Preparing for Family Communion

This past Sunday I experienced a wonderful time of communion after an especially rough trip to church. I asked a group of fathers and sons in our fellowship what benefits they received from preparing for weekly communion as a family. The fathers and sons alike shared many thoughts such as:
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  • It helps us keep short accounts, which allows us to experience a greater peace and harmony in the family.
  • When we confess our sins as a family we create a safe environment for all of us to be vulnerable to God and one another so we can forgive and be forgiven.
  • It helps to understand what the issues are that are causing division.
  • Family communion helps break down the walls of separation between us.
  • When we finish with family communion the children have a visible expression of freedom and joy that comes from a good conscience.
  • We can remove the leaven of hypocrisy in our lives, which causes children to react to our leadership.
  • It clears up misunderstandings that the enemy has taken advantage of and takes back the ground where the enemy has gained a foothold.

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One young man said family communion is a time of taking off a heavy backpack weighed down with sins from the week. This comment started a lively discussion that lead to the idea of having a day when everyone in a family wears a backpack and each time we sin add a 5 pound rock. We thought everyone would want to get rid of it as quickly as possible on the same day if not the same hour. The burden of unconfessed sin or wrong responses to an offense are heavier burdens to our souls than the back pack is to our bodies. Unconfessed sin will drain us of emotional, spiritual, and mental energy.

When a family inquires about coming to Noble Family Fellowhip I mention two things we train and equip men to do.

Father’s Lead in Preparing for Family Communion

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The first thing we encourage each father to do is lead his family in preparing for communion. This requires that they do three things:

  1. Leave their gift at the altar and ask forgiveness for any sins they have committed against individuals in their family. (See Matt. 5:24)
  2. Ask, “Have I done anything this past week that has offended you, wounded you, or hurt you?” (See Matthew 18:15)
  3. Ask his family to bless him with the character qualities he needs to manifest God’s name to them on a daily basis. (See John 17:4-6)

Husband’s Become Accountable for Marital Oneness

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The second thing we encourage a husband to do is to give his wife the freedom to call another couple, who he has willingly agreed to be accountable to, when his wife feels like their marital oneness is in danger of being destroyed.

Our goal is to strengthen families by equipping fathers to be the type of leader that God honors, “but to this man will I regard, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” (See Isaiah 66:2) These are the noble deeds that cause a man’s wife and children to turn their heart towards him and willingly bless the Lord just as Deborah the Judge did when the men followed God’s leading, “My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.” (See Judges 5:2,9)

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When men are willing to be made willing by God’s in these two areas they will experience the power of unity, which God commands a blessing upon. (See Psalm 133)

For more information read the article: Family Communion

Permalink Posted by Chris Hogan on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 at 04:13 AM