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Copyright ©2011 The Church at Brook Hills www.brookhills.org
Family Worship Guide – Week 13
READ This week as we study Acts we are focusing on all the examples we can find of people showing the Word in the book of Acts. Believers show the Word to both non-‐believers and believers. As we live for Christ, our lives should be pointing people to the gospel and guiding them as they grow in their knowledge and understanding of Christ. Read Acts 2:42-‐47. In this paragraph, we learn a little about how the early Christians lived their lives. Together as a family list all the things that the believers were doing together. Do you think it was important for them to be together so much? This picture of how they were all connected and together allowed them to show the Word to one another. They were able to teach each other how to pray and how to study the Bible. They were able to meet one another’s needs because they were sharing their belongings and money. Their time together and their caring for one another is a great example of Christ-‐followers showing the Word to one another. The great thing is that as they showed the Word to each other they were also showing the Word to non-‐believers. Think about the non-‐believers who were neighbors to the Christians who were gathering to pray, study the Bible, and encourage one another. Do you believe that when the non-‐believers saw this loving community they would want to be a part of it? Seeing the lives of the Christ-‐followers helped non-‐believers to understand the power and love of the gospel. Read Acts 4:32-‐37. In this passage, Luke gives us more details about the early church. Everyone was united in heart and soul. Think through these questions: Why was there not a needy person among them? What all did they sell? Do you think it was important for them to have everything in common? Our memory verse for this week is Acts 4:32. It is an example of showing the Word. Showing what it means to follow Christ begins with uniting with all the other Christ-‐followers in the church. Our thoughts and our actions should be united, and we should look for ways to encourage and care for one another. For the early church, it began by sharing their possessions so that there were not any needy people among them. Their actions were a great witness that helped the apostles to powerfully share the gospel and the truth about Jesus to all the people in Jerusalem (4:33). Questions: How can you show the Word to your family? How can you and your family show the Word to your neighbors and friends? Bottom Line: Showing the Word helps us to share the Word as it makes our testimony powerful, and it helps us to mentor and guide believers as they grow in their understanding and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
PRAY Rock the Block is a series of Backyard Bible Clubs hosted by the Brook Hills faith family throughout the city of Birmingham. Our main week for Rock the Block this summer will be June 6-‐9, but small groups are free to host Backyard Bible Clubs any week that works best for them during the months of June and July. Rock the Block is intended to be an overflow of the disciple-‐making that's already occurring throughout the year. Rock the Block is simply a tool to engage the children and families in your neighborhood through meaningful, gospel-‐advancing relationships. Our Children's Ministry team can provide your small group with gospel-‐centered curriculum, training, and many of the materials that you'll need. Those who would like more information or who would like to sign up to serve this summer can stop by the Rock the Block kiosk in the lobby.
SING For this week’s song, we chose ‘Saviour King’. This is a song that reflects passionate worship of God but also reminds us that the gospel doesn’t end with us. We are to spread it. We are reminded by the lyrics that the fuel and goal of our mission as a church is worship itself. Fuel: when we worship together, we are encouraged to go and spread the gospel in our daily lives. We are motivated by reminding each other that God is good, that He cares for us, and wants to have a relationship with us. Goal: our desire is to see people come to know Him, so that ultimately, they will worship the one true and living God.
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We sing passionately to Him: “You are our God,” “You alone are good,” “We love You Lord.” We recognize His grace in our lives and that He loves us and cares for us, but it doesn’t stop there. We also ask Him to let our “hearts burn with a flame,” a desire to see the weak strengthened, the poor blessed, and the lost come to know Him. Finally, we commit to give our lives to honor Him and spread His love. Our lives are meant to reflect His glory in worship, but also to spread this good news of Christ to the world.
MEMORIZE Acts 4:32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
SUGGESTIONS These suggestions were created by the age-‐group ministry leaders as a way to help parents better communicate the biblical truths discussed in the Family Worship Guide. These suggestions are intended to help parents facilitate God-‐centered discussions with their children. Parents should prayerfully use these suggestions, and any other means necessary, to help their children discover the truths of God’s word and worship Him together.
Preschool
• Before you begin, search magazines, Internet and books for pictures of the following examples to share with your child: families sharing food or meals together, praying together, or studying the Bible together.
