Posted on

Family CROSSroads, Lesson 14: “Here We Are, Send Us … to the World!”

Note: Family CROSSroads is a Wednesday evening study for the fall quarter at North Charleston. Below are slides and helpful resources pertinent to our class discussions.

[divider]

[highlight]Lesson #14: HIT THE ROAD – Here We Are, Send Us … to the World! (December 10, 2014)[/highlight]

SUMMARY: In Lesson 3 of this series, we noted that discipleship is a vital part of helping our culture turn from its current course. As we begin to wrap up this series, we return to the concept of discipleship, focusing on the command of Jesus to go and disciple the world. We will turn our attention to four points:

  1. The Word (Mat. 28:18-20)
  2. The World – Locally & Abroad
  3. The Harvest (Mat. 9:35-38)
  4. The Walk and the Talk (Col. 4:2-6)

Christians have a responsibility to the lost. Yes, we are to survive our culture and do whatever it takes to shield ourselves from Satan’s attacks, but we also have a great responsibility to go and make disciples of all who will hear the Gospel.

SLIDES:

RESOURCES:

  • Hope & Expectation: A Journal of The Jenkins Institute – Vol. 1, Issue 1 (August 2011)
    • NOTE: Every article in this issue is great. I especially recommend the following to you:
      • “The Art of Evangelism” by David Shannon (pages 4-7)
      • “Significant Obscurity” by Lonnie Jones (pages 15-17)
      • “Raising Evangelistic Children” by Andy Kizer (pages 28-29)
  • Are We Out-Of-Touch With Culture, Or Out-Of-Touch With The New Testament? by Ben Giselbach
  • Is the Great Commission for me?
    • Stephen took it seriously (Acts 6-7).
    • The scattered Christians obeyed it (Acts 8:1, 4)
    • The church at Antioch obeyed it (Acts 13:1, 3). This is the congregation that supported Paul on his missionary journeys.
    • Paul instructed the Colossians to do it (Col. 4:2-6).
    • Paul instructed Timothy to do it (2 Tim. 2:2).
    • The Great Commission was a way of life for the New Testament church.
      The Great Commission should be a way of life for me.

[button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://roberthatfield.net/family” ]Family CROSSroads Series Page[/button]

Posted on

Family CROSSroads, Lesson 13: “Here I Am, Send Me … to My Family!”

Note: Family CROSSroads is a Wednesday evening study for the fall quarter at North Charleston. Below are slides and helpful resources pertinent to our class discussions.

[divider]

[highlight]Lesson #13: HIT THE ROAD – Here I Am, Send Me … to My Family! (December 3, 2014)[/highlight]

SUMMARY: The Family CROSSroads series is all about developing a spiritual strategy for surviving and helping today’s culture. What will we do with the information we have studied through this series? It’s time to take action. We must begin with our own families. We’ll need…

  1. … Study.
  2. … Strategy.
  3. … Clarity.

SLIDES:

 

RESOURCES:

[button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://roberthatfield.net/family” ]Family CROSSroads Series Page[/button]

Posted on

Family CROSSroads, Lesson 12: “A Higher Standard, Part 2 – The Church”

Note: Family CROSSroads is a Wednesday evening study for the fall quarter at North Charleston. Below are slides and helpful resources pertinent to our class discussions.

[divider]

[highlight]Lesson #12: WE CAN DO BETTER – A Higher Standard, Part 2: The Church (November 19, 2014)[/highlight]

SUMMARY: The temptation to accept the “status quo” exists in every facet of life. From the sales clerk to the elder in the church, Satan seeks to tempt everyone to give in to mediocrity, thus lowering the standard to which God has called us (cf. 1 Pet. 2:9). This lesson calls the church – the ekklesia, the assembled, the called out by Jesus from the world – to a rise to the higher standard that God has set for us. We must not yield to the temptation to accept our culture’s standards for religion as our own.

