Fathering Like the Father | Week 9

by

Week 9 | Lessons From an Old Man

Weather | 82° F | Humidity 88% | Wind: 5mph NNW

This week 3 Pax met at Adventure Park to continue our latest book study: Fathering Like the Father. Although the turnout was low, it was rather appropriate to the title for ShamWow to post and continue to pour wisdom into the younger generation. Thanks ShamWow! We really appreciate you! This week we discussed Holiness.

Holiness

  • How would you define Holiness?
  • The dictionary says its “The State of Being Holy” (super helpful)
  • Holy men, are men of integrity: They lead in difficult times, They serve by God’s Appointment.

Holy Men Take Responsibility for Their Children

  • Read 1 Samuel 2:12-29
  • Do not honor your children more than you honor God.
  • We are responsible for reproducing holiness in our children.

Making It Work

So how do we avoid the Eli syndrome? Let’s try a three-C approach—confession, commitment, and consistency.

  • We acknowledge our past sins and trust God to forgive us.
  • We confess to our wives and our children where we have let them down on the matter of reflecting God’s holiness in our behavior and in our dealings with them.
  • We commit first to God, then to our families, that by his grace things will be different from now on.
  • We trust the Holy Spirit to produce consistency of holy living in our life so that our children can see over time what it means to trust God, to depend on him, and to live in the light of his standards.

Questions for Discussion

  1. What could possibly have happened in Samuel’s adult life to cause him to reproduce Eli’s horrendous blunder with his own sons?
  2. Carefully study the first chapter of 1 Peter and write down specific areas where you can begin to work immediately on personal holiness.
  3. Since holiness is a rather abstract concept, what things might you do differently in your life to show your children you’re trying to be holy as a reflection of God’s character?

Father/Child Dialogue

  1. Dad, explain holiness to your children in terms they can understand. Articulate your personal commitment to holiness in your home.
  2. Kids, ask Dad what it means for you to be holy at home, at school, and out with your friends.

Homework for 8/17

Thoughts for the week:

  • In what specific ways can Christian parents develop orderly disciplined patterns with young children? With young teens? With older teens?
  • Do you believe in physical punishment? What forms are most helpful? How do you handle the various biblical texts (notably Proverbs) that seem to affirm the value of physical punishment?
  • Why is it important for husband and wife to present a united front in dealing with the matters of discipline and punishment? How can they best do that?