• Read Acts 4:32 with your preschooler. • Explain to your preschooler that God is loving and merciful. Because God is loving and merciful, He wants us as His
followers, to be loving and merciful to other people too! • Show your child the pictures you found of the families. Talk about each picture and explain that as followers of God we
can enjoy getting together with other believers and spending time together. We can learn about God’s word together, and pray for one another. We can share meals together and celebrate all of the wonderful food that God has given us.
• Tell your preschooler that when we get together like this, we are “showing the Word” to one another. We are doing what God tells us to do in the Bible, His Word. When we “show the word” to one another, guess what happens? We are also showing the word to others who may see us or live near us. Maybe if they can see how much we enjoy being together, they will want to come and learn about God’s Word with us too.
• Questions: Do you think God wants us to get together to pray, study and celebrate His Word and the blessings He has given us? Yes, He does! Do you think God wants us to share our prayers, His Word and food with other people? Yes! God wants us to show His love to everyone we meet. God is loving and merciful. He wants us to share His love with others.
• Conclude by praying and thanking God for His love and mercy. Ask God to help your family find ways to “show the Word” with one another and with our neighbors.
Children • Re-‐read Acts 4:32-‐33. • Ask your children: Have you ever seen a windsock at an airport? Before modern advances in technology, windsocks
served a crucial purpose. Their purpose was to point out the direction and force of the wind. Without windsocks pilots and ground crews would not be able to direct planes to take off and land safely.
• As followers of Jesus, the purpose of our lives is very similar to that of a windsock. We exist to point out something. We point people the Lord Jesus!
• The believers in the book of Acts realized this, and with their very lives they pointed others to their Savior. Another way to describe this is to say that they showed the Word.
• Acts tells us that these early believers had close fellowship with one another and even gave away their possessions to meet the needs of their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. This may not seem like a big deal at first, but it certainly seemed radical to the people around them.
• What would you say if you heard of a kid in your neighborhood who sold his Xbox or Nintendo Wii and gave the money from the sale away? What would you say if you heard of a Christian who decided not to receive any new outfits for school for a while so another brother or sister in Christ who was hungry could have food? Reinforce to your children that there is nothing wrong with gaming systems or new clothes in and of themselves, and let the conversation center on grace.
• Some may say these individuals were crazy, but we would know something about them that is even more important. We would know that they considered something more valuable than an Xbox, Wii, or really nice outfit. When the Christians in Acts made sacrifices even more significant than these, they signaled to the rest of the Church and to the world around
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Copyright ©2011 The Church at Brook Hills www.brookhills.org
them that Jesus and the new life available through faith in Him was more valuable than any treasure or possession on earth.
• As these believers showed the Word, doors were flung wide open for them to share the Word. The world around them could see that these Christians believed in a "better possession" that would never fade away (Heb 10:34).
• Pray that God would give you opportunities individually and as a family to demonstrate that Jesus is your ultimate treasure. As you ask for opportunities to obey Him and point to His value and worth in even greater ways, or to show the Word, ask that God would also give you open doors to share the Word with those who desperately need to hear it.
Students • Re-‐read Acts 4:32-‐37 and Act 2:42-‐47. • How are they similar? How are they different? What difficult circumstance happened in between the passages? • After the first three thousand joined the disciples, there was an immediate persecution because of their testimony. Have
you ever felt the challenged in your faith after having experienced a strong spiritual moment? • When have you felt the need to pray for boldness? Explain. • How did God answer the believers’ prayers for boldness? What was the result of their boldness? • Acts states that believers shared in testimony, food, and belongings. This was not forced on them but was a characteristic
of their belief. How do you see this characteristic revealed in the Christian life you see around you today? • Notice that things were given and distributed. Not taken and allocated. How does this line up with other passages like 2
Cor. 8:9-‐15 on generosity among believers? • Barnabas is singled out as leading by example. We know him later by his journeys with Paul and John Mark. His journeys
and encouragement were used to expand the Church and provide one of the four Gospels. As a student, what examples are you setting for those around you?
Pra
yer
W
eek
13
Loca
l
Loca
l Chu
rch:
Dee
rfoo
t Bap
tist:
Rog
er W
illm
ore
Focu
s: B
acky
ard
Bibl
e Cl
ub O
utre
ach/
Rock
the
Bloc
k
Mon
day:
Pra
y fo
r op
en d
oors
as
Broo
k H
ills’
m
embe
rs e
ngag
e th
eir n
eigh
bors
in re
latio
nshi
ps
and
invi
te th
em to
a B
acky
ard
Bibl
e Cl
ub.
