The Holy Spirit and Family

“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’”

                                                Acts 2:38-39

The first thing God instituted for mankind on the earth is the family:

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

                                                Genesis 1:27

The first thing God blessed on the earth is the family:

 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it;”

                                                Genesis 1:28

God is one and He designed the marriage relationship for oneness: Genesis 2:24; Eph. 5:30-32

The first thing on earth affected by sin was the family: Gen. 3:16

The first murder was committed within the family (Gen. 4:8)

When God called Abram, He told him, “In you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.”

                                                Genesis 12:3

God placed families in the center of the Ten Commandments: Ex. 20:12

Three of the Ten Commandments involve family: Ex. 20:12, 14, 17

The entire Old Testament and the four Gospels are the story of Abraham’s family as they walk with God.

The last thing God says to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament is about family: 

                                                  Malachi 4:5-6

The evidence is overwhelming – God’s heart is for families.

It should be no surprise to us that God places such great importance on the family. The family is the most basic unit of society.

And this brings us back to our foundational passage. (Acts 2:38-39)

The Holy Spirit arrives and the first thing He announces through Peter is “I am here for your families.”  (Acts 2:11; 38-39)

God wants to heal planet earth. It is only logical that He would want to begin the restoration of all things with the family.

God’s primary means of revealing Himself to humanity is a family:

                       

                        Father, Son, and Holy Spirit   

                                   

It is a mystery that we don’t quite understand but, family is how God has chosen to reveal Himself to us.

Family is the place of primary formation of character, beliefs, morality, values, communication skills, reasoning abilities, and much, much more. And the Holy Spirit wants to invade, permeate, heal, and transform it.            

There are two more reasons God is so obsessed with indwelling families.

·         The first family devastated by sin was not Adam’s. It was God’s. Remember Luke 3:38?

             “…Adam, the son of God.”

·         The family that paid the highest price for sin is God.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

                                                John 3:16

God’s answer for the families of the world is His indwelling Holy Spirit.

If anyone can fix, heal and bless the families of the earth it is God. He has been doing this perfectly for a long time.

 He can be trusted with my family.

 He can be trusted with your family.

I wonder if we will choose to trust Him today.

A prayer:

Father God, today I trust you with my family. I invite you to invade us with Your Holy Spirit. Come and fill my family with Your presence today. Guide us and direct us how to relate with each other in ways that will make You feel welcome and comfortable. Make us Your permanent home. I surrender control of my family to Your Fatherhood. Come and order our family relationships and our home with and for Your presence.