God-Centred Community

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Deuteronomy 6 shows how important it is for families andindividuals to both know and obey God and his commands.

This short series of Bible studies are designed to encourageus to read God’s Word and pray together as families

seekin to be God’s obedient children.

International

Church of Prague

G o d - C e n t e

r e d

C o m m u n i t y

Each Sunday during the series on “God-

Centered Community”, we will be

producing a leaflet with five days of studies

for you to use if you wish. These studies

will be based in Deuteronomy 6 and will

cover different lessons on what we can

learn from what God says to his people

through Moses.

The aim would be for us to find 10

minutes a day, perhaps over the dinner

table, for five days in the week, when as a

family we can sit down and learn together

from God’s Word.

This week’s studies cover something of

the background to Deuteronomy by looking

at Moses’ life, at the Exodus and the giving

of the law at Sinai before considering the

centrality and exclusivity of God.

The questions and suggestions for each

day’s study are only there as a guide;

please use and adapt as is appropriate for

your family.

Our prayer is that this series will

encourage us all in our responsibility to

pass on the truths of our faith to the next

generation.

These commandments that I give youtoday are to be upon your hearts.Deuteronomy 6:6

Family Bible Study

Week One

The Main Thing: Seeing and Knowing God for Who He Is





Daily Bible Studies

MondayToday’s Bible reading: Exodus 3:1-12

Thought for the Day: Who was Moses?

God gives the law to the children of Israel through Moses, so the focus of the discussion

today and tomorrow is on helping your children to learn about Moses and the Exodus.

Question:

1. Who was Moses?

These are some of the things you may want to explain or discuss with your children:

๏ He was born in Egypt under difficult circumstances (Exodus 1:11-2:2)

๏ He was saved miraculously from death by the bravery of his mother and sister (Exodus 2:3-10)

๏ He was raised by Pharaoh’s daughter as an Egyptian (Exodus 2:10)

๏ After having to escape from Egypt, Moses was called by God to be the one who

would lead the Israelites out of slavery (Exodus 3:1-22)

๏ After God brought the 10 Plagues on the Egyptians he miraculously brought the

Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 12:31-42; 13:17-14:31).

International Church of Prague 1

We left the Israelites yesterday having just escaped from Egypt. Today we look briefly at

the time in Sinai when God gave the Law to the Israelites.

Question:

1. What is the Law?

These are some of the things you may want to explain or discuss with your children: ๏ Having left Egypt, the Israelites arrived at Sinai, where Moses received the Law from

God.

๏ The fundamental section of the law is what we call the Ten Commandments (Exodus

20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21).

๏ These commandments and the other laws form the basis for God’s covenant

relationship with Israel, the most important command being the first one.

๏ Discuss why God might give commands to his people.

TuesdayToday’s Bible reading: Exodus 20:1-17Thought for the Day: Why the Law?



Deuteronomy records the second time the Israelites come to the borders of the Promised

Land, forty years after the first. Our concentration today is on why that delay was

necessary and may give opportunities to discuss the meaning of faith and obedience to

God’s commands.

Question:

1. Why did the Israelites not enter the promised land 40 years earlier?


๏ The Israelites were fearful and lacked faith in God on the first occasion (Numbers

13:31-14:4)

๏ Caleb and Joshua were the only ones of that generation to enter the land because

“my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly” (Numbers

14:24).

WednesdayToday’s Bible reading: Deuteronomy 1:3-8

Thought for the Day: Why was going into the land delayed for 40 years?

Daily Bible Studies

2 International Church of Prague

The first commandment emphasizes the need for God’s people to place Him at the very

center of all they are and do. The verses in chapter 6 help us to see what that means and

places it in the context of worshipping God. This is an opportunity to discuss how important

it is, and how good it is, to worship God - and perhaps to look at what that means on a daily

basis.

Questions:

1. Why do you think God demands that he should be central to our lives?These are some of the things you may want to explain or discuss with your children:

๏ You may want to consider reading Psalm 1 together in this context

2. What does it mean to place God at the centre?

๏ Here you may want to consider ways in which you as individuals and as a family can

show that God is central. Ask your children for ideas; any that make sense, why not

put them into practice?

