Family Times Together

9 DISCUSSION ACTIVITIES | Based on the Heart Values

9 Small devotions that

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 Index
This manual provides an overview on 9 discussion activities based on the Heart Values.

SECTION OVERVIEW PAGE

1 Introduction 3

2 to proclaim the gospel 4

3 to make disciples 5

4 to serve the local church 6

5 in obedience to the Bible 7

6 in and through sport 8

7 in every country, every city 9

8 we live as servants 10

9 we work as teams 11

10 we build partnerships 12

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 Introduction
This resource bank of creative ideas is designed for use within a family unit so as:
to encourage Christian families to understand the Great Commission.
to explore together their role in God's Mission.
to live and serve as a family under the values of God's Word.
to instill 9 key values in the family team.

It is not an easy task to define family. While Gods original design for families is a priority, we live in a
broken world filled with broken families and broken hearts. Families come in all shapes and forms today
and can include: grandparents, single moms and dads, single persons, elderly, orphans, church,
community, abused children/mother/fathers, divorce, physically and mentally challenged, homeless
people, and more. These households are the building blocks of community and so, a commitment to
implement and develop these ideas is a stepping stone to building stronger, mission minded families with
increasing intimacy with one another.

Some ideas for using this material:

Within the church family:

Challenge questions have been included in each session that are intended to stimulate thinking and
discussion. Possible answers have not been supplied so as to leave the exploration open rather than
closing the discussion. It may be that the question is taken beyond the family setting to discover different
perspectives on the answers from other members of the community.

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 to proclaim the gospel
Talk About
Discuss these questions within your family. Specific questions for different age groups have been
included to encourage participation by all members of the family.
For all: When did you first hear about Jesus?
Who were the people who helped you understand about Jesus and grow in your relationship with
Him?
For Adult(s): Can you remember the time you chose to follow Jesus? Talk about the circumstances
leading up to that time.
For Children: What are some of the reasons why children should follow Jesus?
Add your own questions

Challenge questions
The good news about Jesus is called the Gospel. What is this `good news`?
Why is it good news?
How is this `good news` for a child living in poverty? In a refugee camp?

Activity
Game: (passing the message clearly). Stand behind each other in a line facing forward without talking.
The person at the end of the line uses their finger to draw a shape e.g. triangle, tree, number 4, etc on the
back of the family member standing in front of them. This is done twice and without talking. This family
member then draws what they think is the same shape on the back of the family members standing in
front of them. This continues to the first person in the line where they draw the shape on a piece of paper.
Enjoy seeing how close or different the shape has become as it is passed down the line!
Reinforcement: The good news about Jesus is good news to be passed on. Jesus wants us to be
involved in the process of passing on this good news about him.

Bible
Each family member reads one of the following verses from the Bible to discover a part of the Gospel
message.
Romans 6:23 - Galatians 4:6 - John 3:16 - Acts 1:8 - John 10:10
Find a large sheet of paper or cardboard and add the title: the Gospel. Use this to create a family poster
where each family members draws their picture from their reading from the Bible.

Reflection
Jesus wants his disciples to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to ends of the earth.
Where Jesus does want us to be witnesses today?
Where do you think the ends of the earth refers to?
How can we be witnesses there?
Is it easy to tell people about Jesus?
What are some of the responses we will get when we tell people about Jesus?

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Action
Think about some action steps individually or as family together.
Example: Draw your footprints and on the footprints write names of those you are going to tell about
Jesus.
If you do not know how to tell someone about Jesus, use some of the ideas from todays Bible reading
and your poster to shape some of your future responses.

Prayer
Pray together for the opportunity and the boldness to talk about Jesus with them this week.

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 to make disciples
Talk about
Discuss these questions within your family:
For all: What is a disciple? (A dictionary may give some help).
For Adult(s): What does a disciple look like?
For Children: Who do you know that is a disciple of Jesus? What is it about them that tells you they
are a disciple of Jesus?
Add your own questions

Challenge question
How do you make a disciple?

