I Will Lead My Family to be Healthy Church Members

Say HiINTRODUCTION- The family is the basic unit of a society, so is it in the Church. In fact, the Church is a family or household of God. 1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” Ephesians 2:19 “Now therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”  As we are interrelated through blood with our natural family so are we interrelated in the church through the blood of Jesus Christ. Individual families go a long way in determining the life and the strength of the church as a family of God’s people; this is because every member of the church is from one family or the other. Only a healthy family can build or breed a healthy church through their membership. So, the task of leading my family to become healthy church members is a very big one. The following are some of the actions to be taken in order to lead my family members to become healthy church members.1.         APPRECIATE YOUR FAMILY- The family in question here is the nuclear family. That is, the father, the mother, the children and all who are living with them e.g wards, domestic servants etc. If you appreciate your family, you will look out for them. You will not only be concerned for their physical welfare but for their spiritual well being as well. No family will be happy if any of the children drops out of school, so is it in the church. Your family is not a healthy family until they are healthy members of the church. That is, people who are growing in the Lord and functional, committed, members of the church, irrespective of their age and status. If you appreciate your family you will develop a loving relationship irrespective of flaws and shortcomings of every member.2.         BUILD A FUNCTIONAL FAMILY ALTAR- According to Tom Rainer “part of the opportunity and honour of being a church member is the teaching of our family to love the church. And that teaching often begins by praying together as a family for the church where God placed us.” page 60. A functional family altar is a prerequisite to a healthy family and it is seriously important to leading the family members to be healthy members of the church. We must pray for one another and with one another. There is the need to have family devotion, family retreat and family Bible study time. As you pray for one another, you must lead your family members to pray for the local church. Pray for the leadership of the Church- for spiritual protection, against moral failures, for God’s inspiration as they present His word, for their families, for their emotional health, courage etc. You must also lead your family to pray for the needs of the church- physical, spiritual, financial, emotional, social needs as well as the God-given vision of the church. 3.         BUILD A FUNCTIONAL FAMILY MINISTRY- Ministry in this context is meting needs. Every family must have a ministry and this tradition must pass from one generation to the other. The individual members of the family must be known for something in the church. Family ministry can be done by involving your children in what you do for the Lord and in the name of the Lord. Another way you can build a family ministry is to prayerfully work and grow with your family members to discover God’s plans and purpose for them in the church and for the church. This is because God can be laying a ministry that is entirely different from what the father and mother are doing in the church. 4.         UPDATE YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS WITH YOUR CHURCH AFFILIATION- Cultivating the minds of your family members for the church of God is one major way through which you can lead your family members to be healthy members of a local church. This implies, helping your family members to understand&www.ikoyibaptistchurch.org, instagram.com/@ikoyibaptisthurch, facebook.com/@ikoyibaptistchurch, x.com/@ikoyibaptistchurch.