1 Timothy 5:8
But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.
Reflection:

The people of God are called to care deeply about their family.  This makes sense since God himself is somehow one Divine Being, yet simultaneously a family of three persons.  It is a mystery we can’t fully comprehend, but it helps us understand why loving family is really important to God.

Part of this is because God loves children, they reflect the innocence and potential which God saw when he first created Adam & Eve.  It was not good for humans to be alone – and so He created family.  Our families are meant to be a means of God’s grace in our lives We and give us a chance to learn to perfect love.  In our family, we can learn to see Jesus.

It’s not easy to love other people, but our families demand we take every effort to learn to love with the selfless love of Jesus.  One of the ways to most effectively learn to love our families is to pray for them.  When we put aside time to pray for our families we are actively demonstrating our belief that they are a gift from God, and that we cannot have them functioning optimally without divine protection and guidance.
But praying for our families is not enough, praying with them allows us time to develop together in the presence of God.  Where two or more are gathered, Christ is present, and when it is with our family the closeness of our relationship allows us all to grow even closer together to Jesus.  Our families may be at different stages and can take many different forms, but in the crucible of journeying together, our relationship with God is made stronger.
Prayer Exercise:

  1. Take some time to pray individually for each close member of your family.  Be specific and ask God to move in areas you know are on their hearts.  For those who don’t know Jesus, ask God to reveal his love to them so they might come to follow Him.

  2. Families can be complicated – take time to pray for members of your family who may be estranged, or situations where bitterness or division have crept in.  Ask for wisdom to know how to deal with them, and that hearts might be changed.

  3. Take some time to pray with your family today.  Or call a close family member who knows Jesus and ask if you could take 10min to pray with them.  If such a person isn’t available, call someone from your church family.  Ask God to show himself to you together so you can see how Jesus wants to work in your family/church.
PRAYER GATHERING
We Want to See Jesus:  Family Prayer Night (w/ Youth & KidsView).
6.30-7.00pm – Family Prayer Stations (KidsView)
7.00-7.30 – Family Worship & Prayer (in Youth Room)
7.30-9pm – Youth Prayer Night
God loves our families and calls us to care for them and pray for them.  Join us for a time of prayer together as families, and for families.  This will included Kids prayer stations (self-directed), and worship and prayer with the youth group. Interactive and family-friendly, we invite anyone who wants to pray for our families.