Activity
Game: Simon says. Line up the family group to face one leader who is Simon; tell the players that they
should all obey, but only if the leader first says the words "Simon says". Any player that follows an order
that doesn't begin with "Simon says," or a player who doesnt do what Simon says to do, is out. Begin by
saying something like, "Simon says, put your hands on your head." Look to make sure everybody has put
their hands on their heads. Give another order such as, "Simon says, stand on one foot." Check again.
Members of the family who dont follow the rules are out. Continue giving orders. Mix it up and say
something like, "Raise your right hand," without the preface "Simon says" or give instructions and do an
action that is different; play until one person is left.
Reinforcement: Jesus wants us imitate Him. A disciple is someone who learns and follows a leader.

Bible
Choose one or both of the following Bible readings and activities.
Matthew 28:19 Read together to find and discuss the 4 steps in making a disciple. This is a good verse
to memorize together.
2 Timothy 2:2 As Paul was writing this to Timothy, he was in the process of helping Timothy to grow as a
disciple. Who is being a Paul for you, helping you to grow as a disciple? Who is your Timothy whom you
are helping them to grow as a disciple?

Reflection
How would you disciple? How can you know that someone is a disciple?

Action
One member of the family has the challenge of communicating to another member of the family how to do
one of the following tasks:
tie a shoelace
fold a piece of paper to make a paper plane
add your own tasks

For the first attempt, only words can be used for the instructions. For the second attempt, words and
actions can be used. Emphasize the point that it takes more than words and talking to make disciples.
Our lives actions, modeling, etc are an important part of the process.

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Prayer
Write on a piece of paper the name of a person who is discipling you. Change your paper with another
member of you family and pray for that person for a period of time.

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 to serve the local church
Talk about
Discuss these questions within your family:
For all: Do you prefer to be served or serve the others? Why? Talk about your family definition of
the church.
For Adult(s): Tell a story about one opportunity you had to serve another and about your feelings at
the time.
Why is church an important part of your life?
For Children: If you have a friend in need, mention a way in which you can serve him/her.
How is church an important part of your life?
Add your own questions

Challenge question
What do you think that you can do to better serve your community/church?

Activity
Choose a member of the family to stand with their arms by their side. Use some rope or a towel to strap
their arms to their body around the elbows and waist. Place a bowl of food and a spoon on a table and
see if the bound family member can get some of the food into their mouth on their own. When this proves
too difficult, choose another family member to feed them.
Reinforcement: There are times when we need to stop thinking about our own needs and think about how
to serve others.

Bible
Read the following Bible reading and consider these questions.
1 Corinthians 12:26-28
People in church are described as the body of Christ. Everyone is part of that body with different gifts and
talents. Can you recognize any unique gift or talent in you? Do you see the same gifts and talents in
others in the family or are they different? Are we using our gift to serve others?

Action
Create a family plan that lists ways in which each member individually, and together, can serve in some
way in your community in the next week.

Prayer
Ask God for wisdom to discover your gifts and talents and use them in service to others and His kingdom.

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 in obedience to the Bible
Talk About
Discuss these questions within your family:
For all: Who are the people in your community or country that you need to obey? Why is it
important to obey them?
For Adult(s): When did you receive your first Bible? Who gave it to you?
What are some of the challenging verses in the Bible that are sometimes hard to obey?
Talk about your feelings when your children follow your instructions and when they disobey what
you have asked them to do.
For Children: Talk about some times in the last week when you obeyed your parents and
sometimes when you disobeyed your parents.
Add your own questions

Challenge questions
How can a book that was written centuries ago, over a period of 1500 years, be relevant to us
today? Why should we obey it?

Activity
Memorizing an Image Game - A parent can explain that he/she will show them a picture/photo/painting for
a few seconds. Everyone tries to memorize as much detail as possible. Show the image and then have
them share what they have seen one item at a time while taking turns. Some may report to have seen
something that was not accurate, and the group may likely correct that persons observation. Once all
shared what they saw, show the picture to them again.
Reinforcement: if we only study the Bible by ourselves, you may only discover some lessons in the
passage. However when everyone in the family looks at the same passage and share what they
discover, everyone is able to discover more about the passage. When everyone looks at the same
passage and someone says something that was not in the passage, the group will similarly to the game,
self-correct.

