Sola Scriptura - Family Bible Study

Family Bible Study

CORE VALUES FOR CHRISTIAN FAMILIES

Many of us attend church, at least once in a while, and we sometimes read the Bible, but how can we be sure that our family is grounded in the fundamentals of Christianity? One way is to dedicate ourselves to a plan of study that involves the whole family. Why the whole family? Listen:

DEUTERONOMY 11:18-21 NKJV
18 …you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
19 You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
20 And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,
21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.

God, speaking through Moses, has commanded us to "teach His words" to our children. The task is far too important than to leave such teaching to others. One of the great advantages of learning God's word, as a family, is that assures you that your beliefs and understandings are "mutual."

I suspect that it is difficult, with all of the "agenda" that is coming at family members, to spend time together discussing the core values of Christianity. Yet, is anything more important? No, nothing is more important than knowing that every member of the family is seeking to do as Jesus commanded:

MATTHEW 22:37-39 NKJV
37 "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

The purpose of these Family Bible Studies is to provide a format for getting each family member to discuss the scriptural topics at hand and to both learn and share mutual commitments. Since some of the concepts are more difficult to understand than others, fathers and mothers will have to assist in explaining what they mean and will, at times, need to restate the core value in words the children will understand.

These Studies are intentionally "substantive", that is, they will lead you into the meat of the word as opposed to dwelling on the milk of the word. Listen:

HEBREWS 5:12-14 NKJV
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need some one to teach you again the first principles of God's word. You need milk, not solid food;
13 for every one who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a child.
14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.

Establish a specific day and time for your Family Bible Study and be sure to begin the study with prayer. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. May God abundantly bless your family as you learn "eternal" values. I pray that God will richly bless you and your family, forever.

Bruce Caldwell

Lessons by Number

PLEASE NOTE: ALL "LESSON" PAGES ARE PRESET FOR A ONE PAGE PRINTOUT

Lessons by Topic

Lesson 01: Flattery
Core Christian value: Flattery that is intended to manipulate the other person is forbidden.

Lesson 02: What is that aroma?
Core Christian value: We are to be imitators of Jesus Christ and in doing so we give off a sweet- smelling aroma, one that pleases God. That aroma may not please a person who does not love and honor God.

Lesson 03: What I am doing just feels wrong
Core Christian value: Our lower nature (flesh) is at war with our spirit. We have a "built-in" knowledge of right and wrong. God wants to unite our spirit and His Spirit. He will strengthen us.

Lesson 04: Jesus Wept
Core Christian value: We properly mourn over the death of a loved one but then we are encouraged, knowing that death is physical and not spiritual. Our spirits live on and a reunion of God's children awaits.

Lesson 05: Grace, Faith and Works...
Core Christian value: First God's grace to you, second your faith in Jesus Christ and third, your works, those things you do to respond to His love. We need to know that the order can not be reversed.

Lesson 06: So Proud
Core Christian value: Pride in oneself, as if the talent or skills you have, are a result of your hard work misses the point. God gives us gifts (skill, good looks, brains, etc.) but those gifts become a test. Give the glory to God when men praise you and be thankful for His gifts. Don't let Satan tempt you to take the credit for the gifts of God in your life.

Lesson 07: Trust and Faith
Core Christian value: Jesus repeatedly held up children -their level of trust, their innocence, their faith- as examples of what he wants us all to be.

Lesson 08: What is the big deal about reading the Bible?
Core Christian value: God's word is Holy, it is the truth and I need to absorb as much as I can while I can. It is truly a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. I love and revere His word.

Lesson 09: Who's in charge?
Core Christian value: God is sovereign and in complete control. When you trust God you are trusting in Him who created all things, including evil persons.

Lesson 10: Water baptism is good; baptism by the Holy Spirit is essential
Core Christian value: Baptism by immersion is both a symbol of our new birth and a public confirmation of our faith. Baptism by the Holy Spirit is a gift of God to all believers. Experience God's forgiveness, mercy and love and then be baptized.

Lesson 11: Should "caring" precede witnessing?
Core Christian Value: Our witness is most effective if the person we are witnessing to knows that we love them and if they can see "Christ in us", a person reborn seeking to be like Jesus.

Lesson 12: But you promised
Core Christian Value: Promises to God are very serious promises and are called "vows". Make no vows you do not intend to keep because promises to God must be kept; same for vows to your friends and family.

