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September 2010 Newsletter

nathan

Administrator
Staff member
Real Person
Male
Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

Yes, we know it’s only been two weeks since our last newsletter, but there’s too much going on not to fill you in again – and we never promised the newsletter would only be once a month!

‘Deeper with Biblical Families’
Speaking of more frequent communications: We know that many of our members, by virtue of not feeling welcome in local bodies, don’t get the chance to do Bible study with other believers as much as they would like to. (We hope you are into the Word alone and as a family, at least!) We have long desired to provide more opportunities in this regard for our members, as most don’t have access to local groups in their area. Would you be interested in receiving a more frequent devotional message by email from Biblical Families? A chance to dig deeper on a topic from the Word, with one of the pastors and teachers (the authors will vary) associated with Biblical Families? Now is your chance. We won’t assume you want to participate, but if you do, you simply need to drop an email to devotional@biblicalfamilies.org from the email address you would like to receive these messages. (That should also help you avoid a junkmail filter blocking this address – if you email us first.) We are excited by this opportunity to build deeper bonds in the Word with our members – and this will be an interactive opportunity as well: we’ll set up forum threads where you can discuss the messages after they are sent. Sign up and check it out!

‘Family Support’ ministry
As we mentioned last time, If you’ve paid attention on our forums, or at retreats, you’ve seen a definite increase in the number of those with some type of need in the past year: needs for jobs, housing, and more. We are blessed that a number of brothers have recognized the needs among us in this harsh economy, and a number from BF staff and other members have felt lead to follow our Savior’s exhortation to meet the needs of one another. To act on that leading, we are starting a more focused ministry opportunity, to discover our member’s needs, and see how we can be of service in meeting those needs. You can play a part in this; it is not limited to those currently involved.

There’s a couple ways you can help: First, if you’ve been blessed and may be in a position to help (doesn’t have to be money, can be a room or two to spare for a few weeks, can be job counseling, or whatever), and would like to participate with us in both praying for and then stepping-out to meet member’s needs, drop us a note at familysupport@biblicalfamilies.org
Please note that Biblical Families doesn’t have a budget that allows us to help much – this will be members taking it upon themselves. So, secondly, we want to give you a chance to be blessed by helping this outreach also: If you can help with any amount, you can paypal us here, and 100% of the funds will be used for those in need within a short period of time. You may also send a check to our mailing address and just write “Family Support” on it – it’ll all go to families in need. This ministry will be ongoing, and you will hear more about it in the future.
And, of course, if you have a need that we don’t know about, you are welcome to write and tell us about it, at the same email address.

We haven’t mentioned it in a while, but you are also welcome to help support the regular ministry work of Biblical Families at any time also: we have no buildings and no staff member takes a dime, but your giving enables us to reach more folks and offer support and encouragement to more families, via retreats and our online ministries. If you’ve been blessed, you can send your offerings via the same methods here.

Teaching Forum updates
A few new articles have been uploaded this week to our new Teaching forum, be sure to take a look. We believe this section will be critical to defining Biblical Families and defending the Biblical truths that we as members share.

Biblical Families Radio on the air twice in September, including “Biblical Marriage and Church History”, this Sunday night!
We will be back on the air this Sunday night, 9/12, at 8pm EDT – with a special show on Church History. Our own Dr Raegean has many hours (weeks!) in studying this topic, and you will find it fascinating. Call in and ask our scholars a question. If you can’t listen live, you can always download the show afterwards. (Be sure to listen to the last show.)
Then mark your calendar (because we probably won’t do another newsletter before then!), but we will have a Call-In show covering any topic, with Biblical Families staff, two weeks later, on 9/26, 8pm.

New Paltalk chatroom regular weekly chat
If you missed our new Paltalk chat room kick off recently, you can still participate: the room will be open every Wednesday night at 8pm EDT by one or more of the room admins and BF staff – stop by and say ‘hi’, and see how the room can be used for outreach regarding the topic of Biblical Marriage. If you already have Paltalk installed, just search the room list for “Biblical Families org”.

Retreat updates
The West Coast retreat is on for November 5-7th, in Phoenix, Arizona. Location details will be sent out soon to those who’ve requested them. If you are interested, drop us an email now to retreats@biblicalfamilies.org. We are still planning our December retreat in Alabama, also. Watch the newsletter for details.

Here’s a taste of what you can look forward to with the ‘Deeper with Biblical Families’ messages:


Parental Order: The Holy Methodology for the Family
Dr K.R. Allen

Biblical Teaching
Immediately after God speaks about fearing him and submitting to instruction (Proverbs 1:7) we find this phrase in the Word of God: “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother” (Proverbs 1:8; ASV). The holy text moves from the general and all inclusive guide for people to (a) fear the Lord, (b) to seek instruction and knowledge, (c) to the key of how to recognize a fool (one who rejects wisdom and instruction), to now a more particular guide, which is (d) the methodology for a family who seeks to walk in the ways of the Lord.

I will not go into great detail with the Hebrew phrase here. However, I will note that I chose the American Standard Version of 1901 here because of the way it chooses to translate the Hebrew word “Torah” (תורה). Some translations use the word “teaching” to translate this term. That is certainly acceptable. Others, like the ASV and Young’s Literal Translation, use the word “law.” When we think of the word “Law” in the Bible we normally think of the Mosaic Law or the Law of Christ, which are the two major law codes in the Bible (see John 1:17; 1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2).

However, consider this point with me for a moment. This text has two key ideas in it: (1) A Father’s instruction (or discipline) and (2) the mother’s extension of that through either her teaching or application of it in the home as law. It appears that the law here is more specific than the God’s Law given through Moses. It seems that this text suggests that in the home whatever the Father has taught or disciplined the child in will also be the law the mother upholds or teaches to the child. What this text shows at the least is a harmony of two parents working to train one child. Or at the most it even means that the father sets the tone for discipline and instruction in the home and the mother extends that even further by upholding that instruction or law by her own teaching or application of that as the law in the home. We certainly see this concept of a mother’s work as a manager in the home from the apostolic writings where Paul says, “So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households” (1 Tim. 5:14). The idea or concept is for there to be a unified effort from both the father and mother where the mother manages or administers the order, thoughts, instruction, and/or discipline of the father in the home. This is just within a business where you have a CEO with managers who distribute and apply the order and instructions of the CEO in the business.

I like what the scholar Dr. Merrill F. Unger had to say of this text and of the godly home: “The master is addressing the disciple, the teacher, the pupil. The home is the fountainhead of morality, the basic unit of society” (Unger’s Commentary on The Old Testament, p. 984). The home is like a set of dominoes. Let anyone link miss a step and the whole succeeding line will fail to follow. Likewise, in the home if a father does not fear the Lord, and seek to be a disciple himself who receives guidance and instruction then he will display a fool’s life. Likewise, if a mother does not extend the rule of the father in the home she undermines the very teaching and instruction of the Lord in the home. In either case or both cases the child suffers.

Practical Application for the Family
In Proverbs 1:9 we find the benefit that a child has when he or she receives a unified law from the father and mother. The child is said to have a “graceful garland” for the head and “pendants” for the neck. What does this mean? Simple. The child becomes graceful, beautiful, and attractive to others. As a parent do you want your child to be able to find mate? Do you want him or her to be able to do well in business by attracting customers, consumers, and partners to work within the business? If so then seek to be unified in your teaching in the home. Make sure there is order in the home. This one principle applied will greatly benefit your children and generations to come! Without it though, a child will more likely become foolish, unruly, and disorderly in life.
 
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