1. Hold Fast what is Good. The title of this week’s lesson could be, “Families in the whirl of cultural change.” It’s certainly true, as the lesson author points out, that any church member who ventures forth on a mission assignment confronts cultural differences and needs to learn how to minister to those with such differences. Cultural differences abound. How do we keep from judging them as harmful or just plain wrong? How can we accept and minister to people from cultures that are different in a striking way from those arising from our background? How sure are we that “our” culture is the “right” one in every dimension? 

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Key Thought: Christian families confront cultural challenges all the time. Most times these challenges have a negative influence. The gospel gives us light and strength to deal with these challenges.

June 15, 2019

1. Have a volunteer read Acts 10:14-17. 28.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. Does this tell us anything about our attitudes in sharing our faith with people of other cultures or religions?
3. Personal Application: How much is your faith determined by culture and how much by Biblical truth? How do we discern the difference? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “How do you deal with someone who thinks that because culture changes over time, so does Bible principles and truth? Many Bible principles they relegate to being culturally biased and irrelevant today.” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Genesis 18:19.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. How can you best adapt your faith to your culture without comprising essential truths?
3. Personal Application: What things in your culture are helpful to family life and what are not? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “In our American culture today, many things are allowable now than were before the 1960’s. Living together, divorce, recreational drug use, and abortions are all social norms today. What was sin years ago is just normal behavior today.” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Judges 2:10-13.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What crisis developed in Israel after Joshua and his peers died?
3. Personal Application: How difficult is it to pass your faith and obedience to God down to your children and grandchildren? Share your thoughts
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states, “I’m going to raise my children to follow what they want when they get old enough. I’m not going to force my religion on them. When they get old enough, they can choose what they want to do.” How would you reply to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read Matthew 28:5-7.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. How do your family and culture reflect the kingdom of heaven in your environment?
3. Personal Application: How can we better improve our family circle to share the gospel with others? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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Change is an inescapable, unsettling occurrence in families, regardless of whatever culture they live in. Some change is related to predictable passage through the life cycle. Often change is unpredictable, such as deaths, disasters, war, illnesses, family moves, or career failures. Many families face economic and social changes in their communities and countries. Other changes are directly related to the culture.

Below are some examples of great, even traumatic, changes people faced. Using your imagination, put yourself in their positions. How did these changes impact their family life? What mechanism would you have to help cope? In what ways might you have reacted differently?

– Abraham, Sarah, and Lot (Gen. 12:1-5)

– Hadassah (Esther 2:7-9)

– Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Daniel 1:1-21)

Change

With change comes the experience of loss and the anxiety of uncertainty as to one’s immediate future. Depending on a family’s ability to adjust to changes, these experiences can propel people to new levels of growth and appreciation for spiritual things, or they can lead to stress and anxiety. Satan exploits the disruption changes bring, hoping to introduce doubt and distrust in God. The promises of God’s Word, the resources of family and friends, and the assurance that their lives were in God’s hands helped many heroes and heroines of faith cope successfully with momentous life upheaval.

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“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him” (Gen. 18:19).

Family Culture

Though they might come in various configurations, families are the building blocks of society; thus, many distinct cultural traits of various societies are directly tied to family. For instance, in one ancient culture it was deemed a man’s responsibility to eat the corpse of his dead parents; in another, a man who wanted a bride had to bring her father a dowry of shrunken heads from a rival tribe. Even in modern times, ideas relating to children, courtship, divorce, marriage, parents, and so forth vary widely. As we spread our message to these various cultures, we have to learn how to relate to them in ways that, while not compromising our beliefs, don’t cause unnecessary problems. At the same time, and closer to home, we have to be very aware of just what cultural influences impact our families.

In what ways did culture impact family life in the following examples? What principles can we learn from these examples?

Gen. 16:1-3

Gen. 35:1-4

Ezra 10:1-44

1 Kings 11:1

None of us live in a vacuum; all of us and our families are impacted by the culture in which we live. Our responsibility as Christians is to exist within our culture the best we can, keeping that which is in harmony with our faith, while shunning, as much as possible, that which conflicts with it.

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As the gospel circles the globe, Christians encounter different cultures and practices, many of which pertain to family and social relationships. One of the great questions for Christian missionaries regards how they should relate to various cultural norms about many things, including family relationships they might personally find uncomfortable.

Read Acts 10:1-28, Acts 10:34-35. What can we learn here about our need to overcome our own barriers and prejudices when dealing with other cultures?

Family

Christ’s death was for the sins of every human being, everywhere. Many people simply do not know this great truth yet. To bring this news with an invitation to respond is the evangelistic mission of Christians. Because God shows no partiality, Christians are called to treat everyone with respect and integrity, giving them a chance to embrace the good news that is for them, as well.

What conclusions did early Christian missionaries reach regarding the presentation of the gospel to other cultures? What principle can we draw from these texts? Acts 15:19-20, Acts 15:28-29; 1 Cor. 2:2; 1 Thess. 5:21-22.

Though every culture mirrors the fallen condition of the people within it, cultures may also have beliefs that are compatible with Scripture, even useful to the cause of the gospel. The value placed upon close relationships in family and community in many parts of the world is an example. Christians can uphold and strengthen that which is good and in keeping with biblical principles.

At the same time, God’s truth must not be compromised. Church history sadly shows that compromise and accommodation to cultures has yielded a patchwork of pseudo-Christian beliefs posing as authentic Christianity. Satan claims to be the god of this world and happily spreads confusion, but Jesus has redeemed this world, and His Spirit guides His followers into all truth (John 16:13).

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