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Copyright ©2011 The Church at Brook Hills www.brookhills.org

Family  Worship  Guide  –  Week  12    

READ    This  week  Pastor  David  begins  a  four-­‐week  preaching  series  focused  on  disciple-­‐making.    The  purpose  of  the  series  is  to  provide  each  Christ-­‐follower  with  a  working  definition  of  disciple-­‐making  and  equip  each  person  with  the  practical  tools  needed   to  make   disciples.     Each   Sunday,  David  will   be   preaching   on   one   of   the   four   primary   components   of   disciple-­‐making:  share  the  Word,  show  the  Word,  teach  the  Word  and  serve  the  world.    More  specifically,  he  will  show  us  how  these  four  elements  are  fleshed  out  by  the  early  church  throughout  the  book  of  Acts.    In  this  weeks’  family  worship  guide  we  will  focus  on  the  first  component  of  disciple-­‐making,  sharing  the  Word.  

 Read  Acts  16:22-­‐40    While   in   Philippi,   false   accusations   were  made   against   Paul   and   Silas,   which   led   them   to   being   stripped,   beaten   and  thrown   into   prison   (16:22-­‐24).     While   in   prison,   praying   and   singing   hymns   of   praise   to   God,   Paul   and   Silas   were  miraculously  released.    Out  of  nowhere  a  great  earthquake  hits  Philippi  resulting  in  the  foundation  of  the  prison  house  shaking,  the  doors  opening  and  the  prisoner’s  chains  being  unfastened  (16:25-­‐26).    When  the  jailer  awoke  and  saw  the  prison  doors  open  he  drew  his  sword  to  kill  himself  since  he  was  responsible  for  any  escaped  prisoners  (12:1-­‐19).    Paul  intervened  and  assured  the  jailer  that  they  had  not  escaped,  leading  the  jailer  to  lay  down  his  sword  and  not  take  his  life.    The  man  then  asked  the  prisoners,  “Sirs,  what  must  I  do  to  be  saved?”  (16:30).    To  which  Paul  and  Silas  replied,  “Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  you  will  be  saved,  you  and  your  household”  (16:31).    After  sharing  the  Word  of  the  Lord  with  the  jailer  and  his  household  they  apparently  believed  and  were  immediately  baptized  (16:32-­‐33).    The  newly  converted  jailer  then  did  the  unthinkable.    He  didn’t  treat  Paul  and  Silas  as  prisoners  under  his  watch,  instead  he  invited  the  men  into  his  home  for  a  meal  and  treated  them  as  brothers  in  Christ  and  fellow  disciples  of  Jesus  (16:34).    Only  the  gospel  can  affect  such  a  change!    Questions:  What  evidence  do  we  see  that  the  Philippian   jailer  truly  believed  the  gospel  message  and  was  saved?     In  other  words,  how  was  the  Philippian  jailer  changed  after  trusting  in  the  Word  of  the  Lord?  How  did  Paul  and  Silas  respond  to  being  put  into  prison?    What  does  this  teach  us?    Why  were  they  still  able  to  praise  God  amidst  such  difficult  circumstances?  How  do  you  see  God  orchestrating  circumstances  and  events,  within  this  passage,  in  order  to  advance  the  gospel?    Who  has  God  sovereignly  placed  in  your  life  with  which  you  can  share  the  gospel?  Following  the  earthquake  Paul  and  Silas  could  have  easily  escaped.    Why  didn’t  they?  What  overall  truths  does  this  passage  teach  us  about  sharing  the  gospel  with  unbelievers?    Bottom  Line:  God  brings  about  even  the  most  difficult  of  situations  as  an  opportunity  for  sharing  the  gospel.  

   

PRAY  As  followers  of  Christ,  most  of  us  desire  to  share  the  gospel  and  be  used  by  Him  to  advance  the  gospel  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  At  the  same  time  we  must  admit  that  this  is  much  easier  said  than  done.  Feelings  of  fear  often  surpass  our  desire  to  share  leading  us  to  miss  opportunity  after  opportunity  to  give  gospel  witness.  This  week  ask  God  to  give  you  boldness  to  share  the  gospel.  Ask  Him  to  fill  you  with  the  same  Spirit  that  filled  Peter  in  Acts  and  transformed  him  into  a  bold  witness  for  Christ  (Acts  4:31).  Pray  that  God  would  provide  specific  opportunities  for  you  to  share  the  gospel  with  your  neighbors,  co-­‐workers,  family  members  and  so  on.        

