fbpx

The Family at Church

Imagine yourself a tour guide showing a group of first-time visitors to Yellowstone National Park ready to soak in every majestic view, a sighting of a grizzly bear, and the timely display of Old Faithful. Now imagine yourself munching on a bag of chips, working a crossword, and yawning your way through a traffic jam of a herd of bison with their young calves leaping in the pasture. Your lackluster demeanor will soon rub off on the first-time visitors or they will soon grow frustrated.

In this helpful book by Scott Brown you will see why it is important that you treat the gathering of the church for what it is, the most spectacular gathering the family will participate in all week. The reader will be shown, through Scripture, how to faithfully prepare the household for a lifestyle of anticipated expectations of the majestic, Almighty God.

The born-again saints of God are essentially tour guides to the children. Give careful attention to how you present the glories of God to your children and the children in our church.

This past Sunday, every household received a copy of “the Family at Church”. Before the day was up, I had given every copy I ordered away. This morning I ordered 20 more. I look forward to getting this book into every household and for families to be encouraged, strengthened, and instructed.

“The Family at Church” is authored by Scott Brown, pastor at Hope Baptist Church in North Carolina and director of Church and Family Life.

To my pastor friends, get a copy of this book into the hands of every family you know.

Special Guests at Eastside Baptist Church

This coming Lord’s day at Eastside Baptist Church we will have two special guest speakers.

July 14, at 10:30 a.m. Scott Brown, pastor of Hope Baptist Church in Wake Forest, NC and president of the National Center for Family Integrated Churches will be preaching. Scott and Deborah Brown are the parents of 4 children and have 17 grandchildren.

____________________________

July 14, at 6:30 p.m. one of our missionaries to Senegal, West Africa will update us of the ongoing gospel work. Matt is a former pastor of NorthRidge Fellowship in Jerome, ID. Matt and Gayle have 3 children.

Both opportunities will be of a blessing to you and your family.

During the Time of Your Stay on Earth

 

fear_of_god_banner

Join me at the National Center for Family Integrated Churches Fear of God conference
at Ridgecrest Conference Center in Ashville, NC October 27-29, 2016.

Register HERE

“How Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways.” (Psalm 128:1)

I will have the opportunity to gather with some of the most looked to men of God in our day. Men like Ken Ham, John Snyder, Joel Beeke, Jeff Pollard, Carlton McLeod, Scott Brown, Craig Houston, and many others. (Full list of speakers)

Over the past several months I’ve participated in a daily devotional on the Fear of God. You may want to take some time to meditate on the Fear of God with these devotions. (All devotion videos)

I will address the Fear of God from the following position.

During the Time of Your Stay on Earth
(Background: Psalm 128:1, Ecclesiasties 12:13-14, 1 Peter 1:17, Hebrews 12:28-29)

It is said again and again in our day; “to err is human”. Could it be said better? “to fear God is human.” This will be our safety net to cover all our wandering ways, sinful indulgences, and actions against our creator.

The philosophy of men gives us permission to sin; even to laughingly brush away the conclusion that, even in our fallen condition, we are called out to fear God and keep His commandments.

How do we keep ourselves from wanting less than what God calls us to; Himself.

A problem many of us are blinded with is that we are more impressed with what God will give us than we are with God. Many spend a lifetime of energy trying to “walk in His Ways” or “keep His commandments” and never come to fear or know Him (1 Peter 1:17).

If we are to walk in His ways in a manner that is considered an acceptable service, we are to do so with reverence and awe “for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29)

 

Do You Have No Fear of God?

theFearOfGod* From The Fear of God Devotional

There is a benefit to your soul to live out your life with the fear of God.

Is there evidence in your life that there is a decrease of the fear of God or intentional actions you are doing to keep yourself from walking in the fear of God? Do you want the benefit of the fear of God upon your life? Here are some warning signs that may help you identify if you are on a path to keep yourself from the fear of God.

  • Remove yourself from the local Church.
  • Stay away from other believers who will pray with with.
  • Alienate yourself from preaching that will lead to repentance.
  • Remove yourself from the fear of God.
  • Infuse your life with pleasure in the things of men.
  • Increase in your desire for worldliness.
  • Surround yourself with others who will not hold you accountable.
  • Not reading your Bible to know who God is.
  • Reading the Bible for morality.
  • While reading the Bible think the warnings are for other people and not you.
  • No longer delight to obey God.

Here’s a short video where I attempt to express this for a devotional project for the National Center of Family Integrated Churches.

What It Means When You Don’t Want the Fear of God in Your Life from NCFIC on Vimeo.

 

The Fear of God

I’m thankful to the Lord for the ministry of the National Center of Family Integrated Churches and it’s director Scott Brown. I’ve recently had the privilege to participate in a devotional project with trusted brothers coloaborating our attention upon the topic of the fear of God.

