Family Dinner: May 28th – June 3rd

Open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 18 and read verses 21 and 22 together.

Have you ever been done with forgiving someone? You’ve gotten to the point to where you’ve longsuffered with them enough, and you’ve forgiven them too many times before just to get wronged again. Peter felt this way towards the other disciples and asked Jesus, ‘How many more times do I have to forgive these guys?!’ Jesus reminds us that the forgiveness of God never runs dry and we’re to always forgive as He does towards us. Our Father will never give up on us! He longsuffers with us, always forgiving us with His unconditional love.

Discuss the following questions together:

1. Has there been a time that you’ve felt like Peter and were on the brink of giving up on someone?

2. How has the unconditional love and forgiveness of God changed your life?

3. Who is someone that you’re struggling to forgive, why? How can your family help you in extending them forgiveness?

4. How are forgiveness and reconciliation different according to the Bible? We are commanded to always forgive, but are we commanded to always reconcile with that person?

Put it into Practice! God has empowered us with His Holy Spirit as believers. Ask Him to help you to forgive (and if you should reconcile with) that person that you’ve been longsuffering with!

Family Dinner: May 21st – 27th

Open your Bibles to Colossians chapter 1 and read verse 11 together.

The more we know our Father, the better we’ll represent Him! He longsuffers with us and unconditionally loves us. We’re to be the same towards others around us to be good ambassadors of Him! Jesus set the example of HOW to longsuffer with others, and to do it with JOY. Just as our Father is longsuffering with us, we are to be longsuffering with others.

Discuss the following questions together:

1. Why is it important to represent our Father well in the way we longsuffer with others?

2. What are things we should do when the longsuffering gets to be difficult and we’re ready to give up?

3. How has God longsuffered with you? How has this act of loving kindness transformed your life?

Put it into practice: Who are you longsuffering for with joy? Purpose to love like Christ towards one person.                       

Family Dinner: May 14th – 20th

Open your Bibles to Exodus chapter 34 and read verse 6 together!

Our God is merciful and gracious. We often think the God of the Old Testament to be angry and out to get His people, but He’s quite the opposite! He’s the SAME God in the New Testament and even today (Hebrews 13:8)! Our God is merciful, holding back what we deserve (death), by paying the penalty of sin for us on the cross through Jesus. Our God is gracious, gifting us what what we don’t deserve (life), by offering us eternal life as He conquered death, sin, and satan! Are you representing your Father well as an ambassador of Him today?

Discuss the following questions together:

1. What are ways that we can represent our Father well in our world? Can this become difficult to do? If so, why?

2. Why is our representation of our Father important to those around us?

3. How has the mercy, grace and love of other believers impacted you?

Put it into practice! Remember how God’s love has impacted you. Represent Him well as a good ambassador of Jesus Christ. Run to Him when you need rest and forgiveness!

Family Dinner: April 30th – May 6th

Open your Bibles to Luke chapter 15 and read verse 20 together.

Our Father is compassionate, and forgiving. Our responsibility is to RUN to Him! Whether we need shelter, encouragement or to repent from our sin, we need to hastily and confidently run to Him! Our repentance allows restoration in our relationship with Him. He’s ready to forgive, receive and love us when we run to Him with a heart of repentance.

Discuss the following questions below together:

1. What are ways for us to be constantly reminded of WHO our God truly is?
2. Why do we often delay in running to our Father, when we need to confess and repent from our sin?
3. Tell of a time that you delayed in running to God. How did you realize that you needed to run to Him? How did He receive and lavishly love you?

Put it into practice! Share your testimony! Tell someone of how God transformed your life when you decided to surrender and run to Him.

Family Dinner: April 23rd – 29th

Open your Bibles to Romans chapter 8 and read verses 15, 16 and 17 together.

Do you know that you can RUN to your Father? The more you get to know WHO your Father is, the more you realize that you need to run to Him! When we’re going through the trials of life, the enemy wants to trick us into believing that we can’t run to our Father, but He’s the ONE we should be running to first! If you’ve accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Savior then you’ve been adopted by God the Father as a son or daughter. He is our Father, He is your Father. He loves us no different than He loves Jesus, and He has gifted us His Spirit. We then have His DNA, are you looking more and more like Him until the Day of His return draws near? Do others know how GOOD your Father is?!

Discuss the following questions together!

1. Tell of a time that you ran to your earthly parent (or mother/father figure) for help. Why did you run to them? How did you know that you could trust them? How did they help you?

2. What are ways we can hang out and build a strong relationship with our Heavenly Father? Why is it important to hang out and communicate with Him?

3. Why should God’s love towards us define and transform us? Has it already, if so, how?

Put it into practice! Thank God through PRAYER together at least twice this week. Go around the table and thank Him for being such a GOOD, GOOD, FATHER!