Family Bible Study Resources & 1647 Directory of Family Worship

Here is another tool to help you disciple your family.

Once again I started creating a daily Family Bible Study for my family. I will post it on our website for download.

It is our passion at FOF to see your family discipled. We are not here to do the job for you but we want to equip and train you to do that work. Offering a Family Bible Study is just one more tool that we would like to offer.

I find it amazing how far we have fallen. Today there are few men who lead and even fewer who are willing to lead their families in 'Family Worship.' In the majority of churches today you are expected if not asked to send your children off to Sunday School. Many people think that the idea of a family worshiping together in home and during the Sunday service is a new idea. Actually the idea is veryyyy old.

In 1647 The General Assembly created the 'Directory for Family Worship.' I would just like to share a few quotes from it with you.

ASSEMBLY AT EDINBURGH, August 24, 1647, Sess. 10.

"ACT for observing the Directions of the GENERAL ASSEMBLY for secret and private
Worship, and mutual Edification; and censuring such as neglect Family-worship.
THE General Assembly, after mature deliberation, doth approve the following Rules and
Directions for cherishing piety, and preventing division and schism; and doth appoint
ministers and ruling elders in each congregation to take special care that these Directions be observed and followed; as likewise, that presbyteries and provincial synods enquire and make trial whether the said Directions be duly observed in their bounds; and to reprove or censure (according to the quality of the offence), such as shall be found to be reprovable or
censurable therein.! And, to the end that these directions may not be rendered ineffectual and unprofitable among some, through the usual neglect of the very substance of the duty of Family-worship, the Assembly doth further require and appoint ministers and ruling elders to make diligent search and enquiry, in the congregations committed to their charge respectively, whether there be among them any family or families which use to neglect this necessary duty; and if any such family be found, the head of the family is to be first adminished privately to amend his fault; and, in case of his continuing therein, he is to be gravely and sadly reproved by the session; after which reproof, if he be found still to neglect Family-worship, let him be, for his obstinacy in such an offence, suspended and debarred from the Lord's supper, as being justly esteemed unworthy to communicate therein, till he amend.

The Church used to take Family Worship very seriously. If fact if a man, being head of the family household, was found to be negligent in his duty he was disciplined by the church elders privately and if that did not work he was brought before the session. If he still refused to take up the discipling of his family he was not allowed to join in the Lord's Supper."

Can you image if the Churches in America today required, expected, check up on, and even disciplined those who were and were not leading in family worship. Almost EVERY man would be disciplined and every man would be barred from taking the Lord's supper.

We have fallen from what God's word has called us to - the Discipling our families and to family worship. Let's return and reform our hearts, our perspectives and our actions to align with God's word and what our Christian fathers have left us as an example.

Rise up, O Men, and see that we are called to so much more. Take seriously your call to lead your family in family worship. Don't just take it serious - Do it.

If you would like to read all of the Directory of Family Worship visit our website.

Col 4:1-2

God has called us to be devoted to prayer. Jesus told a parable in Luke 11:5ff about a persistent friend who would be heard for his persistence. Then in v.9 Jesus said; 'ask, and it will be give to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened."

Not only are we called to be persistent in our prayer life, we are to be focused. That is to say we are not to pray vague and meaningless prayers, we are to pray about specific people, places, and situations. God is real and He wants to be real in your and my life. He has a passion for His glory to be revealed in you and through you; and much of that work is done througn prayer.

God has reminded me that I am to be more specific in my prayers. In the last few days I have once again been in contact with a blessed brother in Christ, who happens to live in Russia. His heart is burning to start a new church in Russia. He has asked me to join hands with him as he begins to pray for an open door to plant a new church. We agreed to regularly pray for specific things: wisdom, timing, an open door and what my involvement could be to help them.

It is amazing who the Providence of God works even in a reading plan; Amen? In our passage today, Paul, in Col.4 is encouraging the church to be devoted to prayer. Then Paul goes on to tell the believers to pray for specific things (not in a vague way). Paul then goes on to tell them one specific thing he would like them to pray for – that “God (would) open up a door to us for the word, so that we might speak forth the mystery of Christ.”

Just as Paul and the Colossian church is praying for open doors to declare Christ and His message clearly; so my Russian friend Losha and I are praying the very same thing – that God would open the door for this new church, that God would show us how to proceed and when. God’s word is relevant and it is alive, this is just one more testimony that He desires to speak, confirm, and listen.

What is God specifically calling you to persistently pray for:

• A Passion for His Word?
• A renewed love for your wife?
• Open doors to share the Gospel with a family member or co-worker?
• Money to meet your next bill?

Whatever it si, God is waiting to hear from you. He wants to guide us, reveal His glory, His wosdom, His strength and lead us to the place where He has a storehouse of spiritual blessings. We simply need to creaate the daily habit of Listening & Talking. That is we need to create the habit of Listening to the what He has to teach us and tell us through His word. Not only does He want us to listen to Him, He wants us to Talk to Him, and that is prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God, being open and real, He already knows everything about you anyway. It’s like when I can tell that my son is getting tired. He will look at me and say no I am not tired, but I know him better than he knows himself. I can see that He went to bed late the night before, got up early and it is late now. Knowing also from his behavior past and present, I know that he is tired. God knows us in an even more intimate way, He knows our thoughts, even our motives; all this to say – Just talk to Him as you would your earthly father.

