Christian Families as Christian Home Schools

Introduction

For some, especially for those who are yet to have children and grand children, you may feel this message not relevant to your situation. But you are would be parents and grand parents, therefore, it is not too early to hear this important message of “Christian Home School.”

Deuteronomy 6:1-12 provides biblical basis and mandate for making our families Christian home schools:

¹These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, ² so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live^r by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. ³ Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

¹⁰ When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, ¹¹ houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, ¹² be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (New International Version)

1. We are given the responsibility to establish Christian home school where we teach the Word of God to our children and grand children (three generations) through life examples (vv 1-6)

1. We are to reach all the commandments of God to our children and grand children (the entire book of the Bible) (v 2; Matthew 29:20

2. If we do that, it will go well with us, our children and grand children (v 3)

3. What does it mean by teaching all the commandments? It is instilling godly and Christian worldview, as found in the Bible, to our children and grand children.

How do we teach godly or Christian worldview?

Parents and grandparents must demonstrate it through words and deeds.

(1)To worship God only (v 4)

(2)To love God with all our mind, soul and strength (v 5)

(3)We are to remember God’s commandments and we are to be guided by these commandments (v 6)

Our children and grand children will not necessary do what we said, but they will do what we do and they will live like we live.

2. The curriculum of Christian Home School (vv 7-9)

1. What should we teach? As mentioned earlier, we are to teach the entire scripture (v 2)

2. How do we teach? We are to impress the Word of God on our children and grand children (v 7), tie them as symbols on our hands, bind them on our foreheads, write them on the doorframes of our houses and our gates (v 8) through our life examples.

3. When and where shall we teach?

We are to teach Bible based life principles and values to our children and grandchildren:

(1)When we sit at home (any time)

(2)When we walk (drive) along the road, when we are in a journey (day time)

(3)When we lie down, when we go to bed (evening prayer meetings and bed time stories)

(4)When we get up (morning devotions, dinning table prayers)

It’s a 24/7 teaching sessions. In other words, any time, anywhere, any how, we are to teach our Children the will and way of God through our life examples.

Today’s scenario:

It’s a pity that, today, many families put spiritual teaching responsibilities on the church and education responsibility on school. Home should be primary place where these teachings should take place. Church and School should only supplement what we lack or miss at home.

3. Christian home school aims to save our children from materialism (vv 10-12)

1. God’s warning to Israel: In the Promised Land, you will become satiated; you will become prosper. When you have all you need, do not forget me.

Material prosperity can make one to forget God.

2. Many people used to be godly when they were poor or when they were young. But when they became successful, they forgot God.

Materialism remains the strongest force to weaken the Church or Christianity today.

Conclusion

Camps, crusades and other programs are good. But if there is no Christian home schooling, for many, newness in camps and crusades will not last long.

The most enduring legacy, however, is for children to grow up in Christian homes where parents and grand parents teach their children and grand children the Word of God faithfully with life examples will lead godly life that will last till the end.

The family is the first and oldest institution established by God himself when he put Adam and Eve together as husband and wife and give them children. It is the most important institution as well. If families break down, society and church will also break down. Many of today’s society ills are a result of broken families. When families are godly, society and church will become godly and it will also produce godly leaders. Deuteronomy 6:1-12 tells us that there is no short cut to becoming good and godly families. It requires a prayerful lifelong determination and effort through making our families Christian home schools.

To repeat, the aim of Christian home school is to make our children understand Christian worldview (Christian view on the world, money, power, sex, culture, race, ethnicity, fashion, class strata, etc, and above all, Christian view of life) so that it may go well with them.

Will making our homes Christian home schools guarantee automatic godliness in our children and grandchildren. This question is irrelevant for Christians. What we need to do is to obey God’s commandment and make every effort to lead our children towards godliness through life examples and leave the result to God. Generally speaking, yes, they will become godly men and women, for God will not abandon those who love him and obey his commandments. In order to achieve the goal of making our children and grandchildren godly men and women, we need to follow this order of priority: God first; Family second; Ministry/work third. The most precious legacy and inheritance we leave for our children and grandchildren is not big houses, hectares of land, fat bank accounts, good businesses, good educations, and/or good jobs. The most precious and invaluable inheritance we must leave for our children and grandchildren is the knowledge and fear of God. If we do that, it will just go well with them.