SING  For  this  week’s  song  we  chose  ‘Blessed  Assurance’.    This  is  a  hymn  that  was  written  by  Fanny  Crosby  and  Phoebe  Knapp.    It   is   a   great   hymn   that   speaks   about   the   peace   we   have   in   walking   with   God   and   the   confidence   we   have   in   His  faithfulness.  Crosby  was  blind  from  infancy  and  talked  about  how  her  blindness  affected  the  way  she  wrote  music.  She  said,  "I  verily  believe  that  God  intended  that  I  should  live  my  days  in  physical  darkness  so  that  I  might  be  better  prepared  to  sing  His  praise  and  lead  others  from  spiritual  darkness  into  eternal  light.    With  sight  I  would  have  been  too  distracted  

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to  have  written  thousands  of  hymns."    She  also  credited  her  education,  her  influence,  and  her  memory  to  her  affliction.    Her  faith  in  God  during  the  midst  of  her  physical  limitation  allowed  her  to  minister  to  believers  for  years  to  come  through  the  music  that  she  wrote  and  through  her  legacy  of  perseverance.      

 Similarly,  throughout  Paul’s  life,  we  see  many  trials  and  obstacles  that  he  was  faced  with.    In  2  Corinthians  11:24,  he  says  that   five   times   he   received   thirty-­‐nine   lashes,   three   times   he   was   beaten   with   rods,   he   was   stoned,   shipwrecked,   in  danger  from  many  people  and  situations,  yet  he  doesn’t  boast  in  those  things,  but  in  the  things  that  make  him  look  weak  yet  magnify  God  in  his  life.    Throughout  all  of  these  circumstances,  Paul  displayed  great  confidence  in  God’s  faithfulness  and   a   desire   above   all   things   to   know   Him.     In   Philippians   3:8,   he   says,   “I   count   everything   as   loss   because   of   the  surpassing  worth  of  knowing  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord.”                As  believers,  we  have  confidence  that  no  matter  what,  God  is  faithful,  He  is  sovereign,  and  He  cares  for  us.    We  have  this  wonderful  assurance  that  we  are  secure  in  His  love  and  nothing  can  separate  us  from  Him.  

 

MEMORIZE  Acts  16:30-­‐31    Then  he  brought  them  out  and  said,  “Sirs,  what  must  I  do  to  be  saved?”  And  they  said,  “Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  you  will  be  saved,  you  and  your  household.”    

SUGGESTIONS  These   suggestions  were   created   by   the   age-­‐group  ministry   leaders   as   a  way   to   help   parents   better   communicate   the  biblical   truths   discussed   in   the   Family  Worship  Guide.     These   suggestions   are   intended   to  help   parents   facilitate  God-­‐centered   discussions   with   their   children.     Parents   should   prayerfully   use   these   suggestions,   and   any   other   means  necessary,  to  help  their  children  discover  the  truths  of  God’s  word  and  worship  Him  together.  

 Preschool  

• Before  you  begin,  review  the  words  to  the  popular  children’s  song  ‘Jesus  Loves  Me’  Jesus  loves  me  this  I  know  For  the  Bible  tells  me  so  Little  ones  to  Him  belong  They  are  weak,  but  He  is  strong  Yes,  Jesus  loves  me  Yes,  Jesus  loves  me  Yes,  Jesus  loves  me  The  Bible  tells  me  so  

• Read  Acts  16:25-­‐26  with  your  preschooler.  • Explain  to  your  preschooler  that  just  like  Paul  and  Silas  sang  a  hymn  of  praise  to  God,  we  will  sing  one  today  too.  • Sing,  “Jesus  Loves  Me”  with  your  family.  • Tell  your  preschooler  that  this  song  tells  us  God  loves  us.  God  loves  us  so  much  that  He  sent  us  his  only  son,  Jesus,  to  save  

us  from  our  sins.  God  is  strong  and  great.  He  will  be  strong  even  when  we  can’t  be,  like  when  we  are  sick,  afraid,  or  sad.    • Paul  and  Silas  loved  God  and  knew  that  God  is  strong.    They  knew  He  would  be  strong  for  them  while  they  were  in  prison,  

so  they  prayed  and  sang  songs  of  praise  to  Him.    That  is  what  God  wants  us  to  do.    He  wants  us  to  pray  and  praise  Him  even  when  we  are  sad  and  hurting.  

• When  we  trust  in  God  and  believe  in  Him  during  the  sad  times  in  our  lives,  other  people  will  see  God’s  love  and  strength  through  us.    Then,  maybe  someone  who  doesn’t  know  God  will  learn  from  our  example.  Maybe  they  will  come  to  know  God’s  love  too.    