Every weekday there is a new (short) video and devotional thought to cause the participant to meditate upon the attributes of God and His call to us to fear Him. Here is my latest contribution from Friday, June 17, and a link to the past few weeks of helpful devotional thoughts. Be sure to check HERE each day for more in the coming weeks.

How Does the Fear of God Liberate Me from NCFIC on Vimeo.

The Burning in my Soul

BurningsInTheSoulLast October (2015) I had the occasion to attend and participate in the “Holiness of God” conference hosted at Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina.

I had two speaking duties; this one was at a men and boys lunch “the Burnings in the Soul” at the National Center for Family Integrated Churches annual conference.

“Oh that my preaching would be barren of the philosophies of men and rich with the Word of God that liberates men from their sin and gives helpful instruction as a lamp to light a dark path for the follower of Christ.”

2015 Burnings in the Soul – Paul Thompson from NCFIC on Vimeo.

The Highway of Holiness

Consider joining me at Ridgecrest Conference Center in Ashville, North Carolina this fall, October 29-31, 2015, for the “Highway of Holiness” conference.

A highway will be there, a roadway,
And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean will not travel on it,
But it will be for him who walks that way,
And fools will not wander on it.
No lion will be there,
Nor will any vicious beast go up on it;
These will not be found there.
But the redeemed will walk there,
And the ransomed of the Lord will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
With everlasting joy upon their heads.
They will find gladness and joy,
And sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah 35:8-10 NASB, emphasis mine)

Conference Registration: REGISTRATION
Conference Lodging: LODGING 
Full list of speakers: SPEAKERS

Fullscreen capture 462015 100336 AM.bmp

 

The Powerful Word of God

I agree with him…

“If we ever hope to recover the biblical mission of the family, we must first restore its worship. People often try to fix their families by making surface changes in important areas, but until they deal with worship, they will find themselves like the men of Judah – healing “the hurt of [the] people slightly” (Jer. 6:14). So many maladies in family life can be traced to the abandonment of family worship.”

“… I’ve seen remarkable transformations take place in families. They occur when man does the simplest thing: he pick up the Bible and reads it to his family. This is transformational because the Word of God is powerful…”

-Scott Brown (A Theology of the Family, Chapter One, Family worship

The Great Undoing

I am preparing a year-long book review of a “A Theology of the Family” edited by Jeff Pollard and Scott T. Brown. This is a collection of “five centuries of Biblical wisdom for family life.”

There has been a progressive undoing of the home, the church and the nation. Many talk about it, statistics show it, and books are written about it.

I believe this is a fresh voice from the past 500 years that may help pastors, churches, families, and the nation.

A Theology of the Family

“A Theology of the Family” is number 3 on Monergism’s top 50 books of 2014.

In this book, Jeff Pollard and Scott T. Brown have compiled a massive collection of writings on godly families from over the past 5 centuries.

Consider getting your copy of this treasure and join me on this year long journey. I’ll attempt to give reviews of the essay’s and treaties compiled here.

The practice of family worship had been on the decline for some time. Over the past 10 years the National Center for Family Integrated Families has devoted themselves to reclaiming and advocating for churches and families to reclaim this once expected practice of the family alter. I crossed paths with this ministry while on in pursuit of reformation in my personal life and church.

Join me as I examine this beast of a book, paced with writings from the past 500 years on family duty.

“If we suffer the neglect of this, we undo all. What are we like to do ourselves to the reforming of a congregation, if all the work be cast on us alone, and masters of families will let fall that necessary duty of their own, by which they are bound to help us! If any good be begun by the ministry in any soul in a family, a careless, prayerless, worldly family is like to stifle it, or very much hinder it. Whereas, if you could but get the rulers of families to do their part, and take up the work where you left it, and help it on, what abundance of good might be done by it! (as I have elsewhere showed more are large). I beseech you , therefore, do all that you can to promote this business, as ever you desire the true reformation and welfare of your parishes!” Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor


An Endorsement from Phil Johnson, Executive Director of Grace to You, Sun Valley, California

“A theology of the Family is an excellent anthology featuring a wealth of mostly-forgotten material from great Christian leaders of the past 500 years. Long before the era of television, child psychology, secularized public education, and commercial day-care centers, various heroes of the faith had much to say about home and family life. Their writings and sermons on the subject are full of practical, biblical wisdom about marriage, parenting, order and virtue in the home, family devotions, the training and discipline of children, and similar topics. They drew their principles from Scripture, so this is timeless wisdom – but it is as timely today as when it was first published. In fact, the current dearth of biblical wisdom, combined with the rapid decline of the family as an institution, illustrates precisely why the material in this book is more truly relevant and more desperately needed than ever.”

Follow

Get every new post on this blog delivered to your Inbox.

Join other followers: