Revision

This week we will be revising the most recent unit of our curriculum, "A Time for Heroes," which focused on some personal qualities that we need in order to be heroes, which included loyalty, purity, sincerity and courage. Each of these qualities are becoming rare in a society which has neglected Godly values. Without God, we will not know the success that He has created us for. As the year draws to an end, we would like to see these young people empowered and equipped with the Word of God to carry them over the school holidays and if we can impress upon them the importance of at least these four qualities, than we will feel like we have had a part in God's handiwork.

Next week will be our last week of Sunday school and, as such, we would like to have a party to celebrate another wonderful year together.

God bless you and please feel free to come and talk to us at any time,

Dave and Heather

Family First

Today we will be looking at the family structure as God has intended with particular attention to the story of Ruth and Boaz.

There are many advantages to being in a family. While it may seem obvious that children need someone to take care of them, there are advantages for adults, too. Would you believe people are healthier? After decades of studies, married men have been found to have fewer heart attacks. Married men live longer and have more emotionally healthy lives. Not only that, but according to a book which draws on a 20 year US Department of Labor survey of 6,000 men, married men get better jobs than single men.

According to an Australian study, the death rate figures reveal single people, especially men, have death rates between two and four times higher than married people. This study found that the death rate for married men aged 35 to 39 is 0.9 for each 100,000 but for unmarried men in the same age group the rate jumps to 3.6.

Numerous advantages exist for a country with strong healthy families. Families have been called the building blocks of a stable society. When families are damaged and disintegrating, society suffers. Children do best being raised by a father and a mother who provide for their needs. When the child is neglected or abused by their family, they can grow up to be menaces to society. Evidence is overwhelming that the majority of criminals come from dysfunctional, hurting families. Children from God-centred families are likely to grow up to be responsible contributors to society.

A healthy family is important to the church. Healthy families can be said to be the building blocks for God's kingdom. The famous preacher of the 18th century, Jonathan Edwards, said "But the due regulation of your families is of no less, in my mind, and in most respects, of much greater importance. Every Christian family ought to be as it were a little church consecrated to Christ and wholly influenced and governed by God's rules. And the family education and order are some of the chief means of God's grace. If these fail all other means are likely to prove ineffectual."

In modern English, Jonathan Edwards was saying that when the Christian family is not what it should be, the work of the church is weakened. What we are as a family is what we are as a church. The church is a family made up of families, and a household made up of households.

The family is the most basic social unit in building a Kingdom for God because from the family, values are taught and institutions are perpetuated. That was true in the old covenant with Israel, and it is true with the new covenant and the church. The family in the mind of God is a kingdom matter.

Please feel free to come and talk to us at any time,

Dave and Heather

It Takes Courage

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point" (Clive Staples Lewis)

This week we are exploring different Bible figures and the way they displayed courage, with particular focus on the apostle, Paul. Paul displayed courage physically inasmuch as he was prepared to die for the sake of the gospel. He also demonstrated spiritual courage when he witnessed to the officials at the risk of his life. Paul heard the voice of God on the road to Damascus and he had the courage to obey and thereafter, he lived a life in total obedience to his Lord and Saviour.

Listening to God's voice is of little value if those called are not will to act on God's instruction. It takes courage to act on God's instructions. Simply hearing the voice of God is not enough; action is necessary to please God and to remain in His will. God may ask for change in lives and hearts. He may request more than we are willing to give. It takes courage to act on God's instructions, but God comes through when we obey and submit our lives to Him.

Christians who have been covered by the blood of Christ and have applied His name to their lives are different than others they see in their schools, in their families, and around the town. Young people who do not let their friends pressure them to be involved in illegal, dishonest, and immoral activities will be derided. A true commitment to Christ shows because changes take place as you move toward being more like Him.

Please feel free to talk to us at any time,

Dave and Heather

Seeking Sincerety

Today, we are exploring the concept of sincerety. Sadly, we do not always detect the phoniness in our own lives until we fall short in some situation. Warren Wiersbe tells of a pious church member who thought of himself as a great Christian. During a visit to the junior department of the Sunday school, he was asked to say a few words to the pupils. As he pompously stood before them, he asked, "Why do you think people call me a Christian?" After a long embarrassing silence, a young voice timidly ventured, "Because they don't know you."

Can those who really know us say that we are "real?" Are we really what we profess to be? If God were to remove our facade, what would the world see?

Please feel free to come and chat with us at any time,

Dave and Heather