• Questions:  Do  you  think  prison  was  a  strange  place  to  pray  and  praise  God?    Yes!    But  Paul  and  Silas  knew  that  God  was  stronger  than  any  problem  they  had.    Does  God  want  us  to  pray  and  sing  praises  to  Him  even  in  our  sad  or  bad  times?    Yes,  because  God  is  bigger  than  any  problem  we  have.  

• Conclude  by  singing  “Jesus  Loves  Me”  and  praying  that  other  people  will  see  God  through  your  family,  especially  during  the  sad  or  bad  times.    

Children  • This  is  one  of  the  most  engaging  and  dramatic  stories  in  the  New  Testament,  yet  it  is  easy  to  miss  the  "force"  of  the  

passage  if  only  quickly  reading  through.  Re-­‐read  the  passage  and  help  immerse  your  family  in  the  extraordinary  events  Paul  and  Silas  are  experiencing.  

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Copyright ©2011 The Church at Brook Hills www.brookhills.org

• Ask:  If  Paul  and  Silas  were  thinking  in  merely  human  or  selfish  terms,  how  might  they  react  to  their  situation?  (Angry  

people  lied  about  them  and  they  were  falsely  accused,  doubtful  of  God's  goodness  since  they  were  beaten  badly  after  being  obedient  to  Jesus,  complaining  in  prison,  etc.)  

• Amazingly,  Paul  and  Silas  do  not  react  in  any  of  these  ways.  They  see  their  circumstances  with  "new  eyes."  These  new  eyes  remind  them  that  every  single  situation  in  life  is  a  gospel  opportunity.  Paul  and  Silas  were  surrounded  by  people  who  did  not  believe  in  Jesus.    This  was  their  mission  field.  

• Acts  tells  us  that  Paul  and  Silas  saw  their  situation  so  far  from  human  terms,  they  were  even  able  to  pray  and  sing  praises  to  God  (Acts  16:25).  All  this  was  after  being  lied  about,  beaten,  and  thrown  into  a  dark  and  dirty  Roman  prison!  

• Have  you  ever  found  it  difficult  to  see  the  situations  in  your  life  with  new  eyes?  Has  it  ever  been  much  easier  to  grumble  when  things  don't  go  your  way  rather  than  see  a  new  chance  to  speak  about  Jesus?  

• The  truth  is  that  in  our  own  strength  we  will  never  see  with  new  eyes.  We  will  always  default  to  selfishness  and  turning  away  from  fresh  opportunities  to  share  the  gospel.  

• The  great  news  is  that  the  gospel  is  able  to  transform  our  hearts.  See  how  powerful  the  gospel  was  in  the  life  of  the  Philippian  jailer.  One  hour  he  is  holding  Paul  and  Silas  unfairly  in  prison,  and  the  next  he  has  invited  these  men  to  his  home  to  celebrate  with  them  that  he  has  now  believed  in  Jesus.  

• Ask  God  that  the  power  of  His  gospel  would  continue  to  change  your  heart.  Ask  for  help  to  see  with  new  eyes,  viewing  each  circumstance  in  life,  especially  the  tough  ones,  as  an  opportunity  for  the  gospel.    

Students  • Re-­‐read  Acts  16:27-­‐32.    • As  Christ-­‐followers,  we  sometimes  think  that  because  God  loves  us  and  wants  the  best  for  us,  He  could  never  want  us  to  

go  through  difficult  circumstances.  How  does  this  passage  teach  us  differently?    • The  thought  of  God  not  just  allowing  difficult  times  but  bringing  them  about  is  foreign  to  many  of  us.  However,  if  we  are  

honest  and  look  back  at  the  times  where  we  grew  the  most  as  Christ’s  followers,  we  would  most  likely  point  to  difficult  situations.    

• When,  if  ever,  has  a  difficult  situation  caused  you  to  run  towards  Christ?  Were  their  opportunities  to  point  others  towards  Christ  during  that  time?  Explain.  

• Just  as  metal  is  strengthened  under  the  heat  of  fire,  we  too  are  molded  and  stretched  during  hard  times.  What  if  we  looked  for  opportunities  rather  than  exits  during  hard  times?  Do  you  think  anyone  would  notice?  How  do  you  think  your  friends  would  respond?    

• Read  James  1:2-­‐4  and  ask  the  Lord  to  give  you  focus  and  strength  when  hard  times  come.  Ask  Christ  to  give  you  the  ability  to  look  for  ways  to  share  the  gospel  even  when  the  worst  of  times  come.    

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disc

iple

s.

Tues

day:

Acc

ordi

ng to

the

2010

Glo

bal C

ities

In

dex,

NYC

is c

onsi

dere

d th

e m

ost i

nflue

ntial

city

in

the

wor

ld.