๏ If, as a result of this discussion, you are convicted of having failed to place God at the

centre, then humbly accept that and ask forgiveness. Our children will learn a lot

from us when we are willing to admit our own failings and show how we receive God’s forgiveness.

ThursdayToday’s Bible reading: Deuteronomy 5:6; 6:4-5

Thought for the Day: God must be central to our lives.



Daily Bible Studies

FridayToday’s Bible reading: Deuteronomy 5:7; 6:4-5

Thought for the Day: Idolatry is the foundational sin.

Idolatry can be a difficult subject for us as, unlike in the time of Moses, few of us are

surrounded by people who literally bow down to idols of stone! However, this is an

opportunity to discuss with our children what can become an idol.

Questions:

1. What options for life does the Bible offer us?


๏ There is no no ‘third way’ between worship of the one true God and idolatry.

๏ There is a clear link between the law against idols and salvation through faith alone.

Whatever we trust in, and love, more than anything else becomes our functional

‘savior’.

๏ This may be an opportunity to talk with your children about the meaning of

salvation. You may want to explain how repentance is about turning from the

things of the past and to God; and how true faith means relying on the death and

resurrection of Christ, and that alone, for our forgiveness and salvation.

2. What are the idols of our culture?

๏ One way, perhaps the most common way, we worship idols is not by turning to something bad but by raising something that may be good (work, family, health) into

something that has ultimate value so all other decisions are made in the light of that

priority.

๏ What might we be giving our love to instead of our Creator and Redeemer?




Last week’s Family Bible Studies looked

at who Moses was and gave a brief

introduction to the Exodus and the

Israelites’ wandering in the desert, before

considering how important it is for us to

truly make God central in our lives - to obey

the first commandment.

John writes, “We love because he first

loved us” (1 John 4:19). True worship is a

response to God’s love and grace, a

response that takes in all that we are and

have. As Christians, we have received a‘new heart’ (Ezekiel 36:26); our whole

being - the ‘heart, soul and mind’ of this

week’s studies - has been renewed, and

Paul encourages us, “in view of God’s

mercy [to] offer [our] bodies as living

sacrifices to God - this is [our] spiritual act

of worship” (Romans 12:1).

This week’s studies focus on the living

sacrifice of worshipping God. We will look

at two fundamental reasons why we

worship him and then at what true worship

is.

May God bless you as you seek to trulyworship him as a family this week.

Family Bible Study

Week Two

The Main Thing: Worshipping God with Heart, Soul and Mind

Daily Bible Studies

MondayToday’s Bible reading: Isaiah 40:25-31

Thought for the Day: Worship our Creator.To worship God means beginning at the beginning: with God as our Creator. In this

passage, Isaiah reminds Israel that their God is a great God, the “Creator of the ends of the

earth.” This truth is to give them faith when the world around seems dark (verse 27) and

strength to continue to serve him (verse 31).

Questions:

1. How does Isaiah show that God is worthy of our worship?


๏ The natural world reveals God’s “eternal power and divine nature” (Romans 1:20).๏ In Old Testament terms, to name something (verse 26) is to show you have authority

over them.

๏ Verse 26 also makes clear that God is not only the Creator, but is also the Sustainer

of all things.

2. What does Isaiah say will be the result of true worship of God?

๏ In verse 31, he talks about those who “hope in the Lord.” True worship, placing God

at the centre of all we are and do, involves hoping in God.

๏ This might be a good time to remind your children of the importance of hoping in

God, of truly placing their trust in him and him alone.





The truth of God as our Redeemer is often linked with that of him as our Creator (the earlier

part of Isaiah 48 draws just such a link). This passage helps us see something of what

worshipping God as our Redeemer means.

Questions:

1. What does Redeemer mean?


๏ You might want to use the story of the Exodus, which we looked at last week, to explain this. God has freed his people from captivity to service.

๏ Discuss what redemption means for us as Christians. What have we been freed

from? What have we been freed to? (Romans 3:22-26; 12:1-2)

2. What does having God as our Redeemer mean on a daily basis?

๏ Here you may want to look at God’s demands for obedience (verse 18), remembering

that our obedience to God’s commands is a result of our redemption, not a means of

redemption.

