MAY 17
Theme 5G – God’s Great Graceful Gifted Gatherers
Topic: Family 5G Glory
If you want God’s Family 5G glory, God’s gotta come first
God, the giver of the gift of life being a God of eternal relationship has a father’s heart that desires to be vitally engaged in living relationship with every person He creates. As our Creator God knows best about the who, what, where, when, why and how of relationship, He requires that all of us put God first in our relationships. Also as our Heavenly Father and ultimate sire in regard to our natural birth and spiritual birth, God desires that we would put him first and His family first. This is not instead of our natural parents nor natural family, but as a matter of priority and prudence. Our natural relationships are temporary being a contributing member of God’s born again, Bible believing kingdom team the Church is eternal – forever. Thus it is not only prudent but a matter of Biblical relational logic that God would design and define reality so that putting Him and His family first results in optimum relational benefit for both God’s family and our natural families.
Matt 10:24-26 Haven’t come to bring peace but a sword
Gen 3:24 Sword in garden God’s word is the sword. God’s delegated government over nations is also mandated to bear the natural sword. God is a man of war, He can and does use both swords to lead people into putting Him and His family first. Even when the earthly governmental powers act unjustly. Give example of Shona being falsely convicted of careless driving.
God: Heavenly Father and inventor of family
God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a loving, living, enlightening model of relationship.
In making mankind in His image, He has chosen to enhance the substance of relationship through determining that family would be the primary gathering building block for life on earth. As such family is also the primary relational notion in God’s kingdom and His kingdom team the Church. Thus, relationship is a gift and families are a God invention with the intention of developing great, graceful families and family members, both in the natural and the eternal.
God is a Father: Psalm 103:13, 1 John 3:1, Proverbs 3:11-12, Matthew 6:6, Matthew 6:26, John 17:24, Philippians 4:20, Luke 12:32, John 1:12
Whereby we cry Abba Father - Romans 8
He puts the solitary in the families - Psalm 68:6
He is a defender of widows, father to the fatherless Psalm 68:5
Great: God leads by example in limitless greatness
As we behold God, it is important that we sufficiently open and focus our eyes on the substance of all that God is. In doing so, we will be transformed even by the spirit of the Lord into greater measures of Glory in each of the facets of God’s overall character and being. God being God has sufficient substance to His being that all human beings have an example to look to that is beyond every human being. If we make God number 1 we have our greatest potential for becoming all that we can become. If we only look to other human beings, our potential is significantly reduced.
Graceful:
God’s grace encompasses a wide range of factors as displayed in the micro and the macro of creation. Some make the huge mistake of thinking God’s grace is a generic “get out of the jail of the consequences of our sin” card’ that anyone can use anytime, anywhere, and as such use it as a license to sin at will and never have to take personal responsibility. That kind of license leads to devilish licentiousness rather than Godly righteousness. That is only a complete and utter misunderstanding of Biblical grace. (See Romans chapters 5 and 6 particularly 5:20 to 6:1-2 )
The true Biblical version is God’s empowering grace which enables usto engage in prayerful obedience with a servant spirit in loving excellence. This is reflected in the lyrics of the Evesmith song of the same name – Empowering Grace.
EMPOWERING GRACE LYRICS:
Insurmountable obstacles set the scene for your miracles
So we ask now as we pray fill us with your empowering grace
Nothing is impossible, we seek your face you’re unstoppable
So we ask now as we pray, fill us with your empowering grace
Your empowering grace is what we need every day
Your empowering grace, lead us on to walk you in your ways
Your empowering grace, fill us all so we can obey
It’s all-sufficient, all we need to do just what you say
Your empowering grace
It’s a gift that we cannot earn, with a fire that forever burns
Full of life that lights our way, full of love your empowering grace
Search our hearts Lord come what may, lead us on as we sing your praise
Full of life that lights our way, full of love your empowering grace
Your empowering grace is what we need every day
Your empowering grace, lead us on to walk you in your ways
Your empowering grace, fill us all so we can obey
It’s all-sufficient, all we need to do just what you say
Your empowering grace
You made us royal, a holy nation
Now to be loyal, we sing your praise our hands we raise
And make this declaration
Your empowering grace is what we need every day
Your empowering grace, lead us on to walk you in your ways
Your empowering grace, fill us all so we can obey
It’s all-sufficient, all we need to do just what you say
Whatever you ask, we can do it
When we pray in your name, by your spirit
And empowering grace, by your empowering grace
We hear you calling Lord we are your chosen generation
It’s so enthralling Lord, to go disciple nations
By your empowering grace is what we need every day
Your empowering grace, lead us on to walk you in your ways
Your empowering grace, fill us all so we can obey
It’s all-sufficient, all we need to do just what you say
This grace makes us strong when we are weak and meek when we are strong as we outwork the salvation gift trip by faith. The Biblical faith that works by love.
Gifted: God gifts us so we can creates to relate
Being made in God’s image (Gen 1:27), every human being has a measure of gifting from God for the primary purpose of developing relationship. When we are born again our natural gifting is enhanced by the promise of the father, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the range of spiritual giftings.
Gatherers:
God has also designed and defined life both temporal and eternal so that life can be multiplied and such that the multiplication of life happens through relationship that involves gathering. As they say it takes two to tango. This life multiplication process is a working relationship process between God and humanity. Men and woman get to play their part, preferably in a Godly covenant for life family context, however without God conception itself does not occur. Thus every child is a gift from God and every Dad and Mum are a gift from God to every child.
Biblical Elements to 5G households:
making family life a Biblical affirmation zone full of Godly, great, graceful, gifted gatherers
- Fill the house with God’s presence with music as the soundtrack, especially music that glorifies God and empowers participation for all family members. This will generate great heart unity
- Family: God’s primary leadership criteria
- Abraham Father of many nations
- 1 Timothy 3:4-5 must have own family in order
- Share the answers to the great mysteries of life: not spoon feed, read, study question from infant
- Impart sense of belonging
- Nurture sense of purpose
- Reach out to others, gather them in and serve them
- Make meal times fun, feeding on a full range of foods; physical, emotional – salt and pepper shaker game, intellectual, Spiritual
- Good sleep
- All family members to serve
- Honor: God’s gifted affirmation zone tone template for family
- Discipline
- Training - Deut 6:7 and 11:19: teach them walking by the way rise up
- Vacation
- Soul winning
- Being Church
- Forgiveness: God’s gifted redemptive reconciliation template for family relationships