What is “Family Month” about?
For a couple of years now, we have designated a month in the church’s program each year as “Family Month”. This month, August, is the Family Month for 2025. The purpose of it is to raise the awareness of our brothers & sisters to the vital importance of building up our Christian families. This is because:
1. The nuclear family is God’s design and blessing for the human race i. It is to be a sanctuary of love (all four different aspects of love mentioned in the Bible ii ), understanding and support. Sadly, we have seen massive shifts away from this in all modern societies, including Australia, once a “Christian country”. Economic pressures, particularly the cost of living and housing affordability have compelled both parents into the workforce, and so reshaped family priorities and roles therein. The busy, fast-pace, materialistic and social media-dominated society exerts tremendous influences on families, and have significantly degraded their relationships and interactions.
2. Parents (including “spiritual parents”) have the God-given responsibility to pass on the faith “from generation to generation”. To achieve this, the family environment must be one in which biblical attitudes and life style are practiced and modelled.
3. Family life is the “ground zero” for all other aspects of our lives. If our family life is not healthy and fulfilling, that will greatly affect our work, ministry and social lives. How can we serve and love God, our fellow Christians and neighbours if we are constantly embroiled in conflict within our families?
4. Christ’s community, the Church is largely made up of family units (nuclear and extended). If the family units in our congregation is not health, the church cannot be so or thrive.
5. Christian family values are the cornerstone of societal norms and ethics. We are part of society, and are charged with being “salt and light of the world”. Unless our family lives are health, we cannot fulfil that charge and will harm the credibility of our faith.
In this Family Month may I remind:
• the husbands and fathers to rebuild their spiritual leadership within their families, no 主matter how broken it has been (like Nehemiah rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem by God’s power).
• the wives and mothers to be the helpers and partners to their husbands, as God initially created Eve to be, and the modeler of tender love within their families,
• the children to honor their parents, loving them, respecting them and being their friends as well.
Let us return to God’s holy design and glory Him with our physical and spiritual families.
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iFor some, God blessing is given as the gift of singleness to be able to serve the Lord with greater effectiveness and focus.
ii Storge – natural, familial love, such as the love between parents and children or siblings; Eros – sexual love between husband and wife; Philia – love among friends, and our spouses and children/parents should also be our friends; and Agape – the sacrificial love that seeks to fulfil others, as modelled on Christ
「家庭月」是什麼？
近年來，教會每年的計劃中都指定一個月為「家庭月」。本月，即八月，是 2025 年的家庭月。其目的是希望兄弟姐妹對建立基督化家庭的至關重要提高認識。這是因為：
1. 核心家庭是神對人類的設計和祝福i。它是愛（聖經中提到的愛的所有四個不同方面ii ）、諒解和支持的暖窩。可悲的是，我們看到所有現代社會都大幅度地從這理想偏離，包括曾經是「基督教國家」的澳洲。經濟壓力，特別是生活費和住屋價格的上升迫使父母雙方都要上班，從而重塑了家庭中事項的優先序和角色。忙碌、快節奏、物質主義和社交媒體主導的社會對家庭產生了巨大的影響，並嚴重降低了其中人際關係和互動的素質。
2. 父母（包括「屬靈父母」）有神賦予的責任，將信仰「代代相傳」。要實現這一目標，家庭必須提供一個實踐和示範聖經態度和生活方式的環境。
3. 家庭生活是我們生活所有其他方面的「歸零地」(基地)。如果我們的家庭生活不健康、不充實，這將極大地影響我們的工作、事工和社交生活。如果我們經常捲入家庭內部的衝突，我們如何服事和愛神、並愛我們的肢體和鄰居？
4. 基督的群體，教會, 主要是由家庭單位（核心家庭和家族）組成。如果我們會眾中的家庭單位不健康，教會就不可能健康並蓬勃發展。
5. 基督化家庭價值觀是社會規範和道德的基石。我們是社會的一部分，被主賦予「作世上的鹽和光」的責任。除非我們的家庭生活健康，否則我們無法履行這項責任，並且會損害我們信仰的可信度。
在這個家庭月裡，請容我提醒：
· 丈夫和父親們要在家庭中重建他們的屬靈領導，無論它現在是多麼的軟弱破碎（就像尼希米藉著神的大能重建耶路撒冷的城牆一樣）。
· 妻子和母親們要成為丈夫的幫助和伴侶，就像神最初創造夏娃一樣，並在她們家庭中成為溫柔之愛的榜樣。
· 孩子們要孝敬他們的父母，愛他們，尊重他們，也成為他們的朋友。
讓我們回到神的神聖設計中，用我們的肉身和屬靈家庭榮耀祂。
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i對某些人來說，神的祝福是賜予他們獨身的恩賜，以便能夠更有效、更專注地事奉主
ii Storge家人之間自然的愛，例如父母與孩子或兄弟姐妹之間的愛; Eros性愛——夫妻之間的性愛; Philia – 朋友之間的愛，我們的配偶和孩子/父母也應該是我們的朋友; 和 Agape——以基督為榜樣，尋求成全他人的犧牲之愛