Lesson 13: The Devil made me do it!
Core Christian Value: As long as we inhabit this mortal body, we will face temptation. But, we never face it alone. God permits the test and as long as we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, Satan loses.

Lesson 14: Witnessing is risky and necessary!
Core Christian Value: Jesus charged us with the responsibility to preach the Gospel. That will bring persecution at times. He will not return until the task is accomplished. Just do it!

Lesson 15: Fidelity, what is that; a bank?
Core Christian Value: Fidelity, in the Bible, means being faithful, continuing to trust and love, even in the face of doubts, disappointments and uncertainty. It applies to marriage, both physical and spiritual.

Lesson 16: Isn't Having Money a Good Thing?
Core Value: Blessings are from God and we should use them to bring glory to His name and to show our love to His children. His blessings to us create opportunities for us to be a blessing to others.

Lesson 17: Who is your hero?
Core Christian Value: Jesus, sinless from birth, God's innocent child, lived without sin. It is His perfection we seek; it is Jesus we seek to emulate. He called us friends. Be His friend.

Lesson 18: How can I feel joyful when my life and the world around me are falling apart?
Core Christian Value: Joy is the condition of a believer's life. Not joy in suffering or rejection, but joy in knowing that through every circumstance the Holy Spirit is with you, comforting and guiding you.

Lesson 19: Who is going to explain the Scriptures to me?
Core Christian Value: The Holy Scriptures are God's gift to us. Let no man contradict or deny the Word. God's Spirit in you is the interpreter. His Light shines in your heart as a star in the darkness. Seek Him.

Lesson 20: I am sooooo mad!
Core Christian Value: Do not let the sun set on a family disagreement. God's will for our lives is harmony with Him and each other. Anger is a tool of Satan. Do not let him win.

Lesson 21: Finally, all this stuff is mine!
Core Christian Value: Everything that we see is "temporary", it will cease to exist. The things we do not yet see are "eternal" and will never cease to exist. Don't get too attached to anything in this world!

Lesson 22: Can a fig tree yield olives?
Core Christian Value: Evil people yield "fruit" and Christian's yield "fruit". If we claim to be a Christian, our lives should yield the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Lesson 23: When did God grieve because of me?
Core Christian Value: When we speak with bitterness or anger and are unkind to one another, it grieves the Holy Spirit of God. Our sins grieve our parents, us and God. There is no upside in sinful behavior!

Lesson 24: Did I choose God or did He choose me? Yes! And yes!
Core Christian Value: We are "elected" by God to be His children; the Word says "God our Savior …desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4 NKJV. Do it!

Lesson 25: The mystery of the Holy Spirit, revealed.
Core Christian Value: There are three that bear witness in heaven: The Father, The Word and The Holy Spirit and these three are one. Jesus is the Word, the Light sent from God, the Holy Spirit, sent.

Lesson 26: When the Bible speaks of "blasphemy" what does that mean?
Core Christian Value: The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the only sin in the Bible characterized as "unforgivable". A true believer should never expect the re-enactment of the crucifixion, for his sins.

Lesson 27: And the greatest commandment is...?"
Core Christian Value: There are 10 commandments. The first 4 pertain to God and the second 6 pertain to man. Jesus summarized them and said, "Love God with all your heart, mind and soul and your neighbor as yourself."

Lesson 28: Are you a foxhole Christian?
Core Christian Value: God does not intend that the Light within us be hidden. "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." Ephesians 5:8 NKJV

Lesson 29: A "sippy cup" approach to growth!
Core Christian Value: When we first seek a relationship with our Lord, we do so as "babes" and we feed upon the milk of the word. We must not remain infants. As we grow in the word, we mature in Christ.

Lesson 30: Got too much stuff? Build a bigger barn!
Core Christian Value: What a temptation it is to accumulate wealth, which we know will perish. Better to be one who is a "conduit" using wealth to advance the cause of the Kingdom.

Lesson 31: How can you possibly speak as Jesus?
Core Christian Value: The power of the Holy Spirit allows you to be a spokesperson beyond any level of skill you could possibly imagine. When empowered, you can say "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." Galatians.2:20 NKJV

Lesson 32: Are tattoos a problem?
Core Christian Value: The Scriptures say, "no tattoo marks". The trend towards tattoos seems to be a significant mistake. Your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. No intentional scars, no indelible marks.