Tues
day:
Pra
y fo
r cl
arity
and
wis
dom
for
Broo
k H
ills’
Roc
k Th
e Bl
ock
lead
ers
as th
ey s
hare
the
gosp
el w
ith c
hild
ren
and
thei
r pa
rent
s.
Wed
nesd
ay: P
ray
for
child
ren
and
thei
r fa
mili
es
who
will
be
hear
ing
the
gosp
el fo
r th
e fir
st ti
me.
M
ay th
eir
hear
ts a
nd m
inds
be
open
.
Thur
sday
: Pra
y th
at th
e go
spel
will
pre
vail
in
spite
of o
bsta
cles
that
sat
an m
ight
use
to h
inde
r it
from
goi
ng fo
rth
in o
ur c
omm
unity
.
Frid
ay: P
ray
that
Bac
kyar
d Bi
ble
Club
s w
ill s
park
a
pass
ion
in fa
mili
es a
nd s
mal
l gro
ups
to li
ve
mis
sion
ally
thro
ugho
ut th
e ye
ar.
Satu
rday
: Pra
y fo
r Br
ook
Hill
s’ C
hild
ren’
s M
inis
try
team
as
they
lead
in th
is m
inis
try:
Jo
rdan
And
erso
n, ja
nder
son@
broo
khill
s.or
g an
d Jo
ni M
athe
rne,
jmat
hern
e@br
ookh
ills.
org.
Cop
yrig
ht ©
2011
The
Chu
rch
at B
rook
Hill
s
Glo
bal
Shor
t Ter
m T
eam
s: A
ustr
alia
and
Mid
dle
East
Part
ner:
The
Sul
livan
fam
ily in
Eas
t Asi
a (T
he
Sulli
van’
s re
ceiv
e M
id-T
erm
team
s fr
om T
CABH
)
Mon
day:
Pra
y fo
r H
ouse
Chu
rche
s sc
atter
ed
thro
ugho
ut th
e ci
ty.
Ask
God
to e
mbo
lden
them
w
ith th
e go
spel
, sou
nd d
octr
ine,
bib
lical
mal
e le
ader
ship
and
mul
tiply
ing
heal
thy
chur
ches
.
Tues
day:
Pra
y fo
r Ch
risti
an m
arri
ages
and
fa
mili
es h
ere.
Ask
God
for
His
gos
pel t
o be
ce
ntra
l in
thei
r ho
mes
. Pr
ay G
od w
ould
sho
w
them
mar
riag
e is
a c
oven
ant,
not
just
a b
usin
ess
deal
. A
sk G
od to
let t
heir
live
s ex
alt C
hris
t her
e.
Wed
nesd
ay: P
ray
for
God
to b
less
the
Sul
livan
s’
pers
onal
tim
e w
ith H
im, f
or th
eir
mar
riag
e to
refle
ct H
is tr
uth,
and
for
them
to re
ar
thei
r ch
ildre
n as
gos
pel w
arri
ors.
Ask
God
to
conti
nual
ly re
min
d th
em H
is g
race
is s
uffici
ent.
Thur
sday
: Pra
y fo
r th
e se
rvic
e pe
ople
in th
e ci
ty: p
lum
bers
, gas
tena
nts,
and
the
host
of
low
cla
ss jo
bs.
Ask
God
to g
ive
them
hop
e am
idst
a h
opel
ess,
dis
mal
situ
ation
. A
sk G
od to
br
ing
peop
le to
reac
h do
wn
out o
f the
ir s
ocia
l hi
erar
chy
to s
hare
the
gosp
el.
Frid
ay: P
ray
for
the
200,
000+
col
lege
stu
dent
s he
re.
Pray
God
wou
ld ro
ck th
eir
hum
anis
tic,
athe
istic
, man
-cen
tere
d w
orld
view
and
impl
ant
in th
em a
God
-cen
tere
d, C
hris
t-ex
altin
g, S
piri
t-dr
iven
, bib
lical
wor
ldvi
ew.
Pray
God
wou
ld ra
ise
up m
ultit
udes
to b
elie
ve in
Chr
ist.
