JESUS FOR MY FAMILY
Jesus for My Family
Acts 16:31
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
There are moments in Scripture when God slows us down and causes us to see something we’ve read many times—but never fully noticed.
That’s what happened to me in Acts 16:31.
We often focus on the first part: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” And that is right. That is the greatest decision anyone could ever make. Salvation is not found in religion, routine, or good works—it is found in personal faith and trust in Jesus Christ. There is a blessed assurance in those words—thou shalt be saved.
But the verse doesn’t stop there.
It continues with three powerful words: “and thy house.”
That phrase stirred my heart.
Because while salvation is personal, it is never meant to be contained. The gospel was never designed to stop with us—it is meant to reach our homes, our families, and our households.
The most important thing you can ever do is trust Jesus Christ. Nothing else in this life compares.
But right behind that is this: we must care about our house.
Not that every person will automatically be saved—but they should know the God we serve. They should see it in us. They should feel the difference. They should witness a life that has been changed.
Because one day, they will have to make that decision for themselves.
So how do we bring Jesus into our family?
Jesus Is the Foundation of Our Family
Every home is built on something.
It may look strong on the outside. It may appear put together. But if the foundation is not right, it will not stand when the storms come.
Jesus taught in Matthew 7 that the wise man built his house upon a rock.
That rock is Christ.
A strong family is not built on money, emotions, or circumstances—it is built on Jesus Christ. Storms will come, but a home grounded in Him will stand.
So where is your foundation?
Being in church is not the same as being grounded in Christ. Activity is not the same as a foundation.
Jesus must be the center.
That means we must be intentional.
Pray together.
For a long time, I struggled with praying in front of my family. I would pray for them, but not with them. There was hesitation there. But when we started praying together, something changed.
We began bringing our kids together at night. Not perfectly, not every single night—but consistently.
And something would happen in that room.
Peace.
No matter how chaotic the day had been, there was a calm that settled over us. Even the kids felt it.
I watched one of my children go from saying, “Dear Lord, thank you, amen,” to praying with boldness and sincerity.
Why? Because prayer became normal.
Pray together.
Read the Word together.
Make decisions based on truth.
When the foundation is right, everything else can hold together.
Jesus Is the Example for Our Family
Everyone follows someone.
When I was growing up, I looked to the best players I could find and tried to model my game after them.
So who are we pointing our families toward?
There is no greater example than Jesus Christ.
He showed us how to live—with humility, love, forgiveness, and service.
And He didn’t just say it—He lived it.
If we want our families to reflect Christ, we must model Him.
Love when it’s hard.
Forgive quickly.
Serve one another.
Bitterness will destroy a home, but forgiveness will restore it.
When a family follows the example of Jesus, the home becomes a place of peace instead of conflict.
And in a chaotic world, peace in the home is a gift.
Jesus Is the Only Hope for Our Family
Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
That is a decision every family must make.
Jesus is not just part of the solution—He is the only hope.
No matter your past…
No matter your failures…
No matter what your family has been through…
Jesus can restore.
Jesus can heal.
Jesus can lead you forward.
And many of us are here today because someone made that decision before us.
Someone chose Christ.
Someone set the foundation.
Someone changed the direction of the family.
And because of that, we had a chance.
I’ll never forget a moment that made this real to me.
I was in West Virginia at a conference, staying alone in a hotel room. Before that trip, Presleigh had been asking questions—questions about the Bible, about salvation—but she didn’t fully understand.
Every time we talked about being saved, she would shut down.
That night in the hotel, I had a dream I will never forget.
I dreamed that my family and I were walking through the gates of Heaven—but something wasn’t right. Presleigh wasnt with us. I woke up in that room, overwhelmed, crying like a child.
From that moment on, I began to pray harder than I ever had before. Every day. Every night. I asked God to work in her heart.
About two weeks later, on a Wednesday night, everything changed.
On the way home, she told her mom, “I want to get saved tonight.”
She wanted to understand. She wanted to trust Jesus for herself.
And that night, she did.
I thank God for that moment.
Because nothing in this world matters more than that.
Not jobs.
Not schedules.
Not activities.
Nothing is more important than knowing that your family knows Jesus Christ.
So believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
But don’t stop there.
Make sure your house knows Him too.
Build your home on Him.
Live as an example of Him.
Trust Him as your only hope.