Pray

that

it w

ould

be

tran

sfor

med

by

the

gosp

el a

nd fo

r th

at in

fluen

ce to

spr

ead

thro

ugho

ut th

e ea

rth.

Wed

nesd

ay: L

ife in

a m

egac

ity li

ke N

YC p

rovi

des

uniq

ue te

mpt

ation

s du

e to

the

acce

ssib

ility

of

vice

s an

d an

onym

ity.

Pray

that

the

Stah

leys

an

d th

eir

team

will

con

tinua

lly g

row

in p

erso

nal

holin

ess,

esp

ecia

lly fo

r st

rong

mar

riag

es a

nd

fam

ilies

.

Thur

sday

: Pra

y th

at G

od w

ould

rais

e up

a

dive

rse

team

of i

ndiv

idua

ls a

nd fa

mili

es fr

om

Broo

k H

ills

and

othe

r ch

urch

es w

ho w

ill a

nsw

er

the

call

to p

lant

thei

r liv

es fo

r th

e gl

ory

of C

hris

t in

NYC

.

Frid

ay: G

od is

alre

ady

wor

king

in N

YC

thro

ugh

Broo

k H

ills’

glo

bal p

artn

ers

and

othe

r ch

urch

es w

ith w

hich

the

Stah

leys

hav

e ex

istin

g re

latio

nshi

ps.

Pray

God

wou

ld g

rant

wis

dom

to

know

how

to m

ost e

ffecti

vely

par

tner

with

them

to

adv

ance

the

gosp

el.

Satu

rday

: Pra

y G

od w

ould

est

ablis

h di

vine

ap

poin

tmen

ts a

nd o

pen

door

s fo

r go

spel

pr

ocla

mati

on, a

nd th

at th

e St

ahle

ys m

ight

de

clar

e it

bold

ly (C

ol. 4

:3-4

).

Live

s/Ch

urch

As

follo

wer

s of

Chr

ist,

we

desi

re to

sha

re th

e go

spel

and

be

used

by

Him

to a

dvan

ce th

e go

spel

. At

the

sam

e tim

e w

e m

ust a

dmit

that

this

is m

uch

easi

er s

aid

than

don

e. F

eelin

gs o

f fea

r oft

en s

urpa

ss

our

desi

re to

sha

re, l

eadi

ng u

s to

mis

s op

port

uniti

es to

giv

e go

spel

witn

ess.

Thi

s w

eek

ask

God

to

give

you

bol

dnes

s to

sha

re th

e go

spel

. Ask

Him

to fi

ll yo

u w

ith th

e sa

me

Spir

it th

at fi

lled

Pete

r in

A

cts

and

tran

sfor

med

him

into

a b

old

witn

ess

for

Chri

st (A

cts

4:31

). Pr

ay G

od w

ould

pro

vide

spe

cific

op

port

uniti

es fo

r yo

u to

sha

re th

e go

spel

with

thos

e ar

ound

you

.

Bles

sed

Ass

uran

ceby

Fan

ny C

rosb

yA

rran

gem

ent b

y Th

ird D

ay

Bles

sed

assu

ranc

e Je

sus

is m

ine

O w

hat a

fore

tast

e of

glo

ry d

ivin

eH

eir

of s

alva

tion

purc

hase

of G

odBo

rn o

f his

Spi

rit w

ashe

d in

his

blo

od

This

is m

y st

ory

this

is m

y so

ngPr

aisi

ng m

y Sa

vior

all

the

day

long

This

is m

y st

ory

this

is m

y so

ngPr

aisi

ng m

y Sa

vior

all

the

day

long

Perf

ect s

ubm

issi

on a

ll is

at r

est

I in

my

Savi

or a

m h

appy

and

ble

ssed

Wat

chin

g an

d w

aitin

g lo

okin

g ab

ove

Fille

d w

ith h

is g

oodn

ess

lost

in h

is lo

ve

(P)2

007

Prov

iden

t Lab

el G

roup

, LLC

Due

to c

opyr

ight

lim

itatio

ns, w

e ar

e on

ly

allo

wed

to p

rint t

he ly

rics

to th

is s

ong

with

no

cho

rds.

We

enco

urag

e yo

u to

dow

nloa

d an

mp3

of t

his

song

from

iTun

es.

Scri

ptur

e M

emor

yTh

en h

e br

ough

t the

m o

ut a

nd s

aid,

“Si

rs, w

hat m

ust I

do

to b

e sa

ved?

” A

nd th

ey s

aid,

“B

elie

ve in

the

Lord

Jesu

s, a

nd y

ou w

ill b

e sa

ved,

you

and

you

r ho

useh

old.

” A

cts

16:3

0-31