I pray God bless you as you seek to create a life habit of Listening & talking to your Heavenly Father. I pray that you take specific prayers daily to the throne room of heaven and allow Him the opportunity to reveal Himself to you as the all powerful, all loving, all compassionate and carrying God that is waiting to speak truth into your life.
If you think of it pray for this church and the families in it. Pray that God would bless it and that His church would mature in it the stature of Christ. Pray that this church would raise up godly men, women, and children for the glory of God. Pray that God would lead us as we seek His will in working alongside Losha in Russia.

Father's - teach your children & grandchildren

Psalm 78
Teach them to Your Children
1 Listen, O my people, to my instruction;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
4 We will not conceal them from their children,
But tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers
That they should teach them to their children,
6 That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born,
That they may arise and tell them to their children,
7 That they should put their confidence in God
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments,
8 And not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not prepare its heart
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

God’s wisdom never fails us. In a day when 77-88% of Christian youth are leaving the faith by their first year in college, one has to wonder what it will take to keep the faith alive. In this weeks reading in Ps 78 we see part of God’s plan to pass on the faith to the next generation.

God’s plan to pass on the faith is dropped right in the lap of us fathers. Verse 5b states that, God ‘commanded…fathers that they should teach them to their children.’ God designed that Father’s should pass on the faith to the next generation. It is interesting that the saying, as goes the Father, so goes the family, is true. How many young children, especially boys, do not want to go to church because their fathers do not go.

The church today has a dirth of men and even a bigger dirth of men that take seriously their responsibility, their duty, to disciple their family. MEN, God is calling you to rise up and disciple your families. It is your responsibility – NOT the churches. Even the ‘best’ churches that America has to offer, is giving us children that do not have a Biblical Worldview, nor do they even remain in the faith. The reason why our children don’t remain in the faith is directly connected with the fact that they do not have a Christian worldview; and this is tied to their being truly disicipled.

Let us be honest, we all want our children to remain in the faith. HOWEVER, let us be even more honest; we do not think we have what it takes to disciple our children, and we think that we definitely do not have the time. You can begin discipling your family by simply reading God’s word for 5 minutes each day. Just getting your family under the word of God will begin to create a hunger for it, and will over time begin to transform their minds to the mind of Christ (i.e. give the a Biblical Worldview). It does not take a bible college degree, nor hours every day to disciple your family – it just takes 5-15 mintues each day.

I would encourage you to start by marking of 15 min. of each day for the Lord. In that 15 minute period simply read the bible for 5 minutes, sing a song, and pray. If you take 15 minutes each day over the years, you will begin to see God work in your own life and in the life of your family.

My question to you is the question of the Psalmist, are you v.4 “conceal(ing) them(God’s commands) from (your) children?

The only way that your children and my children will continue to follow the Lord is if you and me commit doing 4 things that the Psalmist points out:
1) Telling our children the praises of God
2) Talking about His strength
3) Telling of His wonderous works
4) Teaching His testimonies & Law

We must talk about God, talk about what He has done for us, lift up His name in their presence, and get them into God’s word. We need to do this with the sprinkly method. There is the Fire hose method and there is the sprinkle can method. The Fire hose is the occassional heavy unbearable dose of all 4 of these. The Sprinkle can method is the continuous, lite watering of; of praises, exaltation and time spent in the word. What is more healthy for a plant, a fire hose or a sprinkle can? It is better to keep the plants soil continuously moist, and thereby all it to prosper and bloom.

Verse 5 tells us that God established His testimony & His Law and we are to teach it to our children that 4 things might happen:

1) So our children will pass it on to our grandchildren,
2) That our children should put their confidence in God (not self, government,or ?),
3) That our children might keep His commands
4) That they might not rebel against God

The joy of discipling your family is waiting to be expereinced. Don’t give this opportunity and the pleasure of see your child’s eyes light up as they hear for the first time the story of David and Galiath, the walls of Jericho and all the other accounts, to someone else. God has called you to this task. Ask Him for the vision and the grace to begin the simple habit of walking and talking with your children about Him (Deu.6:7). Then watch the Lord raise up a godly seed that will bring Him glory.

Joining Hands with CTL

FOF Free-Church of Spokane has joined hands with CTL ministries. CTL stands for Chosen to Lead. We at FOF have a passion for discipling men in their walk with God. Steve Altmyer, founder of CTL, has a passion to see men truly transformed by a life habit of Godly Disciplines. These Disciplines include: journaling, walking in moral purity, prayer, integrity, godly covenant marriages, family worship, family vision and the reaching of the men's entire world for Christ.

We are excited to join hands with CTL as we embark on this grand journey together as men. All the men at FOF have a heart to be godly leaders, and we are here to help the develop the disciples to make this happen by the grace and empowering of the Holy Spirit.

Men, feel free to join us as we embark on this journey; and women - pray for us men! We so want to be that godly man; leader, provider, nourishes, cherishes, that you & God both would love us to be.

For more information on CTL visit there website: www.chosentolead.org

If you are interested in joining us contact:
Jeremy Lyerla
509 209 6676

Our Passion

The passion of FOFC Spokane is one of Reform. The term reform has the idea of returning to what something is supposed to be like. We are not trying out some new ministry idea or some new way of living as a family. We are simply trying to get the church and the Home back to its biblical basis.

I will begin to develop our vision & our plan to reach this vision over the next several months.