Lesson 33: One very bad mark, 666, one good mark; choose!
Core Christian Value: Choosing to be obedient and faithful to God is a right choice, for eternity. If, in the end, you accept the mark of the beast, in order to buy and sell, you lose. It is God's mark you want!

Lesson 34: Whose team are you on?
Core Christian Value: God has called us all to be on His team. When we choose to follow Satan, it does not come as a surprise to God, but what is a surprise is that God still seeks us! Respond to His love.

Lesson 35: Does God really hear my prayers?
Core Christian Value: God is love and he requires us to love others as he loves us. If we are angry with our brothers we must first forgive them before asking God to forgive us and to hear our prayers.

Lesson 36: Did you say "ask anything"!
Core Christian Value: We are able to ask our Lord for anything and be sure we will receive it if the thing we ask for is consistent with His will. His will for your life has already been established! Seek His will.

Lesson 37: God has no grandchildren!
Core Christian Value: Parents should pray earnestly for the salvation of their children but children grow up and they must each choose to love and obey our Lord. Mature believers stand alone before God.

Lesson 38: Babel reversed, a pure language restored.
Core Christian Value: When man tried to glorify himself and build the tower of Babel, God confused their language. They no longer spoke a single language. In heaven, God will restore a pure language.

Lesson 39: Could blessings become burdens?
Core Christian Value: Our talents, wealth and gifts are accompanied by this instruction: To whom much is given, much is required. The capacity to love is a gift freely given by God. Spend this resource!

Lesson 40: Why him? He already has the most!
Core Christian Value: We are given gifts by God. The gift is as a talent. Do not "save up" your talents. God's blessings flow to those who multiply the value of their talents. No growth, no blessing expected.

Lesson 41: I humbly declare that I out ran all of you!
Core Christian Value: We seek praise from men and we offer praise to our children. Praise can distort God's hope for us. He tells us to come to Him with all humility and contrition, not wise in our own eyes.

Lesson 42: Who forgot to water the flowers?
Core Christian Value: Thirst is real but quenching one's thirst with water satisfies temporarily. To drink of the living water is to be filled with the righteousness of Jesus. Jesus in us sustains life forever.

Lesson 43: Which is it, earthly rewards or eternal rewards?
Core Christian Value: Christians should never accept jobs or roles in life that separate you from God. It is better to spend a day in His Temple than a thousand elsewhere. Serve Him no matter where you are.

Lesson 44: I know and you don’t!
Core Christian value: It is important to know that the Holy Spirit speaks to each one of us personally. No one can receive “your” message from the Holy Spirit but you. Listen to Jesus!

Lesson 45: Unity in Jesus, our prayer.
Core Christian Value: Denominationalism is an unnecessary reality, born of division, not unity. Our Lord prefers we be of one mind, exercising the gift of love towards each other.

Lesson 46: Pull together or be pulled apart.
Core Christian value: Arrogance and pride are not Christian characteristics. God call us to be humble, willing to give credit where credit is due and to know that all gifts we possess are from Him.

Lesson 47: Overcome or be overcome.
Core Christian value: To be an overcomer is to, by faith, be a child of God, trusting in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. All of those who overcome will abide in the Paradise of God, forever.

Lesson 48: To be forgiven enables you to forgive.
Core Christian value: God gave His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins. God forgives us for our sins and He expects us to forgive others who have disappointed us. We must forgive others in order to receive forgiveness.

Lesson 49: Perfected, yet not perfect.
Core Christian Value: A Christian has been perfected due to the grace of God in our lives and our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior. That does not mean we are perfect. We seek to be like Jesus, we press forward.

Lesson 50: Isn’t being “Lukewarm” better than being cold?
Core Christian Value: The intensity of our first love, the moment that we first knew that Jesus loves us was a key moment. Is being lukewarm toward Jesus acceptable? Never!

Lesson 51: Last here, first there, disabled here, enabled there.
Core Christian Value: God loves every soul He created, whether we are fast or slow, blind or not blind, lame or not lame, coordinated or not coordinated. We are all equal before God.

Lesson 52: My Church is right. Your Church is wrong! Right?
Core Christian Value: Christians may be united or divided but there is only one Body of Believers. There is only one true and living God and only one Holy Word of God.

Lesson 53: Hey Sailor!
Core Christian Value: We are each given certain assets such as beauty, strength, wisdom and compassion. The assets tempt us to feel we are really special. Don’t live with a “look at me” attitude.

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