Not only do you hear a different voice and preaching style, but you also hear topics you wouldn't necessarily hear from your pastor's regular preaching. As you might be able to tell from the name of the meetings, Dr. Griffith preached a variety of messages on the family, specifically about how families should function according to the Bible--as their prayer card states, "Proclaiming God's Plan for the Family."
Unlike some people who might have been less than thrilled to be going to a church service on a Saturday or weekday night, I was genuinely excited and looked forward to hearing each new message.
Some of the things he said stuck out to me:
- is it enough to have a "clear conscience"? you have to have the right values in your heart: based in the Word of God
- The Bible is the Word of God. It tells how to live; Submit to His Word. Wrong thinking: "I know what the Bible says, but..." (1 Corinthians 2:1-16)
- The Bible is revelation--God making Himself known to man: Truth we would not have otherwise known
- The wife is to submit to her husband: submit yourself to your husband so he can stand and fall before God; the husband is to love his wife with a sacrificial love--God says so!
- If the husband does his part and is a biblical leader and loves his wife, that makes it very easy for the wife to submit to him! (Ephesians 5)
- Give God thanks in every thing. There is a reason for trouble, pressures. God has an abundant, overflowing amount of grace to get you through, to teach you. Let Him! (2 Corinthians 4:7-18)
- Victory in Christ [Title of message: "Gray Hair and Bald Heads"-for older folks]
- You are still here for a purpose, to minister. You can impact your children and grandchildren. Be willing to still let God use you.
- Testimony of the psalmist (Psalm 37:25-33): God is faithful to His own--He'll never forsake you.
- Have a spiritual vision: What you do today may have great impact on those coming after you.
- Proverbs 22:6, 15 -- Addressed to parents: train your children. Three aspects: (1) Control them, so they're respectful and obedient (2) Teach them, do things for the glory of God; so they develop their own convictions (3) Love them, express it: say it, hug them.
- John 17:6, 9, 14, 18 -- We are in the world but not of the world. The world is apart from and hostile to God. The world is unchanged in character, but different in face. (Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 1:4)
- Why would we want to be "culturally relevant"? If we compromise with the world in our churches, to what do we win them?
- Example of Noah: the culture fell apart around him, yet he didn't let it into his life; he wasn't defiled or contaminated by his culture
