Hebron Christian Faith Church - Vision 2010
Vision 2010 "Family Matters"
Family really does matter. It is the nucleus of any healthy civilisation, the very core of society. Strong families are vital for success, not only in our christianity, but also our communities. The family is the cornerstone of God's creation; everything He created in the beginning was for His family, for His children to have as their home. Sadly ever since God created the first couple and performed the first wedding ceremony in the Garden of Eden ("Therefore a man shall leave..." Gen 1:24) there has been a concerted effort by demonic forces to destroy the sanctity of family life. The family was the very first God-ordained institution and because of it's importance and the influence it carries, it is also satan's first point of attack.
Today we have acute, and I believe unprecedented, levels of family breakdown. So much so, that the very definition of family is now being re-defined to the point that it barely resembles the divine order and purpose which God intended. History has proven that any society which fails to recognise the "family" as God designed it will eventually fall apart - the church included! If there is anything that the church needs help with today, it's the family. This is why I believe God has instructed us here at Hebron Church to set aside this year to invest in "Home Improvements" and focus on building a solid biblical foundation for successful Christian family living.
We need all the help we can get to enjoy the full, maximum benefit of God's plan for the family. And God's word has a lot to say about fathers, mothers, children and families and how we are supposed to carry out our responsibilities within each of those roles.
“Wives submit to your own husbands, as is fitting to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.” Col 3:18-21
This principle is taught throughout the bible, but these verses contain some of the greatest instructions for family life we can find in the scriptures. Short, concise and to the point. It's important to realise that if a family wants the blessing that God desires it to have, then it must model itself on what God says a godly family is. Notice there is a divine order and very clear role distinction and responsibility between man, woman, parents and children.
Of course the head of every Christian home is Christ and the head of Christ is God (1Cor 11:3), but then God has put husbands over the homes under Christ, wives are next and lastly, at the bottom of the structure are the children. This has nothing to do with superiority or inferiority, culture or preference but responsibility and role distinction. Notice that God holds Fathers responsible to both train their children in the faith and also to discipline and correct them (Eph 6:4) and mothers are to help.
Having children is easy but being a parent is not. Whether we realise it or not, in the eyes of God, the greatest, single occupation we can have is to be a good parent and steward of the precious lives God has entrusted to us. It is more important than being Prime Minister or King. Parental headship is a high and lofty position that carries great responsibility. Genesis 18:19 tells us that the reason God knew Abraham was "in order that he may COMMAND his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of he Lord". God is the God of families - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - and He intends that we build generationally, that godly principles of righteousness are purposefully taught to our children and that spiritual inheritances are passed onto future generations not just money and houses.
Anytime we go against the biblical structure for the home, inevitably it will bring friction and eventual breakdown. This is why many husbands and wives are unhappy, frustrated and disappointed, and children are unfaithful and insubordinate. Yes they love the Lord and are filled with the Holy Spirit but still they are experiencing domestic problems that are shaking the core of their foundation. God wants our relationship with Him to transform not only our own personal lives but also our families. And His power works best through relationships that function closest to the terms on which He designed it.
God is the author of the family and its origins are found in Him. But that doesn't necessarily mean that everything will be rosy. We have a responsibility to nurture and develop our homes into all He has planned and purposed. Unlike the world that changes its philosphies and methods from one to another trying to find a new and better one, God has just one methodology that has never changed and always works. The bible. We are not playing Russian Roulette with just a few 'lucky' winners. Losing in this arena can mean the crippling of our life and those entrusted to us. God's divine order will always produce well-ordered and successful families, which in turn produce a well-ordered and successful society.
