Building Faith Families With Steve Demme

Today’s episode is a discussion between Steve and Todd Wilson of Family Man Ministries. I hope you will enjoy the discussion between these two kindred spirits who both speak and write about God’s plan and design for the family.

This episode is part 3 of the series on the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples that when He ascended to heaven, He would ask the Father to send another Helper to be with them forever. This divine Helper, is called the Paraclete in Greek, which means someone who is called or summoned to come near or come along side. The Paraclete is also an advocate, a comforter, an encourager, and a helper.During His earthly ministry, Jesus had guided, guarded, and taught His disciples; but now He was going to leave them. The Spirit of God would come to the disciples and dwell in them, taking the place of their Master's presence.He even said that it was a very good thing that He was leaving them and that the Holy Spirit would come upon them.“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.” John 16:7His last words to them were to tarry in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father.“I am sending the promise of my Father upon you.

Jesus had a vital connection and relationship with the Holy Spirit beginning with His birth and throughout His earthly ministry. In this episode we will be studying the presence of the Holy Spirit at the births of John and Jesus. Then we will continue with the baptism of Jesus when the Spirit, as a dove alighted on the shoulder of Jesus, to the wilderness, and on through His public ministry, and finally to the cross.John’s birth is foretold to his father Zechariah.Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ... 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband

My journey the last two years is summed up nicely in the last verse in 2 Corinthians.The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.So far we have talked about the grace of Jesus, and the love of God, but we have only touched on the communion or fellowship of the Holy Spirit.I believe the Holy Spirit is the most misunderstood member of the Godhead. As I was growing up I only knew Him as mentioned in the Apostle’s Creed, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. To a child that conjures up some interesting images. But I am beginning to know and develop a relationship with the Spirit of God.In courses at Bible Schools or Seminaries, that study the trinity, often the title will say something like the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. Before we talk about the work of the Spirit, I would like to focus on the Person of the third person of the Trinity.In chapters 14 and 16 of John, there are 16 instances when the Spirit is referred to as He (12) and Him(4).John 14:1

James 1:19, "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak."From maintaining eye contact, to asking questions in a spirit of openness, to being fully engaged, we will study how we can hear what is on the heart of the speaker and encourage them to talk freely.Proverbs 2:2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding.Proverbs 20:5 Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; But a man of understanding will draw it out.Proverbs 1:5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,

As Christians, we know that communication originates in the heart. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces  evil,  for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45Before we can have edifying communication, our hearts have to be in a good place, settled, and at peace in Christ. There are principles and skills that we can learn which will help us be better speakers and listeners, but the heart is where conversation begins.Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23In this episode, we will begin by discussing the heart. Then we will teach skills of how to speak in a way that is honest, honors God, and builds relationships.Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, Ephesians 4:15Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Psalms 19:14

"Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" Matthew 12:34. The values that we hold most dear, that are in our heart, are reflected in our speech. In this podcast, we discuss how to prepare your heart, be at peace, have a healthy sense of your own integrity before you have meaningful communication, particularly with those who are close to you.Godly communication is not about convincing someone of your position, but speaking the truth in love. It is not trying to win a debate, or convince the other to change their beliefs, but to hear and understand one another. The battle is not with anything or anyone outside of myself, but within my own heart."What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?" James 4:1"Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding." Proverbs 17:27"The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out

Proverbs 4:23,  "Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life." Since our heart is hard to discern, God gives us a window into what we value, and that is our treasure. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," Matthew 6:21.Our treasure is more than our money or possessions, it is where we invest our time, energy, and resources. When we are able to identify what motivates us and inspires us, our treasure, then we get a glimpse of who we are. The word of God also helps us understand our heart."For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." The reason we are spending studying what God says about our heart, is that it is the most important factor in God honoring communication."For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks," Matthew 12:34. When our heart is right,

"The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart."  (J. John) The word heart, as used in scripture, does not represent the organ responsible for distributing blood throughout the body. Neither is it to be interpreted as a passion or emotion. Rather, it is the very essence of who you are. It is the inner man. A changed heart is the mark of a Christian. Unless God transforms us in the innermost man, we are still the same egg. All of our external behaviors are just window dressing if we have not been remade on the inside. It is for this reason that we must believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and ask Jesus to live in our hearts by faith.Proverbs 4:23, " Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life."  David, one of the central figures in the Old Testament is described as a man after God’s own heart. 1 Samuel 13:14. " The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart." Prayers of David:Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, an

How does Jesus love us? In the same way that He loves us, we are to love one another. This is the new commandment. John 13:34, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, or by changing the order of the phrases; Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ." It is my hope that this episode will encourage us to look at Jesus and observe how he has loved us. Jesus is love in the flesh. He is the ideal example for each of to discover how to love each other.He denied himself and laid his life down for us.He served and washed His disciples feet.He built them up and taught them.Jesus is gentle and humble of heart.The Son of God is kind and forgiving.He prayed for His followers.Jesus promised to never leave or forsake His children.He came to save us and not condemn us.Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.He bears our burdens and weeps when we weepMay our gracious God help us to fulfill the new commandment and love one another as He has l

We each want to parent our children well. Today we will look at how Jesus the Son of God, was parented by His heavenly Father.As the father has loved me, John 15:9Jesus had the blessed assurance and complete conviction that He was thoroughly loved and totally accepted by His Heavenly Dad. How did He learn this essential truth that every son needs to know? How was His Dad able to successfully convey His love to His Son?When John was baptizing Jesus, and when God drew near on the Mount of Transfiguration, a voice from heaven affirmed Him audibly and publicly saying,“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17, 17:5God the Father always heard His Son’s prayers.“Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, John 11:41The Father trusted His Son and showed Him all that He was doing.The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. John 3:35For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. John 5:20Jesus was taught and empo

It seems that is much easier to see other people as God sees them, that it is to see ourselves as God sees us. We know that God loves and values others, but it is difficult to believe that He loves and values us.We need faith to believe the Good News. We also need faith to believe that the Good News applies to you and me. The writer of Hebrews was inspired to give us an excellent definition of faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”.The first building block in a healthy relationship between two people, is for each of these unique creations, to be fully assured and completely convinced that that they have been created in God’s image, are valued, and liked by God Himself.When we have embraced, by faith, these truths we are becoming healthy, and are on the right path to becoming what God designed us to be. This life changing transformation comes about through ongoing exposure to the truth.

In 2006 I attended my first Joni and Friends Family Retreat. This was the first time I was face to face with disabilities 24/7. I confess that for the first two days I was very aware of the disabilities all around me. But as the week progressed, I began to get to know people individually by sharing meals and hearing their story. By day 3 I was learning to see the real person on the inside.These unique and special folks were created in the image of God and adopted members of the family of God. They each had value and gifts that contributed to the body of Christ.I was learning to see these brothers and sisters in Christ, as God saw them.

We are all human. And we all have our own stuff. We have each sinned, and were brought up in dysfunctional families. Who we are is a combination of our past and our present. We each have a story. The good news is that we are not alone. We all have strengths and weaknesses. We all share a common woundedness. Today’s episode is my story over the past year and a half, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Fortunately God is a wonderful Redeemer, or as I heard recently, the Great Composter.To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting my shadow side I learn who I am and what God's grace means. -Brennan Manning

Building families of faith begins with each of us having a personal vital relationship with Jesus. Then we begin to build a foundation for our home on the word of God with Jesus as the cornerstone.Jesus loves us and like us. He lights up every time we come to Him. He knows us intimately, He designed and created us. But believing and assimilating this truth takes time, in the truth. Jesus says, As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Then he adds, “Abide in my love.’Abiding in His love, does not come naturally. It requires intentionality and purpose. Paul exhorts us to remain rooted and grounded in God’s love and care. To rest in His care and stay in this good place, requires transformation of the way we think about God and His love for us. This renewing of the mind occurs as we meditate on the truth of God’s word.We each have to work out our own salvation and find out how we can best be renewed in our minds. I have found benefit in putting together lists of scriptures, prayers, and Psalms to help me.

