Friday: Further Thought – Keys to Family Unity

Further Thought: Ellen G. White, “A Sacred Circle”, pages 77-180, in The Adventist Home; Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, pages 236-238.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

Unity—the first work. “The first work of Christians is to be united in the family. … “The more closely the members of a family are united in their work in the home, the more uplifting and helpful will be the influence that father and mother and sons and daughters will exert outside the home”. – Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home, p. 37.

The secret of family unity. “The cause of division and discord in families and in the church is separation from Christ. To come near to Christ is to come near to one another. The secret of true unity in the church and in the family is not diplomacy, not management, not a superhuman effort to overcome difficulties—though there will be much of this to do—but union with Christ”. – Page 179.

Discussion Questions:

Talk about the forces in your own society that work against family unity. What practical solutions can you offer to a family that is struggling against these influences?
Is there a family in your church right now that has come apart? If so, what can you do as a class to help each member in this crisis time?
Discuss this whole question of submission. How is it to be understood in a Christian context? In what ways has the principle been abused?
What principles can you see in regard to family unity that can be applied to the idea of unity in the church, as well?

Amen!