Family Dinner: January 14th – 20th

Open your Bibles to John chapter 3 and read verse 30 together.

• Discuss your initial thoughts and observations together just after reading the Scripture.
• What stands out to you, why?

John the Baptist was a great hero of the faith that prepared the way for Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can study him as an example as he was strong in spirit. For us to be strong in spirit, we must be surrounded by spiritual maturity. John was connected to people who would challenge his faith. John was empowered by the Spirit and dependent on Him to do what God called him to do. John’s life was also defined by Scipture, the Bible! God spoke to John by giving him Isaiah 40:3, and John faithfully obeyed the Lord and went to fulfill his calling. We don’t get to define ourselves, only God, our Creator and Savior, gets to define and mold us (Jeremiah 18:1-6).

Discuss your thoughts together as a family. Use the questions below to help guide your conversation.

1. What are specific examples of what it looks like to decrease ourselves to increase Jesus? What godly character qualities are needed to do this well?
2. How does being surrounded by spiritually mature people help us grow closer to God? Who in your life are your surrounded by? How do they help spiritually grow you?
3. John’s life was defined by Scripture, not culture or opinions. What are some ways that culture tries to define you instead of God? What does the Bible say about who you are?

Put it into Practice!

• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to let Scripture start defining you!

Family Dinner: January 7th – 13th

Open your Bibles to 1 John chapter 2 and read verse 6 together.

• Discuss your initial thoughts and observations together just after reading the Scripture.
• What stands out to you, why?

As believers, we’re to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. We’ve been given a great example, the perfect example to watch, learn from and to imitate. Praise God for His grace as He knows we can never do this perfectly, and He’s blessed us with the Holy Spirit to help us. We’re not to just know about Jesus as we follow Him, but to take what we know from Him and apply it to our lives. We love to call Jesus our Savior, but are slow to follow Him as our Lord. Paul strongly encourages us, or exhorts us, that we’ve died with Christ and now it is Him who lives in us (Galatians 2:20). We’re to read the Bible to grow in our relationship with our God and to witness the character of Jesus. As we learn about who Jesus is, we’re to imitate Him in all that we do (Ephesians 5:1-2).

Discuss your thoughts together as a family. Use the questions below to help guide your conversation.

1. Read Ephesians 5:1-2. Why is it important to imitate Jesus in all that we do?
2. Think of a Bible passage of Jesus. How did he walk in relation to the people around Him? How can you imitate this in your everyday life?
3. What is one area where you can grow in the most to look more like Jesus this year? How can you grow in this area?
4. If someone watched our family for a week, what actions would tell them that we love Jesus? What actions may make them question our love for Him?

Challenge to Change:

• Let the new you in the new year look a lot more like Jesus!

Family Dinner: Dec. 31st – Jan. 6th. Happy New Year Family!!

Open your Bibles to Acts chapter 2 and read verse 42 together.

• Discuss your initial thoughts and observations together just after reading the Scripture.
• What stands out to you, why?

We pack away our Christmas decorations, but we can never pack away the truth that God is Immanuel, He is God with us! We all struggle in believing if Jesus is really with us. Because if He was, we believe He’d answer every prayer, make things a little smoother, and do life the way we think He should do it for us. As He told the disciples, He’s telling us, He’s with us (Matthew 28:18-20), and we got a job to do. The Great Commission is our job as a believer, to get people saved and to disciple them in everything we’ve learned. He promised us the Holy Spirit as our Helper (John 14:16-18), and He’ll never leave us nor forsake us (Psalm 139:7-10). We have to purpose to trust Him and walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Through the exciting spiritual days, and the plain boring days of life, He’s with us!

Discuss your thoughts together as a family. Use the questions below to help guide your conversation.

1. Share a time when God didn’t show up how or when you expected. How did this affect your trust in Him?
2. Why do we often expect God to show up in big, dramatic ways ? What are some “normal” everyday ways God might be working in your life?
3. How can you continue to trust God through difficulty, even though you may not feel like He’s near?
4. The first church was focused on learning the Word, fellowshipping, communion and prayer. These all help us remember the truths of God with us. How can you as a family grow in these together in January?

Challenge to Change:

• When you don’t feel it, faith it!
• Don’t be led by your feelings, be led by your faith!

Family Dinner: December 24th – 30th

Open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 1 and read verse 23 together.

• Discuss your initial thoughts and observations together just after reading the Scripture.
• What stands out to you, why?

Merry Christmas family! We are all sinners in need of a Savior to be able to get to heaven (Romans 3:23, 6:23). God graciously paid the price for us to be in relationship with Him (John 3:16-17). When we call on the name of Jesus as Lord, we’re saved (Romans 10:9) and we receive the Holy Spirit as our Helper. God has always drawn close to us, people. He doesn’t need us, we can’t ever earn His graciously and forgiving love (Ephesians 2:8-9), but He continues to love us as His dear children. He is Immanuel, our God is with us. Since He’s with us, we can have peace through the storm of life we’re walking through. We can have joy that isn’t temporary, but is eternal and satifying to our very soul. We can have hope as we long for the day we get to see Jesus face to face in heaven as King and Savior.

Discuss your thoughts together as a family. Use the questions below to help guide your conversation.

1. How can the truth of Immanuel, “God with us”, comfort you this Christmas?
2. God’s plan was always to be with His people. What do you know about God’s heart and love towards us?
3. Why did Jesus come as a baby and not as a powerful ruler and king?
4. What are some practical ways your family can choose to walk with God this week?

Challenge to Change:

• God’s with you – are you with Him?

Family Dinner: December 17th – 23rd

Open your Bibles to Acts chapter 4 and read verse 31 together.

• Discuss your initial thoughts and observations together just after reading the Scripture.
• What stands out to you, why?

As we journeyed through the book of Acts, we were introduced to many ordinary people who were empowered by the Holy Spirit to do extraordinary things. We get to read the Bible and be motivated to sign up for this great adventure we call faith. God isn’t expecting you to be Paul, Peter, or Stephen. Our job is to faithfully fulfill the calling that He’s created us for and called us to be. As a believer, we too receive the same Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11, 2 Timothy 1:7). Jesus has created and saved each of us for a specific task. We’re to ask Him what that is, and then faithfully obey Him, no matter what. The Holy Spirit is our Helper (John 14:16) and He will empower us to do what Jesus is commanding us to do. In doing this, we’re fulfilling the command that Jesus gave the first church, to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). We need to humbly realize that we can’t do this on our own. This is why He’s given us the Holy Spirit, to ask Him for help and to depend on Him to empower us. The Holy Spirit empowered these ordinary men and women in the book of Acts, He will empower us too when we ask Him for help!

Discuss your thoughts together as a family. Use the questions below to help guide your conversation.

1. What was one big takeaway for you from the book of Acts? How can you apply this to your every day walk with Jesus?
2. Which ordinary person can you relate to, or encouraged you the most from the book of Acts, why?
3. Why did Jesus create and save you? What is He asking you to do to advance His Kingdom?
4. What makes dependence on the Lord difficult? How can you purpose to grow in this area?

Put God’s Word into ACTSion!

• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you apply the words of Jesus to your life!