For Our Children and Our Children's Children

Growing A Richness Of Life

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8

For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Life Giving Series

• Building A Foundation For Life
  
• Growing A Richness Of Life
  
• Creating A Culture Of Life
  
• Leaving A Legacy Of Life

A Meaningful Life
I Peter 1:17-21

• KJV = Vs 18 “from your vain conversation received by tradition”
  
• NKJ = Vs 18 “from your aimless conduct received by tradition”
• NASB = Vs 18 “from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers”
  
• ISV = Vs 18 “from the worthless way of life handed down to you”
  
• Message = Vs 18 “It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty headed life you grew up in.”

Valuable to God

• You were not created for a vain, aimless, futile, worthless, dead end empty-headed life.
• Luke 12:6-8 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.
• Mark 8:36-37 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
  
• The price God places on the human soul is beyond finding out.
• I John 3:1-3 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

A man’s true value consists in his likeness to God. What gives value to his thoughts, his feelings, and his actions is the extent to which they are inspired by God, the extent to which they express the thought, the will, and the acts of God.”
---Paul Tournier (1898–1986)

Permit the Children
Luke 18:16

• There appears to be a demonic conspiracy to undermine the faith of our children with humanistic and atheistic thinking.
  
• As the Scriptures prophetically state that good will be called evil and evil good.
  
• Isaiah 5:20-21
  
• II Peter 3:3-10

The Sh’ma
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

For Our Children and Our Children's Children

Building A Foundation For Life
For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 
‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:11

A Life Giving Series

• Building A Foundation For Life
  
• Growing A Richness Of Life
  
• Creating A Culture Of Life
  
• Leaving A Legacy Of Life

The Sh’ma

Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

The Biblical Charge

• When Jesus was asked about the “greatest commandment,” He answered by quoting the Shema (Mark 12:29).
  
• This commandment is the initial charge for God’s people and produces the blessing of His peace and His future!
  
• This Scripture gives a practical and simple instruction to reproduce this in our children and the generations to come.

Generations and Their Names

• The “Builder generation” - Before WW1
  
• The “Boomer generation” from 1946 -1964
  
• The “Buster generation” from 1965 to 1983
  
• The “Bridges from 1984 to the new millennium
  
• In the past decade we have tried to pin down the new postmodern generations with letters like the “X” and “Y” generations.
  
• The Survivors - All the kids who survived the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

Hope for the Future, Tools for Today!

• Trust & Obey!
  
• God’s Plan & Purpose for our future
  
  • Hope!
    
• God’s provision through His Spirit
  
  • Revival!
    
• God’s Command
  
  • Love Him and tell the children!

When God Adds To the Church
Acts 2:37-47

Two clear components of the early church:

1. For Inclusion: Acts 2:37-40
   
2. For Practice: Acts 2: 41-47

For Inclusion: Acts 2:37-40

• Repentance
  
  • Stop proceeding and turn around!
    
• Baptism
  
  • Identity, Initiation, Immersion
    
• Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
  
  • the person in power!

For Practice: Acts 2:41-47

• Continuing in the Apostolic message
  
  • Acts 2:14-36 = The public reading of the Scripture
    
• Continuing in Fellowship
  
  • both in the temple and house to house
    
  • Proverbs 27:17; Galatians 4:19
    
• Continuing in “The prayers”
  
  • Psalms
    
  • Lord’s Prayer
    
  • Doxologies

Scriptural Doxologies

• Philippians 2:6-11
  
• II Timothy 2:11-13

The Creeds
(from the <Latin> credo = I believe)

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. 
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. AMEN.