The best gift we can give our children, is to love them unconditionally. When they are loved like this, it prepares them to receive grace, or God’s unconditional love. But we can’t give what we have not received. So how do we experience this divine love and not leave our first love as did the Ephesian Church? Many of us have heard of God’s love so much that this expression has lost it’s power. So I am going to share how God made me know that He likes us. That He knows us intimately and still likes us.There are two components that are important to understanding this important dynamic, His nature and His work. God is. He doesn’t change. He can’t change. He is the same, always. He is also love, and He is light.Malachi 3:6 I am the LORD, and I do not change.Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.1 John 1:5 God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.1 John 4:8 God is love.This is His divine nature. We can bank on God being God forever. We are His workmanship. He is the one who gi

The love of God is revealed to me in the words of Jesus in John 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.” The best activity I can engage in to make me a loving husband and father, is to believe that God loves me, just as I am.As I soak in the love of God, I am a new man, more like my savior and prepared to love others as He has loved me. My vision for the family has changed from: “Where each lives for the other and all live for Christ”, to: what I now I see as a more biblical statement: “Where each lives for Christ and all love for the other”.To begin to grasp the love of God, we need to being with the good news, or the gospel of Jesus. I have chosen 2 Corinthians 5:21 to represent the truths of the gospel. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.There is nothing I can do or anything I can add to make God love you more. In Christ we are accepted totally and completely. Our salvation and sanctification are both gracious gifts fro

Building a home begins and ends with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In this episode I begin by sharing how I heard the good news for the first time and met Jesus, the Son of God.When I was a teen, I was invited to a Young Life Ranch in Colorado. The question that was posed to me, “Have you met Jesus?” A song that had just recently been written, and encapsulates my testimony was, “He’s Everything to Me”.In the stars His handiwork I see, On the wind He speaks with majestyThough He ruleth over land and sea, What is that to me?I will celebrate nativity, For it has a place in historySure He came to set His people free, What is that to me 'Til by faith I met Him face to face, And I felt the wonder of His graceThen I knew that He was more, Than just a God who didn't careThat lived away out there, And now He walks beside me day by dayEver watching o'er me lest I stray, Helping me to find that narrow wayHe's everything to me.2012 was a period of personal reconstruction. Sometimes we nee

What does God have to say in His word of God about building families? We will be studying verses along this line in successive broadcasts, but before examining scripture, let’s consider the heart of God. I have an affinity for the book of Deuteronomy, which is the essence of the Pentateuch and the ministry of Moses.Even though the Ten Commandments as dictated by God Himself are found in the fifth chapter of this book, I believe the 29th verse captures the Heart of God and why he has given us these commands.Deuteronomy 5:29 Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!God loves us and desires only good for us, and our families, forever. In this episode, I will read several passages of scripture to reinforce God’s goodness and care for His people.His love is unconditional, unchanging, given without reservation, and never ceases. His love is not dependent on our behavior, for He loved us while we were

How do you build a Christian family? We know that God designed the family, but what does a godly home look like? Many of us have grown up in homes that were not faith based and are seeking to understand how to build a Christ honoring family of faith.We live in a culture where Christian families are being challenged at every level. This is not the only time in history when foundations have been attacked. The Psalmist cries: "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalms 11:3I believe we should rebuild them! We can not continue to merely defend our biblical foundations, we must intentionally rebuild them, for the best defense is a good offense.I have been a conference speaker for a generation and have been speaking on topics related to the family. I’m now working to develop and provide follow through materials in the form of blogs, podcasts, books, and articles. The Christian Home and Family Worship was the first book I wrote for families to encourage them to establish the habit of r