⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 2 min read
How the Local Church Strengthens the Christian Family
Show Summary
In this episode of Equipping You in Grace, Dave Jenkins continues the February series, Marriage and the Family: God’s Design for the Home, by explaining how God designed the family and the local church to flourish together. Dave addresses the trend of Christians and families trying to live out their faith in isolation, the danger of consumer Christianity, and why the Christian life and the Christian home were never meant to be lived apart from the local church.Drawing from passages like Genesis 2, Matthew 16, Titus 2, Mark 10, Hebrews 10, and 2 Timothy 2, Dave shows how strong families help build healthy churches and healthy churches help build strong families through faithful preaching, intergenerational discipleship, loving accountability, and gospel-shaped fellowship.Listen to the Episode
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Episode Notes
- God’s design for the family in Genesis 2 and for the church in Matthew 16.
- Why podcasts and online content are helpful supplements but cannot replace the local church.
- The Puritan vision of the home as a “mini-church” and why the home and church are complementary, not competing.
- How faithful, expositional preaching equips parents and shapes everyday family life (2 Timothy 2:15).
- Titus 2 discipleship: older men and women investing in younger believers in real-life, intergenerational fellowship.
- Jesus’ promise of a spiritual family for His people (Mark 10:29–30) and how the church becomes home for singles, widows, and those far from biological family.
- The danger of isolation and consumer Christianity and the call of Hebrews 10:24–25 to meet together and stir one another to love and good works.
- How treating church as optional teaches children that Christ’s bride is negotiable.
- Practical ways churches can support families—prayer, discipleship, mentoring, meals, child care, and ongoing encouragement.
- Why families thrive in the “greenhouse of grace” found in faithful, gospel-centered local churches.
Call to Action
If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe to Equipping You in Grace on your favorite podcast platform and share it with a friend.For more resources to help you think biblically and live faithfully in every area of life, visit the Equipping You in Grace page at Servants of Grace or explore the YouTube playlist.Remember, the local church is not just a part of God’s plan for your family—it is central to it. Stay rooted in grace, committed to truth, and connected to the people of God.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
