Camp Hill United Methodist Church
Sunday, September 05, 2010
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Faith at HomeWhat is Faith @ Home?
Faith @ Home ministry is a simple, yet revolutionary concept. For too long and mistakenly, many Christians expected the church to supplant the home as the most significant influence for the development of our faith. It’s pretty obvious, as you look around, this practice has not worked. Statistics show that the most important faith influencer is the home, not the church.
No matter how awesome church worship is - no matter how excellent the Sunday School or other programs, it is in the home where your faith truly gets shaped and applied.
Faith cannot be outsourced.
Whether you are single or married, raising children or empty nesters, retired or starting your first job, having a vital relationship with Jesus Christ means more than going to church; it means living out your faith in all areas of your life.
Faith @ Home is the church doing what the church is supposed to do:
Educating: Teaching you about God and how God relates with us.
Equipping: Providing resources to help you deepen and nurture your faith.
Encouraging: Creating supportive networks to help you live out your faith.
Simply put, Faith @ Home is about CHUM empowering you to live out your faith in all areas of your life ~ to see God as the most important part of every area of your life ~ home, school, work, recreation, social, community and personal.
Faith @ Home is about being in relationship with Jesus Christ the way he intends us to be.
What is the Next Step?
Jesus says, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25)
Website Vision
We are currently constructing an online resource to equip you with the necessary tools to deepen your faith in fun and simple ways. This website will have lots of fun tools for you:
The building and home theme allows for a creative way to help users build their own Faith @ Home journey. When looking for resources, users will find themselves in the library. The kitchen will offer suggestions to intentionally develop and grow your faith, the bedroom will house studies and information to build strong marriages. These are just a few examples of the rooms we will lay out for you.
In the Meantime…
There are a few things you can do now.
1. Pick a plan that fits you and/or your household
7 – 4 – 2 Plan 6 – 3 - 1 Plan 5 – 2 – 1 Plan
The first number represents the number of days you set aside time to pray.
The second number represents the number of days you pray with the members of your home.*
The third number represents the number of days you read the scriptures and pray together with members of your home. *
*If you are single, have a friend join you in this plan.
Pray:
If you want a consistent formula for prayer, I have found the ACTS acronym that I learned from Bill Hybels’ book To Busy Not To Pray to be the best.
A = Adoration – Entering Holy Space.
Read a psalm of praise (Psalm 8, 19, 23, 46, 100, 148, 150)
“I worship you and praise you because you are…” C = Confession – Naming Our Faults
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us
from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). “I confess that I…”
“I need your forgiveness for the sin of…”
“Please give me your strength to forsake that sin, to make restitution
by…, to accept your forgiveness and the new life you give me.” I am in Christ!
I am a new creation!
The old has gone, the new has come! (see 2 Corinthians 5:17)
T = Thanksgiving – Expressing Gratitude
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1
Thessalonians 5:18). I praise you and I thank you for answered prayers…
S = Supplication: Asking for Help
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). Here are my requests
for other people…
for myself…
for…
Read Scripture
Reading Scripture can seem overwhelming at first, but it is like eating an elephant. You know how to eat an elephant right? That’s right…one bite at a time. Below I have offered some of the more significant passages in the Bible. I have laid them out in chronological order, but you can read them in any order. These passages teach us a lot about God, ourselves and our relationship with God.
So, after you read the scripture ask yourself and/or the members of your home the following questions:
Devotions
For the days when you are reading the scriptures by yourself, devotional material can be helpful. I recommend the following three to get started.
1. For beginners of devotional material, I recommend Upper Room.
2. For those wanting to move a little deeper, I recommend “Pray for All of God’s People” by Upper Room.
3. For those wanting to go even deeper, I recommend the acrostic SOAP that I learned from Wayne Cordeiro. He has developed a great way to read the Bible in a year. Of course, if you cannot read all of the daily scripture in his plan, take it in smaller bites and accomplish reading the scriptures in two or three years. The acrostic is:
S – Scripture
O – Observation: write in your own words what is going on in the passage
A – Application: How can you apply to your life what you learned in this passage.
P – Prayer
For more information and to order Pastor Wayne Cordiero’s Bible Reading Plan and/or the accompanying journal, visit http://store.lifejournal.cc/journaling.aspx
There is a plan for children as well!
For more information or questions or to share your thoughts and ideas on Faith @ Home, please contact Pastor Brian Sweeney, coordinator, at 737-5631 x. 224 or bsweeney@camphillumc.org
Upcoming Faith @ Home Events
Check here for upcoming special Faith @ Home events
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