This outline will be used:

  1. Mediocrity – Lowering the Bar
    • Passages
    • Profile of the Mediocre
    • Perils of Mediocrity
  2. Solutions – Hitting the Mark
    • We are the church.
    • Three Dynamics of Christian Excellence
    • “Re-Understanding” the Church

SLIDES:

 

RESOURCES:

  • BLOG: The Church is Not a Country Club
  • REMINDER: Audio from each session of Family CROSSroads is available on this website. Click the orange button below to be taken to the index for all of the previously completed lessons. Then, click on the lesson that you would like to hear. Slides are provided so that you can listen and simultaneously follow along with the slides.

[button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://roberthatfield.net/family” ]Family CROSSroads Series Page[/button]

Posted on

Family CROSSroads, Lesson 11: “A Higher Standard, Part 1 – The Family”

Note: Family CROSSroads is a Wednesday evening study for the fall quarter at North Charleston. Below are slides and helpful resources pertinent to our class discussions.

[divider]

[highlight]Lesson #11: WE CAN DO BETTER – A Higher Standard, Part 1: The Family (November 12, 2014)[/highlight]

SUMMARY: Our culture has set the bar too low. Society accepts a standard that the Scripture deems as apathetic and mediocre. As Christians, we are going to have to unlearn everything our culture has taught us and focus solely on the Bible. After all, God’s Word is intended to be a manual for living (James 1:21-22; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12).

This lesson focuses on the higher standards that God has set for our families. Will we counter culture to reach for this higher standard? Will we do things God’s way or will we be satisfied with the easy targets our culture has provided? This is the cross road – the decision – with which our families are now faced. This lesson is designed to discuss this decision by addressing three areas:

  1. The Low Expectations of Our Society
  2. An Identification of God’s Standard
  3. A Demonstration of God’s Standard in Our Families

SLIDES:

RESOURCES:

[button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://roberthatfield.net/family” ]Family CROSSroads Series Page[/button]

Posted on

Family CROSSroads, Lesson 10: “The CROSSroad – Jesus on Hearts”

Note: Family CROSSroads is a Wednesday evening study for the fall quarter at North Charleston. Below are slides and helpful resources pertinent to our class discussions.

[divider]

[highlight]Lesson #10: WE CAN DO BETTER – CROSSroad: Jesus on Hearts (November 5, 2014)[/highlight]

SUMMARY: Our hearts are a lot like media – it’s all about what we put in them and how we use them. Having examined the filth that the media offers our hearts and the need to be pure, this lesson focuses specifically on our hearts:

  1. What is the Bible Heart?
  2. The Heart is Shaped by …
  3. Biblical Principles for Our Hearts

Christianity is a religion of the heart, and the Lord had a lot to say about our hearts. There are circumstances and events in life that affect our hearts over which we have no control. However, the New Testament gives us a greater perspective through principles that help us properly transform our hearts to God’s glory.

SLIDES:

RESOURCES:

[button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://roberthatfield.net/family” ]Family CROSSroads Series Page[/button]

Posted on

Family CROSSroad, Lesson 9: “The Sexualization of America”

Note: Family CROSSroads is a Wednesday evening study for the fall quarter at North Charleston. Below are slides and helpful resources pertinent to our class discussions.

[divider]

[highlight]Lesson #09: SATAN’S TOOLBOX – “The Sexualization of America” (October 29, 2014)[/highlight]

SUMMARY: Our culture has been told a lie. People are being told that we are defined by how we look, how appealing we are to the opposite sex, and what we are willing to do sexually. Where did we get this idea? It all comes down to two words: sex sells. This study will focus on the influence of media and marketing to sexualize our culture. Here’s the outline:

  1. The Culture: the Inception (where all of this began)
  2. The Consequence: Immorality
  3. The Contrast: God’s Image

Where did we get the idea that we are to create our own image to define who we are? Ultimately, we are to project God’s image within us (Gen. 1:26-27) by fleeing immorality (1 Thes. 4:3-7).

