Communicating God's Way - Lesson 12 - With Our Family

As we are ending in this series on communication, next to our communication with the Lord this is our most important topic… ‘Communicating God’s Way with our Family.’ You may argue that it is communicating with the Lost as Jesus states in His great commission. Think about it this way. As individuals, we can only reach so many people. How many can we reach with our family and our grand children and on it goes.

We are planting seeds with our words. Are we planting good seeds?





Here are some quotes I found and I wanted to share.

A vessel is known by the sound, whether it be cracked or not; so men are proved, by their speech, whether they be wise or foolish.
–Demosthenes

It is bad to think ill, but it is much worse to speak it, for that implies consent to the evil thought and a willingness to infect others with it.
–Henry

Never throw mud. You may miss your mark, but you will have dirty hands.
–Parker

Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech.
–Tupper

If Christians spent as much time praying as they do grumbling, they would soon have nothing to grumble about.
–Anonymous

Let us be silent that we may hear the whisper of God.
-Emerson


Communicating with our family Spiritually

We know we have to provide physically for our family or there are consequences. Here let’s think about this verse as it applies to spiritual needs. Pastor Paul has shared with us that if we go too long without physical food we will get weak and eventually die.

We have spoken on this verse before and it is also important here.

1 Timothy 5:8, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

What are the consequences if we go too long without giving our family spiritual food?





Communicating with our family through teaching the Scriptures

If the Lord chooses to teach us, let us not be forgetful hearers. Also, let us not neglect to pass on His teachings to our children.

Deut. 4:9-10, “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.”

What does this verse say to you?





Communicating with our family through Love

Psalm 133:1, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Then why is it we always fight in the car on the way to church?





What can we do about that?

Proverbs 15:17, “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.”

How important do you think it is for a family to sit together for dinner?





Communicating with our Family through Loyalty

Here’s a quote from Thomas Fuller
– Birds are entangled by their feet and men by their tongues.

Proverbs 27:8, “As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.”

Leaving her own offspring, places of retreat, and feeding-ground behind. This bird goes astray, where she is exposed to every kind of danger. So is the man who leaves his family and goes into strange parts to find employment, better his circumstances, or make a fortune.

What do you believe God is trying to tell us here?





A well and long tried friend is priceless. The person that has been a friend to the family never forgets, and never neglects. In the time of adversity, we should apply to that person, rather than go to our nearest relative, who keeps himself at a distance.

Proverbs 27:10, “Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.”

Can you give us an example of this?





Adhere to tried friends. Once again, the ties of blood may be less reliable than those of genuine friendship.

Mark 10:6-9, “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.” “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

What do you believe be one flesh refers to?





1 Timothy 5:16, “If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.”

Should I put my parents in a nursing home when they get old?





Communicating with your Family through Worship

In committing to parents the training of their children, God has, in a very important sense, committed to them the formation of their future character, and he will hold them responsible for the influence they exert.

Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

How can we serve the Lord as a family?





Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

What does this verse say to us when we at times wonder if our children are truly saved?





We know the Bible states: In the Lord’s name; under His authority, and for the purpose of doing any thing connected with the advancement of His kingdom. In the midst, He is present with us, to hear and bless us.

Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

What does this verse say to you?





Rejoice together before God

Deut. 14:26, “And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,”

What can we do to rejoice together?





In Conclusion

And Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.
–Cowper

Next week we are going to take of Survey on communication again. How do you think you will do? Has your communication improved? In some forms, has it improved? Have you allowed the Lord to speak through you? Have you allowed the Lord to open your ears so we could hear?

We need to remember to turn to the Lord in prayer. We need to remember to turn to his scriptures for the answers. We are also expected to lead our family in that same direction.

We have an awesome responsibility before us. We have all made mistakes in these areas. We need to ask the Lord to forgive us. We know he does and we have to accept his forgiveness and allow Him to help us walk righteously as we walk into tomorrow.


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