 ON
SPIRITUALITY AND THE FAMILY
Genesis
12:7-8 (NLT)
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "I am going to give
this land to your offspring." And Abram built an altar there
to commemorate the Lord's visit. [8] After that, Abram traveled
southward and set up camp in the hill country between Bethel on
the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar and worshiped
the Lord.
Genesis
13:3-4 (NLT)
Then they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, to the place
between Bethel and Ai where they had camped before. [4] This was
the place where Abram had built the altar, and there he again worshiped
the Lord.
Deut.
4:9-10 (NLT)
"But watch out! Be very careful never to forget what you have
seen the Lord do for you. Do not let these things escape from your
mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children
and grandchildren. [10] Tell them especially about the day when
you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Sinai, where he told
me, 'Summon the people before me, and I will instruct them. That
way, they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will
be able to teach my laws to their children.'
Deut.
11:19-20 (NLT)
Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home
and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and
when you are getting up again. [20] Write them on the doorposts
of your house and on your gates,
Deut.
12:5-7 (NLT)
Rather, you must seek the Lord your God at the place he himself
will choose from among all the tribes for his name to be honored.
[6] There you will bring to the Lord your burnt offerings, your
sacrifices, your tithes, your special gifts, your offerings to fulfill
a vow, your freewill offerings, and your offerings of the firstborn
animals of your flocks and herds. [7] There you and your families
will feast in the presence of the Lord your God, and you will rejoice
in all you have accomplished because the Lord your God has blessed
you.
Joshua
24:15 (NLT)
But if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, then choose today whom
you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served
beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in
whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve
the Lord."
Psalm
101:2 (NLT)
I will be careful to live a blameless life—
when will you come to my aid?
I will lead a life of integrity
in my own home.
Jeremiah
7:18 (NLT)
No wonder I am so angry! Watch how the children gather wood and
the fathers build sacrificial fires. See how the women knead dough
and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. And they give drink
offerings to their other idol gods!
Cornelius:
Acts
10:1-6 (NLT)
In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius,
who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. [2] He was a devout
man who feared the God of Israel, as did his entire household.
He gave generously to charity and was a man who regularly prayed
to God. [3] One afternoon about three o'clock, he had a vision
in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. "Cornelius!"
the angel said.
[4] Cornelius stared at him in terror. "What is it, sir?"
he asked the angel.
And the angel replied, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor
have not gone unnoticed by God! [5] Now send some men down to
Joppa to find a man named Simon Peter. [6] He is staying with
Simon, a leatherworker who lives near the shore. Ask him to come
and visit you."
Acts
10:33 (NLT)
So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now
here we are, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has
given you."
Acts
10:44 (NLT)
Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon
all who had heard the message.
Acts
10:47-48 (NLT)
"Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they
have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?" [48] So he
gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Afterward Cornelius asked him to stay with them for several days.
The Jailer and his Family
Acts
16:25-34 (NLT)
Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns
to God, and the other prisoners were listening. [26] Suddenly,
there was a great earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its
foundations. All the doors flew open, and the chains of every
prisoner fell off! [27] The jailer woke up to see the prison doors
wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his
sword to kill himself. [28] But Paul shouted to him, "Don't
do it! We are all here!"
[29] Trembling with fear, the jailer called for lights and ran
to the dungeon and fell down before Paul and Silas. [30] He brought
them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
[31] They replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will
be saved, along with your entire household." [32] Then they
shared the word of the Lord with him and all who lived in his
household. [33] That same hour the jailer washed their wounds,
and he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized.
[34] Then he brought them into his house and set a meal before
them. He and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed
in God.
Other
Examples:
Acts
18:8 (NLT)
Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and all his household believed
in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also became believers and
were baptized.
1
Cor. 1:16 (NLT)
(Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. I don't remember
baptizing anyone else.)
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