do their part in discipling the nation. Ask God to give them wisdom, grace, and blessings as they lead their children in His ways. • Pray for family relationships you know of that need healing and restoration. Pray that God would turn the hearts of the fathers to their children (Malachi 4:6). 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺.

Training Children

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • Have you ever tried to learn a new sport or hobby? What was it like? • Growing up, who did you look up to the most? Why? • What were you usually corrected or disciplined for as a child? Recall an instance explaining this. 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘱 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘰; 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵. 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗕𝗦 𝟮𝟮:𝟲 “𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘖 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴.” 𝗗𝗘𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗬 𝟲:𝟰–𝟵 (Read also 𝗗𝗘𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗬 𝟲:𝟭–𝟯.) Some humanistic thought on parenting involves limiting the governance and guidance a parent provides, especially in the areas of faith and gender. This radical approach leaves children to discover things on their own and decide for themselves. However, there is no such thing as children training themselves. If parents don’t train them, teachers, friends, and social media will. Without guidance, children won’t be equipped to discern right from wrong. On the other hand, the Bible teaches that parents should be deliberately and purposefully involved in training their children. Again, children are like arrows that should be prepared, shaped, and aimed to hit their God-given mark (Psalm 127:4). When more and more children are discipled according to God’s design, we can have a flourishing, prosperous, and godly nation. Today, we will look at God’s original design when it comes to governing and training children. 𝟭. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵. “𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘖 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵.” 𝗗𝗘𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗬 𝟲:𝟰–𝟲 Before God told the Israelites to teach their children to know and love Him, He first told them that His ways and words should be on their hearts. For God’s people, faith should be real in the lives of parents, and then in children. Parents can demonstrate this by living out what they say. Based on 1 Corinthians 11:1, how intentional should you be in modeling your faith in Christ to others? 𝟮. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗱𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦.” 𝗗𝗘𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗬 𝟲:𝟳 Aside from demonstrating their faith, parents are to diligently train their children through instruction. This can be done in set times when the family is sitting down together. Instruction can also happen spontaneously, as opportunities arise. Mealtime, walking, doing household chores, and playtime can all be moments to teach children about God and His ways. What is the value of using different opportunities or moments to teach children about God? How do you think this will help children know and love God more? 𝟯. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴.” 𝗗𝗘𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗬 𝟲:𝟴–𝟵 As parents grow in their relationship with God and model their faith to their children, they also provide an environment where their children will know and love God. This can be done through objects, symbols, and traditions. A Bible visible and readily accessible for reading, framed Scripture passages, and godly music and media can fill the home. Parents can also help their children know God through family devotions, prayer before meals and bedtime, and Christmas traditions. As these seeds are planted and grow, children can create their own environments as they pursue God’s purpose for their lives. What traditions or activities do you want to do in your family or future family to help the next generation know and love God? 𝟰. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲. 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟲:𝟰 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥. 𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟯:𝟮𝟭 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗕𝗦 𝟮𝟵:𝟭𝟱 Should parents use corporal punishment in disciplining their children? Or should they only use words? There is much debate about this. However, both methods can be administered in ways that wound a child emotionally and psychologically, and may even leave lasting scars. Proverbs 29:15 says that both corporal and verbal discipline can be useful in training children. The real issue is how it is administered. If discipline is administered harshly or incorrectly, this will provoke a child to anger and result in bitterness and discouragement. The Bible teaches that discipline should be administered out of love and in a way that respects the child’s dignity. It should result in hope and encouragement that comes from the gospel, and should help the child know God better. How might parents discourage their children or cause them to become bitter when administering discipline? How can they encourage hope and empower their children to change instead? How does the truth contained in Hebrews 12:5–6 help us have the proper attitude toward discipline? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Growing up, how did you perceive or understand the role of your parents or guardians? How does this need to be aligned with God’s word? How will you apply what we’ve learned today in your life? • What is the role of parenting in discipling a nation? How can you be a godly influence to the next generation and create an environment that brings them closer to God? • Do you know of a child who is having a hard time in his or her home environment? How can you pray for the child this week? What do you think you can do to help him or her love and trust God? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for His word that is our source of wisdom and insight. Pray that you would look to God’s word for instruction and strength every day. • Pray for parents in your community to model God to their children, instruct them in His ways, create an environment that points them to God, and administer discipline lovingly. • Pray for the hearts of the next generation to be tender towards God, their family, and their community. Speak a blessing over our children and the generations to come. Declare that they will fulfill their God-given purpose and destiny. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺.