๏ God’s promises of blessing (verses 18-19) need to be seen in the context of the New

Testament. We still can expect peace and righteousness as a result of being

redeemed, but the promise of literal, physical descendants is to Israel, and for us this

needs to be considered in more spiritual terms.

TuesdayToday’s Bible reading: Isaiah 48:17-19

Thought for the Day: Worship our Redeemer.

Daily Bible Studies

In biblical terms, the heart is the centre of the will; it is where we make decisions. So toworship God with our heart is about how we behave. This follows on from the truth we

encountered yesterday about God’s looking for obedience in his people.

Questions:

1. What does this passage say are some of the actions that we as Christians should avoid?


๏ For children, some of the things mentioned may well be irrelevant, but we have all

squabbled and argued with someone else!! Lovingly explain how, as Christians, we

need to leave this behavior behind.

WednesdayToday’s Bible reading: Ephesians:17-32Thought for the Day: Worshipping God with our heart.



Daily Bible Studies


ThursdayToday’s Bible reading: Galatians 5:16-26Thought for the Day: Worshipping God with our soul.

Behavior is not everything in the Christian life, for love is deeper than action. How we

behave comes out of who we are, and this is where the soul comes in. Worshipping God

with our soul is about handing our innermost being over to his control and allowing God’s

Spirit to work at transforming us into the likeness of Jesus.

Question:

1. What does Paul say should be the hallmarks of Christian character?


๏ You will probably not have time to look at the whole of the fruit of the Spirit, but take

one or two aspects and discuss them with your children.

๏ Discuss how the fruit of the Spirit grows, bringing in the importance of continual

repentance and forgiveness as part of developing Christian character.

2. What does this passage say about the type of behavior God expects?

๏ Forgiveness is perhaps top of the list here and gives an opportunity to remind our

children of the reality of having our sin forgiven.

๏ Paul’s image of taking off one piece of clothing and putting on another is a good one

to help explain the change that God expects of his people.

FridayToday’s Bible reading: Mark 7:14-22; Romans 12:1-2.Thought for the Day: Worshipping God with our mind.

True worship of God involves the whole person - including the mind. Jesus shows that evil

thoughts are the first sign of an evil heart and lead on to evil acts. Paul commands us to

renew our minds as part of what worship truly means.

Question:

1. How can we worship God with our mind?


๏ The way we think about things will affect the way we behave. As Christians, we need

to be transformed by God’s Spirit to see things the way he does. This will involve the

way we consider our work, money, relationships, indeed every area of life. We are

bombarded by views of the world which are anti-Christian; worshipping God with our

mind means we reject those views to hold to biblical views.



Daily Bible Studies


๏ You might want to take opportunities this week to discuss with your children

advertisements on television or in magazines to see how the view of the world they

project is different from the Christian view.

Last week’s studies focused on the living

sacrifice of worshipping God with all our

heart, soul and mind. This week we move

on from there to consider what it means tobe a true disciple. We will see the need for a

new heart and for us to make sure that

God’s Word is in our heart.

It has been said that the Christian faith is

but one generation away from extinction. In

order for the church to survive, we must be

engaged in two things. Firstly, evangelism

and reaching out to those who have not yet

heard and responded to the gospel.

Secondly, we have a responsibility to pass

on the message of the faith to the next

generation. Like evangelism, this is aresponsibility that we all have but which lies

particularly on the shoulders of parents,

who are commanded by Paul to raise their

children “in the training and instruction of

the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4

May God bless you as you explore the

meaning of whole-hearted, whole-life

discipleship as a family this week.

Family Bible Study

Week Three

The Main Thing: Being a disciple in every area of our lives

MondayToday’s Bible reading: Deuteronomy 6:1-6Thought for the Day: Writing God’s commandments on our hearts.

We are back with the main passage for this series and today we consider what God says to

his people about how he expects his commandments to be on our hearts so that they

govern all that we say and do.

Questions:1. What does it mean for God’s commandments to be on our hearts?


๏ The emphasis in verse 6 is upon inward obedience.

๏ This would be an opportunity to review what we looked at last week, when we saw

that the heart is the place where we make decisions.