SLIDES:

RESOURCES:

[button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://roberthatfield.net/family” ]Family CROSSroads Series Page[/button]

Posted on

Family CROSSroad, Lesson 8: “Satan’s Arrows – Media: The Internet”

Note: Family CROSSroads is a Wednesday evening study for the fall quarter at North Charleston. Below are slides and helpful resources pertinent to our class discussions.

[divider]

[highlight]Lesson #08: SATAN’S TOOLBOX – “Media: The Internet” (October 22, 2014)[/highlight]

SUMMARY: Media is morally neutral, neither good nor bad. The Internet provides untold numbers of opportunities for good, but equally – if not more – possibilities for evil. This lesson focuses on two areas that God’s people need to understand about the internet: the issue of how we use social media, and the issue of pornography. Therefore, this lesson follows a three-point roadmap:

  1. The Focus for Christians (Col. 3:1-2)
  2. Facebook Use Done Right
  3. The Filth of Pornography

There are several invaluable resources below, especially regarding finding help for online addiction. Be sure to check out the resources.

SLIDES:

RESOURCES:

[button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://roberthatfield.net/family” ]Family CROSSroads Series Page[/button]

Posted on

Family CROSSroad, Lesson 7: “Satan’s Arrows – Media: TV & Music”

Note: Family CROSSroads is a Wednesday evening study for the fall quarter at North Charleston. Below are slides and helpful resources pertinent to our class discussions.

[divider]

[highlight]Lesson #07: SATAN’S TOOLBOX – “Media: TV & Music” (October 15, 2014)[/highlight]

SUMMARY: Through the media, Satan has the potential to penetrate our homes. In this first lesson on the media, our focus is spefically upon TV and music. This lesson will focus on three sections:

  1. The Christian Armor (Eph. 6:10-18)
  2. The Potential of Media
  3. Food for Thought

SLIDES:

RESOURCES:

[button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://roberthatfield.net/family” ]Family CROSSroads Series Page[/button]

Posted on

Family CROSSroad: Lesson 6: “The Culture of Death: Homosexuality”

Note: Family CROSSroads is a Wednesday evening study for the fall quarter at North Charleston. Below are slides and helpful resources pertinent to our class discussions.

[divider]

[highlight]Lesson #06: SATAN’S TOOLBOX – “The Culture of Death: Homosexuality” (October 8, 2014)[/highlight]

SUMMARY: Satan’s arrows have, for all practical purposes, penetrated the heart of America – at least the hearts of her lawmakers. This past Monday, October 6, 2014, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear appeals involving five different states on the question of same sex marriage. In so doing, the Court effectively legalized homosexual marriage in 30 states.

As our families face the cross roads of decision morally speaking, we must know what the Bible teaches on this admittedly touchy subject. This lesson covers six areas of interest:

  1. Common misconceptions about homosexuality and the Lord’s church
  2. A word of caution
  3. In the News: An ongoing, uphill battle
  4. What does the Truth teach about homosexuality?
  5. Things to remember
  6. Scriptures to remember

SLIDES:

RESOURCES:

[button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://roberthatfield.net/family” ]Family CROSSroads Series Page[/button]

Posted on

Family CROSSroad: Lesson 5: “The Culture of Death: Abortion”

Note: Family CROSSroads is a Wednesday evening study for the fall quarter at North Charleston. Below are slides and helpful resources pertinent to our class discussions.

[divider]

[highlight]Lesson #05: SATAN’S TOOLBOX – “The Culture of Death: Abortion (October 1, 2014)[/highlight]

SUMMARY: Of the many tools that Satan uses in our culture, abortion is the most prominent. Through the media and agendas of lawmakers, Satan has convinced many women that they have the right to choose to end their unborn child’s life. This lesson is designed to defend the life of that child by focusing on three areas:

  1. The Culture of Canaan
  2. The Sanctity of Human Life
  3. An American Application

Many great, FREE resources are also provided that will help you to learn more about the sin of abortion. There is also a video that is great for anyone who is wrestling with the thought of having an abortion.

SLIDES:

RESOURCES:

[button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://roberthatfield.net/family” ]Family CROSSroads Series Page[/button]