For | Resources

What if God’s people were known by what or who they’re for? What we discover in Scripture is that God is for you, for your family, and for your community. In this series, we’ll discover what it means to be part of the church, and how that identity shapes the things, people, and places we care for.

Helpful Links

Books/Audiobooks
Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus (Building Healthy Churches) | Mark Dever

Parenting| 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family | Paul David Tripp

The Disciple-Making Parent: A Comprehensive Guidebook for Raising Your Children to Love and Follow Jesus Christ

You are Never Alone: Trust in the Miracle of God’s Presence and Power | Max Lucado

The Art of Neighboring | Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door | Jay Pathak + Dave Runyon

Podcasts / Blogs / Articles

The Gospel Coalition: One Lord, One People | The Unity of the Church in Acts in its Literary Setting
Few students of the Acts of the Apostles are unaware of the long history of interpreters who think that the book is historically inaccurate because it presents an idealized portrait of a unified Christian community that was actually a diverse movement.

The Gospel Coalition: Faithful Parenting is Successful Parenting
To put it mildly, parenting is humbling. I’m also a pastor who is often in a position to counsel parents. I desperately need friends like Chap Bettis, author of The Disciple-Making Parent: A Comprehensive Guidebook for Raising Your Children to Love and Follow Jesus Christ (linked below.

The Bible Project: Rescued for a Purpose
 In today’s episode, we’re reflecting on why God rescues his people. He doesn’t only free us from corruption, he frees us for restoration. His rescue is not just for us but for the restoration of the whole world.

Wild at Heart: Fighting for the Hearts of Your Children
This live teaching features members of the Wild at Heart men’s team speaking on life as parents. In the same way God charges us in Proverbs 4:23 to “watch over our own hearts,” we are charged to watch over the hearts of our sons and daughters. (2 Parts)

The Bible Project: What’s the Meaning of the Jewish Shema Prayer in the Bible?
The Shema prayer is one of the most famous prayers in the Bible. It was a daily prayer for ancient Israelites and is still recited by Jewish people today. We first find this prayer in the book of Deuteronomy.

Got Questions: What Does it Mean That Our Lives Should Be a Testimony for Jesus?
The “testimony for Jesus” in view here would be a lifestyle and words that openly acknowledge our personal experience of following Jesus Christ. A testimony must be public because its purpose is to tell others what has taken place. In the Christian experience, our regeneration should be a testament (evidence) to other people that Jesus is alive and is changing lives. We testify by our words and actions. If our lives are a testimony for Jesus Christ, then they should be reflections of Christ as we “follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

Got Questions: What Does it Mean to Walk Circumspectly?
As part of a challenging teaching on holy living, the apostle Paul writes, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15–17, NKJV). To be circumspect is to be wary; the word comes from a Latin word literally meaning “look around.” “Walk circumspectly” is Paul’s way of urging Christians to look very carefully at how they live and behave.

Got Questions: Who Does God Say I Am?
Many of us waste time worrying about what other people think of us. We want to be valued, loved, respected, and admired. But why base our identity and sense of self-worth on the opinions of other flawed beings when God’s view of us is the only one that truly matters? The most important question we can ask concerning our identity is this: Who does God say I am? 

The Gospel Coalition: Nuclear Family or Church Family? Yes
Some people argue we should see our church as our “first family.” Jesus certainly refocused membership in God’s family: Now anyone can join the family not by bloodline, but by faith in him. God’s family now grows primarily through the spread of the gospel, not the birth of children. Consequently, those without spouse or children have a valued place and purpose in the family of faith.

Parents
Parent Cue App

Kids
What is a Disciple? | Sunday School Lessons for Kids