LESSON OUTLINE : "Brothers and Sisters"

            

“Brothers and Sisters”

Family Life Class

June 1, 2014

Tony Thomas

Dugger Family - Public Domain

 Our best and worst relationships are with those to whom we are the closest. Our relationship with God is reflected in our relationships with his “other” children. 

 “While [Jesus] was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.   

Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You." 

But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  

And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." [Mat 12:46-50 NKJV]

Foundational Truth: The "brotherhood" of the Church.

Malachi 2:10, 4:6
1. Does God value family love?

John 13:34, 35
2. What “new commandment” did Jesus give his disciples?

3. Is this commandment equal in authority to the “Ten Commandments” in Exodus chapter 20?

4. Jesus is ordering Christian to love each other.  What does this tell us about the nature of love? Is love mental, emotional or both?

1 John 4:15-20
5. Is it possible to love someone who does not return that love? Who is our example?

6. Is it possible to love God and not love your brother?

7. What is the link between fear and hatred?

8. What is “perfect love”? [hint: think about John 3:16] 


Matthew 24:9-14
9. Whom did Jesus say would become the recipients of hate in the last days?

Romans 12:16-21
10. How are believers supposed to respond to hatred/anger?

Life Application Questions

11. Do you have to “like” someone before you can love them?

12. How does fear affect our family relationships? 

13. List three common fears people face in family relationships?

a. 

b. 

c.

14. How do we demonstrate love to our earthly families?

15. How do we demonstrate love in the family of God?

Further Reading: Bible siblings

Read about Peter and Andrew, and James and John in Matthew 4:17-22.

Read about Jacob and Esau in Genesis chapters 25, 27, 28, 32, 33.

Read about Cain and Abel in Genesis 4:1-17

Read about Lazarus, Martha and Mary in Luke 10 and John 11. 

TO VIEW THE NEXT LESSON IN THIS SERIES PLEASE CLICK HERE.

LESSON OUTLINE: "New Birth"

“New Birth”

Tony Thomas

Family Life Class

May 25, 2014

The birth of a healthy new baby is the most exciting event in any family. It is also the most exciting event in the “Family of God”. In this lesson we will explore what the New Birth is and discover why Salvation causes heaven to rejoice.

John 3:3-6 Jesus and Nicodemus discuss being “born again”.

Salvation is a new birth of the Spirit. Let’s do a little Biblical anthropology (study of mankind). Every person is composed of body, soul and spirit.

Your body makes you aware of the world around you. It houses your five senses.

Your soul makes you conscious of self. It is composed of your intellect, will and emotion.

Your spirit is the seat of your God-consciousness. Sin essentially causes a “deadness” in our Spirit with regard to our ability to communicate with God. Our spirit makes it possible for us to interface with the Spirit of God. So the new birth in a person’s spirit enables him or her to communicate with the Father through the Holy Spirit.

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23 KJV

Man's natural state: Separation from God. Romans 2:11:15

1. How does sin (both as behavior and nature) affect a person’s ability to communicate with God?

2. Does sin eliminate a person’s consciousness of God? [Read Romans 2:11-15]

3. How important is parental “touch” to a child?

4. What comparsion can be made between a child's need for parental touch and a Christian's needs?

David’s cry for restoration. Psalm 51:10-12 .

5. What are the circumstances of Psalm 51?

6. Should the children of God have “separation anxiety”? [Read Psalm 27:7-10]

Signs of Health: Crying

Luke 18:7,8

7. In What way does the child of God cry?

Signs of health: Hunger

Psalm 1:2, 119:16

8. How does a child of God show hunger?

Signs of health: Joy Luke 10:17-20.

9. Why did Jesus instruct His disciples about rejoicing?

10. How does this compare to events in heaven? [Read Luke 15:7]

1 John 3:1-3

“Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

LESSON OUTLINE: "Fatherhood"

“Fatherhood”

Tony Thomas

Family Life Class

May 18, 2014

God is Awesome.

In fact God is so great and so awesome there is no way the human mind can fully comprehend his greatness. So, throughout scripture, God has chosen to reveal himself to us through titles and types that help us understand his Divine nature and interaction with us. As we read through the Bible we come to know God as Creator, Lawgiver, Judge, Provider, Healer, Shepherd, and Redeemer. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and exists everywhere at the same time. In fact, time itself is not a limitation for him because he is eternal.

As great and wonderful as all of this is, it is only through the atoning work of Jesus Christ that God chooses the greatest demonstration of his love for us. In the New Testament, God who once separated his presence from humanity with rituals, curtains and walls, reveals himself to those who will trust him, as "Father".

Foundational Truth: The Fatherhood of God

How do we come to know God as Father? Matthew 11:25-27

Is God the Father of all mankind? John 8:38-45

How do we become a "child of God"? John 1:12,13.

How is Jesus' relationship with the Father unique? John 3:16

In what way is our relationship with the Father and Jesus' relationship with the Father the same? Romans 8:15-17

To whom did Jesus instruct Christians to pray? Matthew 6:9

What is the privilege of this relationship? Matthew 6:8

How do the phrases "hallowed be your name" and "Your kingdom come, your will be done..." affect the believer?

Family Life Application

Do you think that a person's opinion of their earthly father affects their perception of God as Father?

How should this affect our role as earthly parents? Ephesians 6:4

In your opinion what are the five most important character traits of a good father?

1.                                                                                                                 

2.                                                                                                                 

3.                                                                                                                 

4.                                                                                                                 

5.                                                                                                                 

Do you see these traits in God?

For Further Reading: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Genesis chapters 6-9,

Genesis chapters 37-49,

2 Samuel chapter 13,

Mark 9:17-27

To view the next lesson, please click HERE (NEW BIRTH).

WARNING: The Neanderthals are getting smarter.

Several articles I have read recently seem to indicate that the "Neanderthals" were not a bunch of grunting pre-humans after all. Scientist now seem to think that they interbred with "modern" humans and had just as much mental capacity. Their diets were diverse. They made tools. They kept organized caves, and were in every respect equal to their "modern" counterparts.

 "The evidence for cognitive inferiority is simply not there."-Dr. Paola Villa of the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History

So why are they still considered to be a separate species? Bone structure? 

I am neither biologist nor anthropologist but it seems to me the differences keep diminishing with each discovery. Even among "modern" humans there are a variety of body types and bone structures. These are not indicative of different species, but variations within the human race.

So, it seems to me, that it is time for the scientific community to realize that the Neanderthals are just as human as any one else. 

The case for the evolution of the human race continues to crumble. 


To read the articles this blog references, click here, and here and here.