IN THE LORD

By Rick Mathes

Acts 16:31 (NASB) ³¹ they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

C.H. Spurgeon: Does the father’s faith save the family? Yes! No! Yes is does in some way, namely, that the father’s faith makes him pray for his family and God hears his prayer and the family is saved. No, the father’s faith cannot be a substitute for the faith of the children. They must believe too.

Let’ survey various households and investigate them.

Sinners:

For a believing father, a household of outlaws is a real tragedy. When your children are rotten and vile, it’s almost impossible to turn them around. Think. You planted seeds, failed to water and harvested them akin to their planting: sinners.

Worldliness:

It’s hard to find that fine line of providing or spoiling. The children can be caught up in all the latest technical gadgets and then turn carnal where God, sin, death and repentance are a real joke.

Moral:

The prayer of a righteous father avails much. The gospel according to Jesus taught at an early age will mean a world of difference in your children’s upbringing. They will have  wholesome and fresh future before them that even the Gates of Hell will not prevail against.

Procrastination:

The NIV says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and confess with your mouth God raised Him from the dead, you are saved.” This is a professor that has built faith on intellectual ascent. This is not enough. The NASB states, “If you confess Jesus AS Lord…. “ The heartfelt “believe and obey” is necessary for salvation. The cause is the “IS” and the effect the “AS.” You must walk your talk as well as talk it. (or shut up!)

Well this I just a short outline of the fiber of some families. Maybe, just maybe you will look at your family with new eyes.