Bible
Choose one of the following readings and activities:
Psalm 119:105 Turn off the lights in your house and have only one candle lighted and follow it around.
How did you feel? Were you safe, why?
How can the Bible be a light in your life?
2 Timothy 3:16, 17 What have you found out about the Bible from this passage?
Why do you need to study the Bible?
Each family member is to draw the following table and fill in the missing parts:
Passage Write the passage in your own words Finish the statement: I will

2 Timothy 3:16,17

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Action
Create together a Bible reading plan for your family this week/month/year.

Prayer
Pray together the Lords Prayer Matthew 6:9-13

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 in and through sport
Talk About
Discuss these questions within your family:
For all: What are the good and bad aspects of sport today?
Take turns to name some sporting people who are very good at their game. Can you name one
quality of their life that is a good model for others?
For Adult(s): What sports and games were part of your life growing up? Perhaps you could play one
of the indoor games from your youth.
Talk about one of the great sporting moments in your life either being involved in a sport or
attending a sporting event.
For Children: What is your favourite sport? Why is it top of your list? What do you think is the most
important quality for a sporting person to have?
Add your own questions

Challenge questions
What does the Bible say about sport or games? If Jesus was here today what do you think His
message would be to us about sport?

Activity
Use the internet to read some of the life story of a Christian sports man or woman. Discuss how sport can
be used by top athletes and ordinary people to make disciples.

Bible
Reading and activity:
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Work together to create a Prize Poster. Around the outside of the poster draw
the different prizes that sports men and women receive today from competing in events e.g. medals
(gold, silver, bronze), trophies, ribbons, etc. Add to this some of the prizes received in the past e.g.
wreaths for your head, etc. In the centre, talk about and decide what is the prize that Paul is talking
about in this passage. Draw this in the centre and add the words from one of the verses in the passage.

Action
Work out a family plan to include fun sports and/or games as part of your family schedule.

Prayer
Ask God to help each of you to keep the prize that God has for us as the main focus in all that we do. God
wants us to take care of our body too. Ask God wisdom to know how to do this.

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 in every country, every city
Talk About
Discuss these questions within your family:
For all: On a large piece of poster paper, draw a picture of your community. Talk about how the
Good News of Jesus is happening in your community.
For Adult(s): Talk about the ways that you and/or your family were, or could have been, an
influence in your community as you were growing up.
For Children: How would it be possible for children to be an influence for the Kingdom in your
community?
Add your own questions

Challenge question
Read Matthew 5:13-16. Jesus talked to His followers about being salt and light in their communities.
How are salt and light an influence and why do you think He chose these two items for His
metaphor/description?

Bible:
Read Acts 1:8
Each family member is given a balloon and a marker pen. Inflate the balloons and draw the major
continents of the world on each balloon. When completed, each person can choose a continent to pray
for, or choose a country within that continent. Hold the balloon globes as the prayers are made, then hit
them all into the air at the same time. Try to keep them all up in the air at the same time without any
hitting the floor. Point out, that it is the prayers of Gods people that provide real support for Christians all
over the world.
Read Galatians 3:26-28

Reflection
If you know a missionary family, talk about their experiences, challenges, encouragements. If a family is
not known, make a list of what you think would be the challenges that a person or a family would face as
they go to a strange country to share the Good News of Jesus?

Action
Write together an encouraging letter to a missionary and their children. Talk together about what could go
into the letter e.g. news from your own family, questions to ask, verses to give some encouragement,
pictures, photos, etc.

Prayer:
Each family member chooses a city and a country in the world to pray for. Create a simple bookmark with
these names written/illustrated so that this will be a reminder.
Pray together for your places.
Pray also for your missionary families.

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 we live as servants
Talk About
Discuss these questions within your family:
For all: How has each person been a servant in the last week? How could each of us be servants in
the week to come? How can we serve somewhere as a family in the days ahead?
For Adult(s): Tell the story of someone, or some people, from your past (or present) who are
servants of the Kingdom of God.
How can you serve your children this week?
For Children: Tell the story of a child that you know who has been a servant.
Add your own questions

Challenge question
Talk about the stories from the life of Jesus, and make a list, where He demonstrated the qualities of a
servant.

Activity
Write the names of each member of the family on a piece of paper and put them in a bag. Then every
person draws one piece of paper out. (If you draw out your own name, put it back in and try again).
He/she will wash and clean the feet of the person named in the paper.
How did you feel when you washed the feet of the other person?

Bible
John 13:1-15
Washing feet was a custom of the people of the land where Jesus walked. Talk together about why this
was done dusty roads, sandals, no cars, dirty feet. A good host would ensure his guests had their feet
cleaned before entering their house. This was a task done by servants.

Reflection
Talk about what could be a similar custom for your family in your country today. Most people today do not
have their own servant/slave. What do you think Jesus communicated to His disciples by this action?
How can each of us learn from Jesus actions and attitude in this story?

Action
Create a family list outlining the servant activities for each member for the coming week/month. Activities
could include within the family, within your church, within your community, within your school, within your
workplace, and so on.

Prayer
Give each member a piece of towel to put in their pocket or someplace special so that whenever they see
it they will pray: Lord give me a servant heart, just like Jesus

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 we work as teams
Talk About
Discuss these questions within your family:
For all: Talk about what could be a good motto or slogan for your family.
Talk about your favorite teams sporting or otherwise.
What teams are mentioned in the Bible?
Is our family a team or not?
For Adult(s): Talk about the part you have played on some teams in the past and the present.
For Children: Talk about the part you have played on some teams in the past and the present.
Add your own questions

Challenge question
There are many advantages about working as a team rather than on your own. Talk about some of these
advantages.
There are many challenges about working as a team rather than on your own. Talk about some of these
challenges.

Activity
Human machine: All the family works together to create a human machine. Choose a machine (be as
creative as you can e.g. a washing machine) and then work out the various parts of the machine that will
be played by each family member. Try to make the machine function at the same time and balance. Try a
second machine.

Bible
Ephesians 4:16 This verse is directly connected to the game. Every part makes the body grow.
Stick a piece of paper on the back of every member of the family. Every member then writes something
on the back of every other family member about what they contribute to the family and/or what are their
gifts.

Action
Make a family team plan for a week sharing the tasks at home.
Take on the family challenge to express appreciation when each of these tasks has been completed.

Prayer
Stand together with arms around each others shoulders to form a team huddle. Each family member
takes turns to pray for another family member.
Conclude by saying the Lords Prayer as a team prayer for your family.

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 we build partnerships
Talk About
Discuss these questions within your family:
For all: Talk about a definition of the word partnership. Who would you and your family call
partners? Can you list some of the partnerships in the Bible?
For Adult(s): Talk about how your marriage is a partnership.
What partnerships have you been involved with in the past?
For Children: How can children be involved in partnering?

Challenge questions
What are some of the good and some of the challenging aspects of working together with other
people in a partnership?

Activity
When we work together in a partnership, we contribute from our gifts and talents. Make your family crest
on a poster paper. Think about the gifts, talents and the characteristics of your family that need to be in
the crest. Every member is important and has things to input into this work. Display your crest in a visible
place and talk about it with visitors to your home.

Bible
The concept of partnership is all through the Bible, starting with the creation of man and woman (Genesis
2:18), Jesus and the disciples (Mathew 10:2-4), Paul, Silas and Timothy (Acts 15:40-16:3).
Read Nehemiah 3 and make a list of the different types of people who stood side by side to rebuild the
walls of Jerusalem e.g. perfume makers, daughters, rulers, etc.

Reflection
What does this part of the story of Nehemiah tell us about partnership in the Kingdom of God?
If you want go fast, go aloneIf you want go far, go together African Proverb.
Together as a team, as partners, as a family, we can do more than just on our own.
God in His essence is three in one. There were many writers in the Bible. He loves to partner with us. And
His will is that all of us can work, think and care for each other to go as far as we can.

Action
Each family member draws the outline of a human body on a piece of paper. Have a family discussion
about how your family and/or your church family has been involved, is currently involved or could be
involved in a partnering project. As each project is identified, a family member writes it or illustrates it on
their body shape. Continue this process until there is something on everyones body shape. (Multiple
projects can be added to a body shape if you have more).
Conclude by joining all the bodies together with tape as a symbol of working together

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Prayer
With hands joined, pray together for some of the projects that you have listed.

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