Today, our message series is called “Growing a Godly Family.” The family is the foundation of society. A society where families are growing in godliness will be blessed and prosperous. Of course, the opposite is true as well. Even when godly families are the minority in society, they will be blessed as they follow God.

So, today, we’re going to talk about how to “Develop Family Kindness.” In this message, we’re going to look at three areas in which God desires us to grow in kindness. First, we’ll look at our immediate physical families. Then we’ll look at the church family and finally, we’ll look at growing in kindness to everyone else.

So, in order to talk about kindness, we need to define what kindness is. Defining kindness isn’t the easiest thing in the world. When we get past the dictionary definition of kindness as the quality of being kind, we find quite a few definitions. The definition that I believe captures the essence of what the Bible means by kindness is as follows. Kindness is the quality of being gentle, caring and helpful.

Let’s briefly look at this three descriptions of kindness. Being caring is the attitude of having compassion for the needs of others. Being helpful is taking action to help meet the needs of others. Finally, being gentle is the manner in which a kind person takes action. So, let’s begin to look at what the Bible, God’s Word has to say about kindness.

Proverbs 11:17 (ESV)  A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.

Today, our message series is called “Growing a Godly Family.” In this series, we’re talking about how parents and children can grow together in knowing and serving God. In order for that to happen, every family must make God their priority. When God is a priority in every family member’s life, than the family will be blessed. When the family is its own top priority, then God’s blessing will not be upon that family. We must put God first in our families with child training.

Today, my message is entitled “Train Your Children.” Our recent Mega Sports Camp VBS was a great experience for all the children who attended, their parents and all the workers from our church family. I believe that each child grew in learning about sports, but more importantly in learning more about God’s plan for their lives.

Today, we’re going to be looking at what God’s Word says about child training. Now, my message will focus on the training of children in your family, but the principles also apply to spiritual children. Each believer should be discipling or training others as spiritual children. So, let’s begin by looking at the key verses in the Bible with regard to training or discipling others. These verses are often referred to as the Great Commission. They are commands for every believer from Jesus Christ.

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)  And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Happy Father’s Day! We’re glad that all of you are here to worship with us today. The Bible talks a lot about fathers.

Ephesians 3:14-16 (ESV)  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,  from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,  that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

We have a heavenly Father and as believers, we are His children. The father of every family in heaven and earth is named after our heavenly Father. The authority and leadership of every earthly father comes from our Father in heaven. These verses tell us that our heavenly Father desires to strengthen earthly fathers with His power through His Spirit. As fathers, we must draw our strength from our heavenly Father.

This morning, I’m going to direct the message to fathers, but everyone can learn from the biblical principles. I encourage every father to open your heart this morning to receive blessing and strength from your heavenly Father, so that you can be a blessing to others.