๏ For God’s commandments to be on our hearts suggests that as we think about things

and then make decisions, those thoughts and decisions should come from, and be

guided by, our love and worship of God.



Daily Bible Studies


TuesdayToday’s Bible reading: Ezekiel 36:26-27Thought for the Day: A new heart from God

As Christians, we know that to have a heart that is right before God, we need to receive that

heart from him. This short passage from Ezekiel reminds us that God not only gives a newheart but, by his Spirit, he also gives us the desire to follow his commands.

Question:

1. What does it mean to have a new heart?


๏ This is an opportunity to discuss with your children what real faith is all about.

Perhaps you might like to give your own testimony of how God changed your heart.

๏ You will want to refer to the cross and to the forgiveness we have in Jesus and the

need to trust him and him alone.๏ You will also want to emphasize that we cannot know and love God without this new

heart and without knowing his Word, as we looked at yesterday.

2. What can we do to put God’s commandments into our hearts?

๏ One important way is through the memorization of Scripture. You might want to read

Psalm 119:10-12 in this context.๏ Discuss with your children how you might all make Scripture memorization an

important part of your Christian life.

WednesdayToday’s Bible reading: Deuteronomy 6:7-9Thought for the Day: Displaying God’s commandments in our lives.

If God’s commandments are truly on our hearts, then they will become part of the fabric of

our lives.

Question:

1. How can we show the inward reality of our faith in our everyday lives?


๏ This passage suggests that just having designated times of worship as a family or a

church fellowship is not enough. What God expects of us is that his commandments

should be talked about and lived out in everything we do.

๏ Perhaps you can ask your children how they think you can all improve in showing

your faith on a continual basis.



Daily Bible Studies


ThursdayToday’s Bible reading: Psalm 1:1-6

Thought for the Day: Delighting in God’s law

This Psalm contrasts the person who loves God and the people who do not. It reminds us

of the need to meditate on God’s law (to have it in our hearts) and gives promises, from

God, about his protection for his people.

Question:

1. What does it mean to ‘delight’ in God’s law?


๏ You may want to ask yourself, before talking about this with your children, how your

delight in God’s law might be evident to them!

๏ Perhaps emphasize the fact that it is through God’s law being in our heart that we

have true life. You might want to read John 11:24-26; 14:6; 17:3.

2. What does God promise to those who delight in his law?

๏ God’s promise is that he will watch over us. Perhaps you will want to explain that this

does not mean life will always be easy, but that God will always be in control and

working things out for our good (Romans 8:28).

FridayToday’s Bible reading: Joshua 4:1-9Thought for the Day: Marking your journey of faith

God commands Joshua to set up twelve stones as a memorial to the miracle of crossing

the River Jordan. They were to be a talking point for the Israelites in the future, a way of

reminding them of God’s miraculous provision in the past and a way to strengthen their

faith.

Questions:1. What memorials do you have as a family of God’s guidance and provision for you?


๏ This would be a good time to share something of your testimony of God’s goodness

to you over the years. Perhaps a time to share times when, as a family, you have

seen God’s hand at work.



Daily Bible Studies


2. How can you make sure that you remember the important times of God’s goodness to

you?

๏

Why not ask the children to come up with ideas as to how you can remember these important events?

๏ One thing you might want to encourage your children to do is to ask questions of you,

as parents, about how you have seen God at work.

Last week’s studies focused on the

responsibility that each of us has, but which

lies particularly on the shoulders of parents,

of raising our children “in the training and

instruction of the Lord” Ephesians 6:4. We

have seen that the oneness of God

demands a response in our lives that is total

and which might be summarized as “whole-

life discipleship”.

This week’s studies (the last in the

series) continue this same theme by

considering how important it is for God’s

Word to be central in our lives. Friday’s

study is an opportunity for you to look back

over the past four weeks and consider how

God has spoken to you as parents, children

and family.

Discussing God’s Word together doesn’t

have to end with this series. Why not

consider ways in which you can continue to

spend time as a family around the Bible.

May God bless you as you explore the

meaning of whole-hearted, whole-life

discipleship as a family this week.

