Key Scriptures for over-comers: Acts 16:31-35 “He (the Philippian jailer) then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household. Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole family.
Acts 16 describes two instances of household salvation. Earlier, Paul and Silas had gone to a place of prayer and a woman named Lydia gave her heart to the Lord and her household was baptized. (Acts 16:15) Here the Philippian jailer is saved from taking his own life and finds salvation by believing in Jesus along with his whole household! God loves to save individuals and also whole families! He wants His family to enjoy heaven with others from the same family! What a great promise for each of us as we pray for our families to be saved!
Observations for over-comers: Be diligent to ask God for the salvation of households! Start with your own household and then be sure to include this promise when ministering to others who have families! “. . .what our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done. . . . so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God. . .” (Psalm 78:3-4, 6-7)
Greetings on this wonderful day of rest and reflection! What a day to gather with God’s people and celebrate God’s awesome presence, our salvation, and the coming rapture! The trumpet will sound and God’s people will be caught up to meet Him in the air, and thus we will ever be with the Lord. These are comforting words! We should always remember them when we gather with God’s people!
Today, I am thinking about another reason to gather together with each other. Psalm 78:1-8 tells of passing our values and knowledge of God on to the next generation. Faith is always only a generation away from extinction! If we fail to pass the baton of faith to the next generation, who will pass it to our children? How will they know of God’s power, His wonders, and His mighty acts of deliverance? How will they have faith to live a life pleasing to God?
God’s people have often neglected to pass on values and God’s law to their children. The results were always devastating! Sin leads to death and misery, no other destination! I have observed that faithful church attendance is a good way to pass values on to the next generation. That must be coupled with a life that is lived consistently day by day in the power of the Holy Spirit. God promises to be present with us and help us to live consistently.
We must remember that our flesh tends to be stubborn and rebellious. It is easy to make excuses and neglect the discipline of weekly church attendance, daily devotions and Bible reading. We get so busy that our priorities are out of order. The enemy of our soul also works to keep us from doing those things that promote spiritual health and the passing of values to our children. He is always out to disrupt that process because he wants to destroy our offspring.
Why not make some new priorities today to regular church attendance and consistent living? The purpose of that is your own spiritual health and the passing of values to the next generation. God will honor this and work with you. You and your offspring will be blessed by your decision!