Author: Bryan Gibson

Weekly Bulletin
April 21, 2024

What We Should Want for Our Sons
by Bryan Gibson
What we should want is the same as what God wants. And the “wants” below are certainly in line with His. It’s nowhere near a complete list, but it’s a good start.
First and foremost, we want our sons to reach a point when they realize the guilt of their own sins, that they turn from their sins to Christ, that they realize the urgency of being baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:37-38, 41; 11:21; 22:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; Galatians 3:27). Once they have “put on Christ” in baptism (Galatians 3:27), we want them to walk as Christ walked (1 John 2:6), so much so that it’s not them living any longer, but Christ (“it is not longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”—Galatians 2:20). This won’t happen accidentally; it will take diligent prayer and deliberate effort on their part to study and apply the teachings of Christ.
We want our sons to marry faithful Christians. The decision to become a Christian aside, this is the most important decision they’ll ever make. They need someone with whom they can pray (1 Peter 3:7), someone who will care about the souls of their children (like Timothy’s mother, Eunice—2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14-15), someone with whom they can work together in the kingdom of God (like Priscilla—Acts 18:26; Romans 16:3-4). We’ve been working on helping them get to heaven; we would sure love to hand them over to someone who will do the same.
We want our sons to be good husbands and fathers, with the same resolve as Joshua: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Each will need to rule his house well (1 Timothy 3:4, 12); accept responsibility rather than shirk it; rule, not as a dictator, but as a servant (Matthew 20:25-28). Each will need to love his wife, not just “in word or talk, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18); and in all the various ways Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25). Each will need to love his children, provide for all their needs, but especially their spiritual needs. The aim is to “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4), and to do this, they will need to set a good example (Luke 1:5-6; 2 Timothy 1:5), teach them God’s word (2 Timothy 3:14-15), and not be afraid to administer corrective discipline (Proverbs 3:11-12; 13:24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15, 17). To fulfill God’s commandment to provide for their families (1 Timothy 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10), they’ll need to learn to work hard and be dependable in their work.
We want our sons to use whatever abilities they have in serving the Lord (Matthew 25:14-30; Romans 12:3-8), to be good “stewards” of God’s “gifts” (1 Peter 4:10-11). If they can learn to be good leaders in the home, this may very well equip them to be leaders in the church—to possibly serve as elders (1 Timothy 3:1-7; 1 Peter 5:1-4), or deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-13; Philippians 1:1). Other abilities may include song leading, teaching, and many other less public things. We don’t want them to “waste” the abilities they have, when they could be used to impact eternity—for themselves and no telling how many others.
We want these things for our sons, because “when the Son of Man comes in His glory” (Matthew 25:31), we want Him to say these words to our sons: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). What do want more than anything else for our children? “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?” (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20).

David, to His son, Solomon: “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. Keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies…” (1 Kings 2:2-3).

Contact Information
	P.O. Box 680872 / Prattville, AL 36067
	(334) 868-0801
	prattmont@gmail.com / prattmontchurchofchrist.org

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The Prattmont Church of Christ is just what the name suggests, a church that belongs to Christ. We are not a denomination; we are simply a group of Christians trying very hard to practice the teachings of our Head, Jesus Christ. The New Testament offers a complete pattern for what each local church should be like—its organization, its worship, its work, etc. We are committed to following that pattern. We cordially invite you to attend our services. We would also welcome any comments or questions about this bulletin.

TIMES OF SERVICES:
Sunday
Bible Classes………...9 A.M.
Worship 10:00 A.M.
Worship/Bible Study..5 P.M.
Wednesday:
Bible Study 7:00 P.M.