MAY 2020

OUR FAMILY MONTH OF

HEALTHY FAMILY
HEALTHY CHURCH
– Acts. 16:31-34
Bible Reading : Acts. 16:25 – 34
Hymn: Foursquare Anthem

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Worship &Communion Service
Message
on Sunday 3rd May, 2020
by
Rev. Abayomi Oshin

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 HEALTHY FAMILY, HEALTHY CHURCH
– Acts. 16:31-34
Acts 16:31-34 (NKJV) So they said, "Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you
and your household." Then they spoke the word
of the Lord to him and to all who were in his
house. And he took them the same hour of the
night and washed their stripes. And
immediately he and all his family were baptized.
Now when he had brought them into his house,
he set food before them; and he rejoiced,
having believed in God with all his household.
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 HEALTHY FAMILY, HEALTHY CHURCH
– Acts. 16:31-34
• Salutation and prophetic declarations
• Introduction of topic and text
• Preview of the outline
– The Family
– The Church
– The Health Index
– A worthy pursuit
– Altar Call
 THE FAMILY
• Family: A group of people that are closely
related (blood, marriage or adoption)
• Simply put, a group of people related by
blood or covenant. When they live
together under a head, it is called
household. The family may be immediate
(father, mother and children) or extended
(relatives of same ancestors or clan).
 THE CHURCH
• The word ‘Church’ was first used in the
new Testament by our Lord Jesus in
Matthew but the concept had been
existing in the old Testament as an
assembly of people of God. (Ex. 5:1, 6:7).
• It is translated "assembly" in the ordinary
classical sense The Church is the collection
of people elected or adopted as children of
God. It is both visible and invisible.
•
 THE CHURCH
• The church visible "consists of all those
throughout the world that profess the true
religion, together with their children." It is
called "visible" because its members are known
and its assemblies are public. Here there is a
mixture of "wheat and chaff," of saints and
sinners.
• The church invisible "consists of the whole
number of the elect that have been, are, or shall
be gathered into one under Christ, the head
thereof." This is a pure society, the church in
which Christ dwells.
 THE CHURCH
• It is called "invisible" because the greater part
of those who constitute it are already in heaven
or are yet unborn, and also because its
members still on earth cannot certainly be
distinguished.
• The qualifications of membership in it are
internal and are hidden. It is unseen except by
Him who "searches the heart." t
• It is the Church of those who sincerely worship
in Spirit. Cf. John 4:23-24
 THE FAMILY AND THE CHURCH
• God instituted the family with creation of Eve for
Adam and chose the family for Himself by visiting
them and taking care of them until the fall. Sin
separated the first family from God.
• However, the people of God (Church) was the
called-out from the worldly family by God to be His
people (Gen. 12:1-3).
• It started with a man and his children (Gen. 18:17-
19)
• We are called out of the family and sent back to the
family to make our family the Church of God
 THE HEALTH INDEX
• We have seen that God created family to
create Church but not all family can be
called Church. The difference is the health
index.
• What makes a healthy family and healthy
church?
• The God centered family is the healthy
family.
• The Christ-centered Church is the healthy
Church.
 THE HEALTH INDEX
• The health index is God/Christ
centeredness i.e. where there is no
selfishness. There is a common focus –
Christ Jesus.
• The unity of focus leads to the unity of the
group whether family or church.
• The visible Church influences the visible
family and vice and this is what we shall
be discussing through the month.
 A WORTHY PURSUIT
• Unity is the health index of both the family
and Church. But is it worth the pursuit?
• Ps. 133:1-3 describe the blessing of family
living together in unity; it is where The LORD
commands His blessing.
• 1 Peter 3:7 (NKJV) Husbands, likewise, dwell
with them with understanding, giving honor
to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as
being heirs together of the grace of life, that
your prayers may not be hindered.
 ALTAR CALL
• As individuals we are challenged to come out
of worldly family in the spirit and be born
into the family of God spiritually so as to
become member of the God’s family, His
Church invisible and consequently influence
our physical family.
• We must be born of the Spirit.