The Lord proclaimed that his followers can expect to face persecution for being aggressive in seeking to proclaim Christ, for being confrontational in the content of the message, and for being exclusive in the application of the gospel.

Since Cain killed Abel the true citizens of Christ's kingdom have been persecuted for believing righteousness. It was that way in the time of Christ, it has been that way throughout church history and we can expect it to be that way today.

What kind of conduct on the part of fathers in relationship to their children contributes to the glorification of God? What is nurture referring to? What does admonition in the Lord look like?

Does the Scripture give us any help in navigating the transitional period of older teens and early adulthood when it comes to the parent - child relationship? When is a child no longer a child?

What kind of conduct on the part of children glorifies God? This message explores what obedience and honor are and how they are displayed. It also explores the structure of authority God has interwoven into every arena of life and the nature of the sin that resists it.

The love a husband is to display excludes bitterness. The foundational sense of that word is "pointed." In relationships with others it is reflected in a resentful spirit and harsh approach. Bitterness is a mindset that blames someone else for some deficit in my life and is the opposite of forgiveness that releases the debt.

What kind of conduct on the part of husbands contributes to the glorification of God? In one word it is "love." What does that love involve?

This message explores conduct on the part of wives that glorifies God.

When God created man to reflect His image in the earth he divided them into male and female. Men and women that are distinct but equal persons functioning in different roles reflect the Trinity more than any other part of creation. That reflection comes to the fullest expression in the marriage relationship. What is marriage by God's definition? What does God intend to accomplish through marriage?

The most extended section of teaching on Marriage and the Family comes in the context of exhortation about conduct that glorifies God and fulfills the mission of the church. That mission is under attack, so marriage is under attack and the relationships between parents and children is under attack. What should our mentality be about our families in that context?