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New video: Family

Check out this video reflection from Naomi and Jamie (and a few others too) on the theme of family. As Christians we see the Church as a family – we’re brothers and sisters in Christ, united through our faith in Jesus. This video is an insight into the persecuted church around the world and the real challenges some of our church family are going through.

We made this as part of Youthscape’s Together Apart series of resources, you can check them out here (they are all free)…

Once you’ve watched the video, think through these questions:

1. What defines family for you?
We’ve all got different families. Some of us might have grown up with just one, or no, parents, whilst others of us have mum, dad, brothers, sisters, pet dog and a massive extended family too. Think through your experiences of family and how they have impacted you. What would your ideal family look like?

2. What is God’s idea of family?
Being a Christian gives us a massive shift in our understanding of what family means. 1 John 3:1 says ‘See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children
of God’. Accepting Jesus means we get a new Father, but that also means we get a new family too. Our love of God, and His Spirit in us, gives us, as Christians, a connection or bond that Biblical writers liken to family. God’s idea of family isn’t simply about biology, or even a geographic proximity. It goes beyond all of that… it’s something much bigger.

3. How does this effect how you view your own family, and your church family?
We all know that we don’t get to choose our families. We have to stick with what we’ve got, through good and bad! That’s true of our church family as much as our biological families. Think about Hadija in the story. Her biological family rejected her, but a lady from her church family adopted her – and gave her a whole new life – amazing. Her idea of family has been redefined and changed. Is God also calling us to widen our perspectives and see our global church family as important as the people we see each week on a Sunday at church! What do you think?

Pray now…

• Thank God for the good experiences you have had of family. Pray for those people you consider family/like family and the good influences and ways they have impacted you.
• Ask God to help you see and care for His Church – the family He is building.
• Pray for Hadija and Melina. Thanks God for their family and ask that many others risking it all to follow Him would know a loving, caring and supportive church family.

Want to do something to support your church family?

Join the Blackout and get sponsored to give up something you love for those like Hadija who are prepared to lose everything for Jesus. Raise money and prayer. Choose what to give up, for how long and when! Sign up and we’ll send you an awesome fundraising pack in the post!
Sign up now…