Because those words still matter:
“And thy house.”
Acts 16:31
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
There are moments in Scripture when God slows us down and causes us to see something we’ve read many times—but never fully noticed.
That’s what happened to me in Acts 16:31.
We often focus on the first part: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” And that is right. That is the greatest decision anyone could ever make. Salvation is not found in religion, routine, or good works—it is found in personal faith and trust in Jesus Christ. There is a blessed assurance in those words—thou shalt be saved.
But the verse doesn’t stop there.
It continues with three powerful words: “and thy house.”
That phrase stirred my heart.
Because while salvation is personal, it is never meant to be contained. The gospel was never designed to stop with us—it is meant to reach our homes, our families, and our households.
The most important thing you can ever do is trust Jesus Christ. Nothing else in this life compares.
But right behind that is this: we must care about our house.
Not that every person will automatically be saved—but they should know the God we serve. They should see it in us. They should feel the difference. They should witness a life that has been changed.
Because one day, they will have to make that decision for themselves.
So how do we bring Jesus into our family?
Jesus Is the Foundation of Our Family
Every home is built on something.
It may look strong on the outside. It may appear put together. But if the foundation is not right, it will not stand when the storms come.
Jesus taught in Matthew 7 that the wise man built his house upon a rock.
That rock is Christ.
A strong family is not built on money, emotions, or circumstances—it is built on Jesus Christ. Storms will come, but a home grounded in Him will stand.
So where is your foundation?
Being in church is not the same as being grounded in Christ. Activity is not the same as a foundation.
Jesus must be the center.
That means we must be intentional.
Pray together.
For a long time, I struggled with praying in front of my family. I would pray for them, but not with them. There was hesitation there. But when we started praying together, something changed.
We began bringing our kids together at night. Not perfectly, not every single night—but consistently.
And something would happen in that room.
Peace.
No matter how chaotic the day had been, there was a calm that settled over us. Even the kids felt it.
I watched one of my children go from saying, “Dear Lord, thank you, amen,” to praying with boldness and sincerity.
Why? Because prayer became normal.
Pray together.
Read the Word together.
Make decisions based on truth.
When the foundation is right, everything else can hold together.
Jesus Is the Example for Our Family
Everyone follows someone.
When I was growing up, I looked to the best players I could find and tried to model my game after them.
So who are we pointing our families toward?
There is no greater example than Jesus Christ.
He showed us how to live—with humility, love, forgiveness, and service.
And He didn’t just say it—He lived it.
If we want our families to reflect Christ, we must model Him.
Love when it’s hard.
Forgive quickly.
Serve one another.
Bitterness will destroy a home, but forgiveness will restore it.
When a family follows the example of Jesus, the home becomes a place of peace instead of conflict.
And in a chaotic world, peace in the home is a gift.
Jesus Is the Only Hope for Our Family
Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
That is a decision every family must make.
Jesus is not just part of the solution—He is the only hope.
No matter your past…
No matter your failures…
No matter what your family has been through…
Jesus can restore.
Jesus can heal.
Jesus can lead you forward.
And many of us are here today because someone made that decision before us.
Someone chose Christ.
Someone set the foundation.
Someone changed the direction of the family.
And because of that, we had a chance.
I’ll never forget a moment that made this real to me.
I was in West Virginia at a conference, staying alone in a hotel room. Before that trip, Presleigh had been asking questions—questions about the Bible, about salvation—but she didn’t fully understand.
Every time we talked about being saved, she would shut down.
That night in the hotel, I had a dream I will never forget.
I dreamed that my family and I were walking through the gates of Heaven—but something wasn’t right. Presleigh wasnt with us. I woke up in that room, overwhelmed, crying like a child.
From that moment on, I began to pray harder than I ever had before. Every day. Every night. I asked God to work in her heart.
About two weeks later, on a Wednesday night, everything changed.
On the way home, she told her mom, “I want to get saved tonight.”
She wanted to understand. She wanted to trust Jesus for herself.
And that night, she did.
I thank God for that moment.
Because nothing in this world matters more than that.
Not jobs.
Not schedules.
Not activities.
Nothing is more important than knowing that your family knows Jesus Christ.
So believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
But don’t stop there.
Make sure your house knows Him too.
Build your home on Him.
Live as an example of Him.
Trust Him as your only hope.
Because those words still matter:
“And thy house.”
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