The Role of Children

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • What’s your best or fondest childhood memory? Tell us what happened. • Tell us about the youngest person in your family. What does he or she like to do or say? • When you hear the word “kid,” what comes to mind? How would you explain what a kid or child is supposed to do? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. “𝘏𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳” (𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦), “𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥.” 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟲:𝟭–𝟯 Parents aren’t the only ones who have a vital role to play in the government structure established by God. Children do, too. All of us—including our children, those we are discipling, and ourselves—are far from the ideal. But as God continues to work in our lives and as we yield to His work, we will grow and become the children He desires us to be. Here’s what the Bible says about God’s design for children in the family. 𝟭. 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗯𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟲:𝟭 God’s design is for children to submit to the headship of their parents. This means listening to and obeying their parents’ godly instruction and responding to discipline with an attitude of humility and eagerness to learn. Again, this does not include obeying parents if they instruct their children to sin. When children grow up and get married, they are no longer under the headship of their parents. However, it is good for them to heed and live out the godly instruction their parents gave them when they were young. How are the things your parents taught you still apparent in your life today? 𝟮. 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. “𝘏𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳” (𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦), “𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥.” 𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟲:𝟮–𝟯 To 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 is to show a person how valuable he or she is to you, both to that person and others. While children’s obedience to their parents may depend on the circumstances, honoring and respecting parents is not optional. The Bible says that this benefits both the children and their parents: It will go well with them and they will enjoy long lives. Many modern studies affirm that negative emotions like bitterness and resentment shorten one’s life, while positive emotions help improve the quality of life and prolong it. As we enjoy the benefits of this promise, we can be better instruments of God in discipling our nation. How do you honor your parents? What’s one thing you’ve done or said lately to them or about them? 𝟯. 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥. 𝟭 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗬 𝟱:𝟰 As parents age, they can get sick or be unable to fend for themselves. The Bible reveals that God is concerned for the weak and helpless. Therefore, God’s design for the family includes children and grandchildren caring for the elderly who are unable to care for themselves and provide for their own needs. This pleases God. In ancient times, widows and orphans had to fend for themselves, resulting in prostitution, slavery, and even death. History shows that Christians were the first to care for the elderly, widows, and orphans corporately and institutionally in the church and beyond. This resulted in such social transformation that unbelieving rulers took note of this and historians wrote about their acts of kindness. The way Christians treated the elderly, widows, and orphans is one key reason for the rapid spread of the gospel in the Roman Empire. If we were to take this Christian responsibility seriously, what do you think the result would be in our communities today? How could it usher in social and national transformation? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • How do you think you can honor your parents or guardians in your stage in life? How can you encourage a culture of honor, respect, and love in your home, extended family, and community? • What is the value of raising children in a godly home? How can you do your part in discipling the next generation and our nation? • What part can you play in caring for the elderly, widows, and orphans? Take some time this week to reflect on James 1:27. Ask God for wisdom and ideas to put your faith into action. 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for bringing you into His kingdom and for giving you His word to guide your path. Pray that you would honor your parents or those who raised you. Ask God for wisdom, patience, and joy to serve, respect, and love them. • Pray for families in your community and nation to follow God’s ways. Pray for children to be raised in godly homes and make a difference in society. • Pray for the elderly, widows, and orphans in your community and nation. Pray that your church community would demonstrate the gospel to them and declare God’s love. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺.