The Christian Education Mandate - Ephesians 6 & Deuteronomy 6

 

"The Church is not supposed to be a substitute 

but rather a supplement 

to the home substance."

This was the basis for the sermon this Sunday speaking about the Christian education mandate found in the Scriptures.  The mandate is directed not at the church but rather the home environment.  Hopefully the encouragement was given to continue on, re-start, or start following the instructions to impress and teach our children and grandchildren about our great God.

It is important to see in the mandates that 3 generations are mentioned.  You, your children and their children are listed so we see that our scope of this responsibility starts before there are children in the home, while there are children in the home, and after the children have left the home and bring now into the home our grandchildren.  To impress is to have action-oriented ways of teaching about God.  To talk is to have vocal instruction-oriented ways to teaching about God.  The Deuteronomy 6 passage gives us some practical ways and times to impress and talk of God to our children and grandchildren.

It also gives us two main points directed toward us as parents and grandparents.  One is a warning about bringing any idols into the home.  This brings confusion to the children.  The other is an instruction to follow-up their questions with answers from the Bible.  Fill up your Christian education toolbox with great resources to read to them, for them to read, and also Bible teaching toys to play with.  Stephanie and I love the resources at:  www.wtsbooks.com  

The Ephesian 6 passage instructs us to "bring them up" meaning to nourish and feed them with training and instruction of the Lord.  Where do we get this training and instruction and how do we administer this discipline and admonition?  The answer is we look at our Lord to be our guide in this endeavor to fulfill this Christian education mandate.  As we "nourish and cherish" our own bodies, so we are to do the same for our children and grandchildren with the words and ways of our Lord.

I do believe that we have at times relied on the Church do to the "heavy lifting" of this mandate.  It became a substitute rather than a supplement.  Our home substance of fulfilling this Christian education mandate in the home will make a tremendous impact on the Church.  As a Church we do need to evaluate what we can provide to continue to supplement what is happening in the home but maybe some of the supplement should be directed at training us, the parents and grandparents, to hone our home skills at this mandate.

The video is again just audio and a little distorted but I am thankful for the recording to go back to as we have opportunity to travel the country to share time with our children and grandchildren.  May it become more natural to share answers from the Bible and engage in worship with them "at home, at school, at play." (From the old Sunday School song,  A Sunbeam).

Signing off but I had to tag this video of a beautiful song called "Nearer My God To Thee."  Listen and read the lyrics.

Here is the sermon post.

Adam