The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
February 29, 2004
In
This Issue:
Tips
for Training Children
by
Steve Klein
The
Faithful
by
Johnny
Richardson
Tips for Training Children
Vines grow the way they are trained. Children do too. Like the gardener who trains vines to grow on a trellis according to his design, parents are to "train up a child in the way he should go" (Proverbs 20:6). Fathers are to bring up their children "in the training and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). Vines and children trained improperly when they are young and tender cannot easily be retrained after they have been stiffened with age. Godly parents will make a sincere and serious-minded effort to properly train their children by word and by example. Here are some practical Bible based tips for parents who are interested in having their children grow the way God wants them to grow in three important areas -- worship, morality and Bible knowledge.
TIPS FOR TRAINING CHILDREN TO WORSHIP
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Attend every assembly possible (Hebrews 10:25). The example parents set will have more effect on a child than anything parents say. When parents neglect assembling they are training their children to do likewise. If there is a discussion in the home each week about "whether or not we are going to church today," the child gets the message that worship is unimportant and optional.
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Do not allow school age children to draw, play or sleep during a worship assembly. If they are expected to pay attention in school because "education is important," surely they should also pay attention during worship to Almighty God.
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Encourage children to pray -- at mealtime, bedtime or anytime they have a problem.
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Encourage children to sing -- during worship assemblies, in the car -- anytime they are cheerful (James 5:13).
TIPS FOR TRAINING CHILDREN TO MAKE MORAL DECISIONS
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Teach children to respect authority. Children who are allowed to be disrespectful to teachers and parents are not being trained to respect the God of heaven. A child who is allowed to constantly question authority will be an adult who questions God's authority. It is one thing to explain to a child the reason for something when he needs to know it; it is quite another to indulge every "why" question a child asks in defiance of plainly spoken commands. Children must know that the proper response to expressed authority is simple obedience.· Do not allow children to engage in activities which God will consider immoral when they become adults. For instance, it may not be a sin for an eight year old girl to wear a bikini in the presence of eight year old boys, but if parents allow it, what are they training their child to do when she is eighteen years old? Following this advice may mean that a child will be looked upon as being different from other children. Children need to know that God's people are special to Him precisely because they are different from the world (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:17-18).
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Discuss with your children the moral training they receive from other sources. Children in school may often be shown standards of morality which are out of harmony with the Bible. Not long after my own son began elementary school, his teacher explained to the class that there were certain circumstances under which it is alright to lie! Parents should make it their business to know what others teach their children.
TIPS FOR TRAINING CHILDREN TO KNOW THE BIBLE
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Take children to every Bible class arranged by the church. More than one adult has commented that they never had the learning opportunities found in our Bible classes when they were growing up. It would be a shame to let such an opportunity go to waste.
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Make sure children get their Bible class lessons ahead of time, and that they do any memory work that has been assigned. It does little good to get "little Johnny" to Bible class if he is not prepared to learn when he gets there.
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Study the Bible with your children. When they ask a question about God's will or right and wrong, open a Bible and read together the verses that answer their questions. Setting aside time for Bible study can greatly benefit both you and your child.
In his book, Good Homes in a Wicked World, Irvin Lee wrote the following:
"The child is like a mound of potter's clay. The potter can take the clay and fashion it into whatever form he chooses. He can then dry and temper it, and the form is set into its permanent shape. That is a frightening thought. As the twig is bent, so the tree is inclined. As the child is molded and shaped so the man will be. The challenge is very great when the parents realize that they have the power to shape the very eternal destiny of the soul that inhabits the body of their little child. How many parents will be lost because they failed in their duty to their children?"
by Steve Klein
In communication we often have diffi-culty in being understood. What about your concepts of certain words or events? What concept do you have when you hear the word faithful? The word is often used. "He is faithful"; "He is not faithful." We pray, "Help us to be faithful." We talk about the "faithful few."
Usually the concept is formed according to how one attends services. If he attends all the services, he is faithful. If he misses some, he is not very faithful. While one must attend the services of the church, one may attend all the services of the church and still not be faithful. What does the Bible say about being faithful?
God is faithful. The word faithful conveys the idea of being trustworthy or reliable. The Hebrew writer exhorts, "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)..." (Heb. 10:23) Peter writes, "The Lord is not slack concern-ing his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Pet. 3:9) John writes, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
Christ and Moses were faithful. "Where-fore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus: who was faith-ful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house." (Heb.3:1,2) Were these just present for the assemblies, or was the writer speaking of their total dedication in their lives to God? We know the an-swer.
The faithful must be concerned with every aspect of life. He is faithful with his life. The Christian is "bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Cor. 6:20) Paul could say, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:..."
The faithful one does not conform to the world, but is transformed by the renewing of his mind. Faithfulness demands purity of life.
To be faithful one must be faithful with that which is entrusted to him. A Christian is a steward; he holds in trust or manages that which God grants him. If we are faithful we will not be overly concerned with materialism, the laying up treasure for ourselves. The faith-ful will lay up treasure in heaven. One does this as he does good, as he is rich in good works, ready to distribute and willing to share. (1 Tim. 6:18)
The faithful must have great concern with the gospel that is entrusted to them. The apostles were to teach those taught to observe the things commanded them. The righteous-ness of God is revealed from faith to faith. Each Christian has the responsibility to share that faith with others as God gives him ability. Not everyone possesses the same ability. Paul told Timothy, "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many wit-nesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." (2 Tim. 2:2) To teach the truth, we must teach the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. (Gal. 1:8,9; 2 John 9)
The faithful must be faithful in trials. Often, those who are "faithful" when the sun is shin-ing are washed away by the rain. Every Chris-tian who is faithful must determine to face ad-versity. Some never make that determination. With that determination, one can then develop the patience necessary to hold fast. This is the significance of the verse, "...be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." (Rev. 2:10) As we speak of the faithful, let us never use it without under-standing the depth of the meaning. Let us never think of ourselves as self-righteous or an exclusive club in a local church. But let us thank God for the grace given unto us and be mindful of those who are struggling to be faithful.
By Johnny Richardson,
via The Jackson Drive Admonisher
March 10, 1985