Reading: The Seven Connections

Connection One: You and God

The discipleship practice of spending time alone with God gives each of us an opportunity to talk (prayer) and listen (Bible reading) to God repeatedly. Talking and listening repeatedly leads to a deeper relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. Encourage your children to start a lifelong habit of meeting with God daily.

Connection Two: You and Your Spouse

Connecting with your husband or wife on a spiritual level builds a strong relationship for the two of you. Relationships are built with constant communication. God creates a special oneness and "connectedness" in marriage when a husband and wife meet with Him together.

Connection Three: You and Your Family

One of our home discipleship practices includes having a family worship time every day for at least 15 minutes. This includes reading the Bible together, practicing a memory verse together and singing. Establishing these habits together goes a long way toward passing on your faith and values to your children and encouraging them to have lifelong habits of building a relationship with God.

Connection Four: Your Family with Others

Connections outside your family create a sense of community and fellowship. God created us to need each other for encouragement and accountability. Practicing the habit of hospitality helps us reach out and connect with other individuals and families.

Connection Five: You and Your Church

Worshiping together builds our relationship with God and each other. The church service is the celebration of the daily listening and talking with God and with one another that has occurred at home, at school, or at work during the week. It is a time to celebrate how God has been with you and those you know. Church gatherings provide support and encouragement to like-minded people who are trying to grow in their relationship with God and the people in their lives.

Connection Six: You and the Kingdom

As a Christian, you are part of a worldwide family of faith that honors the God of the Bible as King. Families and individuals need habits in their lives that connect them to Christians all over the world – past and present. God's people connect to the Christian past through understanding church history and singing hymns. God's people connect today through the habits of prayer and giving for each other's needs.

Connection Seven: You and the World

As we are experiencing closer connection to God in our lives, we will naturally want to share with others who are struggling in their connection to God and others. As God's ambassadors, we invite others to seek a relationship with Christ. Evangelism is about helping the unchurched or non-believers to begin their quest of faith by reading the Bible and praying as their first seeking moments. Our outreach includes seeing and meeting the spiritual and physical needs of the unbelieving world. God has called Christians to build bridges to the world.