The home is the foundation of the church and the bedrock of the community. We gain our values, our sense of self-worth, develop our role models, and most of all, our concept of God is developed in the home. If this foundation is destroyed, what shall the righteousness do?  Psalm 11:3

When Jesus Christ is not the central figure of our home, negative behavioral patterns and outcomes will be passed on to succeeding generations, even generational curses. I was very fortunate to be raised in a in a two-parent home where both parents put the fear of God in me. I was required to attend church several times a week– shine, rain, snow or sleet—my face was in the place. In fact, since I’d never seen God face-to-face. I always thought that He would have been more merciful to me than my parents when executing His judgments on me in His name.

When Jesus Christ is not the central figure of our home, negative behavioral patterns and outcomes will be passed on to succeeding generations, even generational curses. I was very fortunate to be raised in a in a two-parent home where both parents put the fear of God in me. I was required to attend church several times a week– shine, rain, snow or sleet—my face was in the place. In fact, since I’d never seen God face-to-face. I always thought that He would have been more merciful to me than my parents when executing His judgments on me in His name.

But here’s what I learned in the neighborhood over the years, when Christ was not the central figure of the homes, I observed this first-hand among many of my un-churched friends, that abnormal social development was expressed in a number of ways:

1. Many of my “home boys” had wounded spirits toward their parent(s):  “looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled” (Hebrews  12:15). “The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit?” (Proverbs 18:14).

2. Some of my friends openly rejected their parent(s) authority. “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”(1 Samuel 15:23).

3. There wasn’t a sense of family-community goals. My defiant friends seemed to all had self-centered goals—“pipe dreams.” It      breaks my heart to say that several of them were arrested and incarcerated. Why not me? Well, not because of my innocence. I just ran faster from the police than they did. “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the      cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame — who set their mind on earthly things”  (Philippians 3:18-20).

4. I am ashamed to say that me and my sinful friends  seemed to always talk about our base sensual desires even though I was      taught better, I cowardly tried to fit in where I could get in. But God gave me great mercy. “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:  adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies (Galatians 5:19-21).

5. Some of us including me struggled with a deep sense of guilt. I knew better to behave in this way and some of the other boys  did too. “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge,  for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things” (Romans 2:1)

One of the basis purposes of a family is to build wholeness in the lives of those within the home. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10). Without Jesus Christ our families are without hope!

(All scriptures were quoted from NKJV of the Bible)