Family Bible Study

Week Four

The Main Thing: God’s Word makes a difference

MondayToday’s Bible reading: Deuteronomy 6:3-9Thought for the Day: Guarding the door

The doorway to our home is where we, as Christians, meet the world. In John 17:15 we

read these words of Jesus, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that

you protect them from the evil one.” So we remain in the world and in continual contact

with its ways of thinking and doing things - ways which often run contrary to Scripture.

Questions:

1. What does it mean to write God’s commandments on the door-frames of our house?


๏ The Jews did this literally, but we have tended to see it as a picture of how we need

to ensure that all that happens in our lives is ‘filtered’ through God’s Word.



Daily Bible Studies


TuesdayToday’s Bible reading: Proverbs 3:1-6Thought for the Day: Acknowledging God in all things

This passage echoes some of the thoughts we are familiar with from Deuteronomy.Questions:

1. What are the three promises in this short passage?


๏ The promise of long life and prosperity obviously has to be seen as a picture of God’s

blessing. We do not have a promise of perfect health and abundant wealth!

๏ It is also worth pointing out that the promise of straight paths does not mean a life

without problems.

2. What does God expect of us in order for him to be able to fulfil his promises?

๏ This brings us very much back to the main points of our series about having God’s

commands written on our hearts and trusting in him and him alone.

๏ One point worth making is that God is not a ‘machine’. He does not bless because

we act in certain ways whether he wants to or not; rather he blesses as an act of

grace in response to his people’s worship of him. His blessing is not, therefore, a

‘given’ but another reason for praise and renewed worship.

2. What negative influences are there on our lives which we might we need to put through

this filter?

๏

You may want to talk about television and other forms of media.๏ Why not ask your children what negative influences they have seen and then discuss

how using the truth’s of God’s Word we can counteract them.

WednesdayToday’s Bible reading: Proverbs 6:20-23Thought for the Day: God’s Word is a lamp

In Verse 23, there are three pictures of the way that God’s Word should influence our lives.

The main idea is that it is only God’s Word which can show what is right and just and true,

and which leads to life.



Daily Bible Studies

12 International Church of Praguse

Questions:

1. How does God’s Word shed light on our lives?


๏ This would be an opportunity to share how knowing God’s Word has helped you to

change ways you think and act, or to show how an attitude or influence that your

children will have met fails to live up to God’s standards.

2. How does God’s Word bring life?

๏ Another opportunity, if you wish to use it, to talk about the reality of salvation in Christ.

In John 5:24, Jesus links hearing his words with having eternal life and so provides a

good point of contact between what we have learned from the Old Testament and

what is needed for salvation.

Last week we saw how it can be helpful to mark our journey of faith in some way. This

passage from Hebrews encourages us to look at other people we know who are Christians

and follow their example.Questions:

1. What can we learn from looking at the lives of other, perhaps more mature, Christians?


๏ As we have seen, parents have the primary role of raising their children in the faith,

but being able to point to other Christians and how they show the reality of their faith

is important as well. We are not simply a group of individuals, or even individual

families; we are the family of God, people saved into community.

2. Why does the writer remind people of who Jesus is in this context?๏ This may be to encourage his readers and, therefore, us. When we look at other

Christians and their lives of faith, we may become discouraged, thinking we cannot

be like them. The writer, though, reminds us that our Lord and Saviour is the same

for us as he was for them, so the same Spirit of Jesus is in work in us as he was in

others.

ThursdayToday’s Bible reading: Hebrews 13:7-8Thought for the Day: Following the example of others



FridayToday’s Bible reading: Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Thought for the Day: Bringing it all together

We have now come to the final day of our studies on Deuteronomy. As you read the verses

we have concentrated on over the past four weeks, take time today to simply sum up what

you, as a family, have learned. Encourage each other with any examples of the way in

which God has spoken to you over this series. As parents, encourage your children by

telling them where you have seen them seek to put into practice what you have been

discussing together. You may want to ask them how they think you should continue to

worship together as a family.You might like to end by reading Psalm 119:9-16 as a prayer of commitment that, together,

you will seek God with all your heart and learn to delight in his decrees.

Daily Bible Studies




Study CentreInternational Church of PragueBox 91, ℅ IBTS, Nad Habrovkou 3

Jenerálka, 164 00 Praha [email protected]

(420) 296 392 338www.internationalchurchofprague.cz

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