Satu
rday
: Pra
y fo
r th
ose
goin
g ho
me
in A
pril
to w
orsh
ip th
eir
ance
stor
s an
d fo
r al
l pag
an
festi
vals
cel
ebra
ted
here
. A
sk G
od to
sho
w a
ll pe
ople
who
He
is, h
ow g
lori
ous
He
is a
nd a
sk
the
Fath
er to
dra
w th
ousa
nds
to H
imse
lf.
Live
s/Ch
urch
As
Chri
st-f
ollo
wer
s w
e no
t onl
y w
ant t
he g
ospe
l to
be re
ady
on o
ur li
ps, b
ut w
e al
so w
ant t
he g
ospe
l to
com
plet
ely
resh
ape
and
tran
sfor
m e
very
thin
g ab
out t
he w
ay w
e liv
e. W
e w
ant t
o liv
e liv
es th
at a
re
deep
ly ro
oted
and
moti
vate
d by
the
gosp
el.
Pray
that
thro
ugh
the
empo
wer
men
t of S
piri
t you
r lif
e w
ould
ser
ve a
s a
livin
g de
mon
stra
tion
of th
e go
spel
to o
ther
s. T
his
wee
k as
k G
od to
giv
e yo
u a
hear
t th
at c
heri
shes
the
gosp
el in
suc
h a
way
that
you
r th
ough
ts, a
ction
s an
d aff
ectio
ns a
re c
ompl
etel
y tr
ansf
orm
ed.
Pray
as
wel
l tha
t you
r lif
e w
ould
exh
ibit
the
hum
ility
and
sel
fless
ness
of C
hris
t as
foun
d in
the
gosp
el.
Pray
that
God
’s m
ercy
and
gra
ce a
s fo
und
in th
e go
spel
wou
ld p
rovo
ke y
ou to
ext
end
mer
cy a
nd g
race
tow
ard
othe
rs.
Savi
our
King
by M
ia F
ield
s, M
arty
Sam
pson
Let n
ow th
e w
eak
say
I hav
e st
reng
thBy
the
spir
it of
pow
er th
at ra
ised
Chr
ist f
rom
the
dead
And
now
the
poor
sta
nd a
nd c
onfe
ssTh
at m
y po
rtion
is H
im a
nd I’
m m
ore
than
ble
ssed
Let n
ow o
ur h
eart
s bu
rn w
ith a
flam
eA
fire
con
sum
ing
all f
or Y
our
Son’
s ho
ly n
ame
And
with
the
heav
ens
we
decl
are
You
are
our
King
We
love
you
Lor
d w
e w
orsh
ip Y
ouYo
u ar
e ou
r G
od Y
ou a
lone
are
goo
dYo
u as
ked
your
Son
to c
arry
this
The
heav
y cr
oss
our
wei
ght o
f sin
I lov
e yo
u Lo
rd I
wor
ship
you
Hop
e w
hich
was
lost
now
sta
nds
rene
wed
I giv
e m
y lif
e to
hon
or th
isTh
e lo
ve o
f Chr
ist t
he S
avio
r Ki
ng
Let n
ow y
our
chur
ch s
hine
as
the
brid
eTh
at y
ou s
aw in
you
r he
art a
s yo
u off
ered
up
your
life
Let n
ow th
e lo
st b
e w
elco
med
hom
eBy
the
save
d an
d re
deem
ed th
ose
adop
ted
as y
our
own
Copy
righ
t©20
06 M
ia F
ield
s, M
arty
Sam
pson
/Hill
song
Pu
blis
hing
Due
to c
opyr
ight
lim
itatio
ns, w
e ar
e on
ly
allo
wed
to p
rint t
he ly
rics
to th
is s
ong
with
no
cho
rds.
We
enco
urag
e yo
u to
dow
nloa
d an
mp3
of t
his
song
from
iTun
es.
Scri
ptur
e M
emor
yN
ow th
e fu
ll nu
mbe
r of
thos
e w
ho b
elie
ved
wer
e of
one
hea
rt a
nd s
oul,
and
no o
ne s
aid
that
any
of
the
thin
gs th
at b
elon
ged
to h
im w
as h
is o
wn,
but
they
had
eve
ryth
ing
in c
omm
on.
Act
s 4:
32
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