Jr. High parent update – On Location – week1

A few things we talked about

-  We took a trip to the town of Pisa in central Italy.  Booked our tickets, packed our bags and landed for 20 minutes at the site of the infamous “leaning tower of Pisa”

-   As we stood at the base of the tower we talked about its history and the fact that it was built on sandy soil and shortly after construction it began to lean.    Every year the town has put incredible resources in trying to keep it from collapsing.

-   We likened this to the Parable Jesus tells in Matthew 7:24-29 where Jesus talks about the 2 builders.  One builds his house on a solid foundation and one builds his house on the sand.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” ²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹ because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Jesus is addressing two distinct groups of people here:

1. People who hear His words and put them into action in everyday life
2.  People who hear His words and do not act on them
3. In order to create a solid foundation on Christ we must put the words Jesus tells us into action.   We must learn to live the life and not just hear the words.

How can we develop a strong foundation on Christ?
1. Hearing and doing the teachings of Jesus.  We find these in the Bible
2. Be in a community of people who support and challenge you in your faith.
3. Make prayer a part of your everyday life.  In order to know God you must talk to him!
Questions to talk about at home

1. Do you think that following Jesus’ teachings and building your house on a strong foundation is easy or hard? Why?
2. Why is it important for us to follow Jesus teachings? Not just hearing but doing…
3. How can we help each other build strong foundations on God in our family?