Minsters Desk 14th October

Family Bible study

In Deuteronomy 6:5-7, parents are called to impress the hearts of their children with love for God. How can we possibly do this? God tells us to begin by talking as a family about God and His Word. Family bible study deepens and strengthens family relationships. Family bible study provides an opportunity for parents to take the lead in passing faith to their children and for the whole family together to grow as His disciples.

 

But where do you begin with family bible study? The hardest part of starting something is just that – starting! Here are some tips that might work for you:

* Discuss starting a bible study time with your family. Talk about the points below so everyone knows what is expected.

* Make this a priority in your family life and be consistent – stick with the same day and time, and start and finish at an agreed time.

* Agree together that this time is to be kept free of family complaints and arguments.

* Start small – don’t plan an hour long session with everything included! Go for a short time at first and build up according to the ages and stages of your children.

* Find a time and place that works best for your family – after dinner, first thing in the morning, or all snuggled up on the couch together.  Relax together and be natural!

* Share highs and lows with each other – ask each other “What was a high point of your day today?” then offer up a quick prayer, thanking God for all those things. Then say, “What about our lows? What were the hard parts of your day?” Again share with each other and then pray for God’s help with those difficult things.

* Read a small portion of the bible – maybe just a verse, a paragraph, a section. One person could read it out loud, or take it in turns – whatever works for your family.

* Ask questions such as, “What do you think that means?” “How does that apply to our life?”

* Offer a simple prayer thanking God for His word and then finish by thanking everyone for listening and taking part.

Sometimes our children will ask a tricky question and we don’t know what to say. That’s ok– you don’t need to know all the answers. You can say, “Great question! I don’t know the answer to that one! What do you think? Let’s see if we can find out more together…”

So give family bible study a go! This is your chance to share God’s love with your family, in a way that all members can take part, understand and enjoy. Have fun as you grow as God’s disciples!