Christian House of Prayer
San Angelo
November 2008
Pastor Ralph Dawkins
NOVEMBER IS…
FOCUS ON OUR FAMILY MONTH
Family Roles & Responsibilities
A Family That Prays
The Fireproof Family
Family Tithe$
Statistical Data on the American Family
George Barna Research Group 2008
People in the US are marrying later and less often
with higher divorce rates.
Many are re-thinking their lifestyles and priorities
Most Americans also acknowledge they need to
make major life changes
Exposure to pornography, using profanity in public,
gambling, gossiping, engaging in sexual intercourse
with someone to whom they were not married,
retaliating against someone, getting drunk, and lying.
A majority of Christian adults had engaged in at
least one of those eight behaviors during the past
week.
Statistical Data on the American Family
George Barna Research Group 2008
Many young people are moving toward
embracing the idea of serial marriage, in which
a person gets married two or three times,
seeking a different partner for each phase of
their adult life
More than 70 percent of African-American
children are born out of wedlock, with the
majority raised by single mothers
Statistical Data on the American Family
George Barna Research Group 2008
People 25 or younger listed friends as their
most critical relationship network; the church
ranked fifth on their priority list
When asked to choose between a church that
teaches the traditions and background of their
faith or a church that teaches how their faith
should influence everyday decisions and
lifestyle, most teenagers preferred the latter.
The American Family & Debt
About 43% of American families spend more
than they earn each year.
Average households carry some $8,000 in
credit card debt.
Personal bankruptcies have doubled in the past
decade.
The average amount of credit card debt in
households with more than one card is now
more than $8,000, according to CardWeb.com
The American Family & Fitness
Fitness magazine reveals that one in five
American children between 12 and 17 years old
are overweight with two-thirds unable to pass
a basic test of physical fitness.
Sedentary lifestyle, poor eating habits and the
increase of computer games, the average
American family admits to being unhealthy
The Tale of Two Houses
Mat 7 / Luke 6
SIMILIARITIES DIFFERENCES
Same Dream One built on the Sand
Same Word One built on the Rock
Same Community
Same Storm
1. You cannot control how long the rains will beat upon
your house
2. You cannot choose between rains, floods or winds
3. As long as it was sunny you couldn’t tell the difference!
Luke 6 Exposed
1. Build your House (Oikos – Dwelling place)
What’s your plan? Psalm 127:1
Financial, health, career, church, education
2. Dig Deep
In order to prepare for the worst, you must make
your family relationships deep. They must go
beneath the surface layers.
Family Devotions
Be ye doers of the Word (James 1:22)
Luke 6 Exposed
3. Lay a thick Foundation (Themelious – a theme or purpose)
HOW? By reminding your family of WHO THEY ARE IN
CHRIST
Cause them to remember:
a. What God brought them out of
b. Where they are currently
c. “You must take responsibility for where
you are in the history of your family”
d. Where are you going?
Family Roles
When families willingly embrace their roles
and responsibilities, there usually peace in
the home
One reason why Role Conflict occurs in the family is
because wives and mothers are trying to do what the
father or husband was designed to do. When men
are out of their place, women instinctively try to
compensate by trying to teach boys to become men and
fix things on their own. With more women entering into
the workforce, and the increase of male homosexuality,
roles are being reversed and conflict results.
Family Roles
There are many boys that still need fathering, by godly
men who are not biologically theirs. How many
frustrated women do you know that are
disappointed with the number of “eligible”
men with whom they can spend the rest of
their lives with in joy and prosperity?
They have so much to offer, but without a godly man to
share it, they live lives of arrested development. This is
one reason why many women choose lesbianism as an
alternative lifestyle and resort to increased masturbation.
Family Roles
Let’s define some typical family roles.
Which ones describe you best?
Priesthood Enhancer (Proverbs 31)
The Priest must pray The Enhancer shares
in the home and the vision of her
husband and works with
make sacrifices. You him to accomplish what
become intimate with they were both created
the one you pray with to do for the family. She
and the one you pray is confident and trust-
for. When a husband worthy and takes
prays with and for his whatever the husband
family he becomes has provided and
enlarges or extends it
intimate with them
Family Roles
When families willingly embrace their roles
and responsibilities, there usually peace in
the home
Prophet (Proverbs 29:18) Companion (Genesis 2:18)
The prophet speaks and This role describes the wife
sees what God is showing who helps share the load.
him for the family. Vision A wife was probably a very
sets goals which motivate good friend to her husband
a plan of action. It gives before they married. Her
the family a reason to purpose and resourcefulness
follow or pursue a healthy can be the greatest asset a
family life. Pray the vision, man has, beside himself.
talk the vision, walk the The term, “Life Partner”
vision, rejoice in the vision describes the role of the
and stay with the vision. companion – they need
each other.
Family Roles
Peacemaker (Matthew 5:5) Reflector (Ephesians 5:25,28)
Blessed are the peacemakers. The The reflector wife is the
peacemakers are quick to seek object of her husband’s love
peace and closure because he and she reflects the love he
knows that discontent distorts the gives her. When a wife
vision. He will apologize for receives love from her
mistakes, misunderstanding and
husband (spiritually and
miscommunique (even if it is not
their fault). Peacemakers destroy physically) she comes alive!
the yoke of silence by making When she doesn’t she is like
peace the priority. Pride, ego and a short-circuited wire, no joy,
machoism are not honored when no exuberance and no glow;
you allow hurt to continue to she is just heavily burdened
fester. because she has nothing to
reflect.
Family Roles
Life Giver (Gen 3:20)
Eve in the Hebrew language
is Chavvah, which means
Provider (I Tim 5:8) “life-giver”. She was given
the ability to receive seed
Providers make the
and reproduce after their
investment in their family kind. Her entire being is
and themselves. The focused on creating life
glory of a man is to give, (children, finances, vision,
build and maintain. even an idea). She
They know that when multiplies what she is
given, she is a walking,
you stop investing in talking womb, and she
your family, you stop conceives something…
investing in your self. look out!
Family Roles
Leader (Exodus 18:19,20)
Positive Role Model (Exodus It is commonly stated, “The
18:19) hand that rocks the cradle
The best example of rules the world”. The
godliness is to be an influence of a wife or mother
example of godliness. Show is powerful; she has position-
the family standards, order power and influence –power.
and holiness through This can be threatening to an
patience, love and insecure dad or husband.
understanding. Teach the She has to be strong,
family integrity and the right courageous and gorgeous
way to do things as shown to at the same time!
you by God and His Word.
They know to look to Jesus
as the perfect role model.
Revelation of the Sequoia Tree
Psalm 1
Can grow up to 20 stories
Produces 300 -400, 000 seeds per year
Requires periodic wildfire to clear
competing vegetation
Requires large amounts of water and are
often found near streams
Has a 3 foot thick bark at its base, which
protects it from consuming fires
Its roots system is aggressive and can
spread hundreds of feet in any direction
Root system
exposed
It is described as the
largest living thing
on the planet