Train Up a Child in the Way He Should Go

One of the things that we like to do on Beehive Sunday is give thanks to God for the gift of children. Children are a tremendous gift to us aren’t they? Their innocence, curiosity, and playfulness bring parents, and grandparents, and caregivers much delight.

Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote, [SLIDE]“The soul is healed by being with children.”

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In the Bible, our Lord Jesus Christ modeled for us a tender love for children. Listen to these words from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10:

Mark 10:13–16 NIV

13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

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It’s in this spirit, that as a congregation we take our ministry to children very seriously. Children, not only from this congregation, but also from the surrounding neighbourhood are nurtured and instructed in a variety of different ministries and programs. Pastor Sion whom you just met serves as our Pastor of Faith Formation and gives important leadership to all our ministries for children and youth....Sunday school, Jr. Youth, Sr. Youth, a program for boys called Cadets and for girls called GEMS, and ministry each summer for children from the community called Vacation Bible School program that is filled with games, stories, singing, and lots of fun. And of course, the Beehive, a Christian preschool that nurtures the development of children in a way that recognizes all children are created in the image of God. We are very pleased that you have entrusted your children to our Beehive staff so that they can be instructed and nurtured.

One of the reasons we take our children’s programs so seriously is because in the Bible, God says to us that we must

Proverbs 22:6 NIV

6 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

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In fact as you read through the story of the Bible you come to realize that instructing and nurturing children is one of the most significant tasks there is.

I rather like this story that an author and preacher by the name of Tony Campolo has shared. He said that when his wife, Peggy, was at home fulltime with their children and someone would ask, "And what is it that you do, my dear?" she would respond, "I am socializing two Homo sapiens into the dominant values of the Judeo-Christian tradition in order that they might be instruments for the transformation of the social order into the kind of eschatological utopia that God willed from the beginning of creation."

Then Peggy would ask the other person, "And what do you do?"

John Ortberg and Ruth Haley, An Ordinary Day with Jesus (Zondervan, 2001), p. 122; submitted by Dave Slagle, Lawrenceville, Georgia

It’s true, isn’t it? Nurturing and instructing the next generation is one of the very high callings that we have as parents, caregivers, grandparents, or teachers.

A story is told about a group of tourists visiting a picturesque village who walked by an old man sitting beside a fence.

In a rather patronizing way, one tourist asked, "Were any great men born in this village?"

The old man replied, "Nope, only babies." Leonard Ravenhill, The Last Days Newsletter

Sounds obvious of course…but it’s also humbling. Every person comes into this world as a baby, and so much of how they are formed, how well-adjusted they become, how resilient and courageous, how compassionate and kindhearted they will be in their life depends on their developing years as children.

And as parents you don’t need to hear that from me to feel the significance of parental responsibility. We all feel it. This little child comes into your life and when your just getting started you can quickly feel completely overwhelmed. Everything about your life has changed: you not sleeping like you used to, your social life’s gone out the window, every moment of every day seems to revolve around the life of this little child, and at the very same time you come to realize how much you love this little creature who one or two weeks before you had never met.

I think almost all new parents experience a deep sense of responsibility that changes them in ways they might never have imagined.

I have often had the experience of talking to newer parents about how their becoming parents made them think about big questions in life. What am I going to pass on to my children? What moral foundation do I want to give them? What religious sensitivities do I want for my children?

In fact it’s not uncommon for me to talk to young parents who had little or no religious inclinations to find that when they are raising their children, all of a sudden these things start to matter.

[Talk about our experience as church....we’ve seen a number of young families over say the last 5-7 years come to our church, primarily because they’re thinking about this very issue: “what do I want to pass on to my children? What moral foundation? What religious sensitivities?..... And I’ll be very honest with you, sometimes when I first meet those parents, I can telll rather quickly that they are not all that interested in meeting Jesus…not motivated by a sense of repentence....a desire to be saved from their sin....or even a desire to be born again....they’re mostly interested in what kind of moral foundation their children might received.....and quite frankly, a good number of young families are very interested in JKCS..... no so interested in meeting Jesus, but are interested in their children getting into that school...... our leadership came to believe that we are quite ok with being used in that way....if I can put it that way. and here’s why......

Often those parents or families that come to our church looking for a community that will provide some kind of moral foundation will realize that what’s actually most important, is not that moral foundation, but the Person who that foundation is built upon.....The foundation is really nothing without a living relationship with the God who created the foundation...

It’s like almost every parent has some sense that the verse from the Bible I quoted earlier is true.

Proverbs 22:6 NIV

6 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

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We believe that the Bible teaches us that one of the most important things as parents that we can give our children is the understanding that they are created in the image of God, and that through Jesus Christ we can have a living relationship with this God as a loving Heavenly Father.

And that message, quite frankly, in our world is one that competes with all kinds of other messages.

There are many people in our culture today who feel like passing along that to your children is kind of like brain washing them. They believe that when it comes to matters of faith or religion, children shouldn’t be told who or what to believe in. Many in our culture consider faith and religion something like a piece of clothing you buy in a store…you go with what you like and what fits you best.

Religion or faith, in this sense becomes something of an accessory… I mean many believe that at the core we are spiritual beings… but beliefs about God, about higher powers, about what books are holy writings…beliefs about….. these are things that are like clothes you put on….you find what you like and what fits you best.

There are a lot of things I would say to people who believe that all religions are equally valid and simply represent different spiritual paths. And for that reason you mustn’t indoctrinate your children to one particular path but must allow them to make that choice for themselves.

Let me give you some reasons why this understanding that there are many equally valid paths to God or ways of knowing God simply cannot be true.

The three major monotheistic religions of the world teach contradictory things about Jesus. Christianity says Jesus died on a cross but then resurrected from the dead three days later. Judaism says Jesus stayed dead on the cross. Islam teaches that Jesus didn’t actually die. They can’t all be true. Only one of these statements can be true and to say they are all true is to deeply disrespect the people who believe these things....by assuming that people are illogical.

Another thing Christians believe is that what Jesus said about himself is true. Towards the end of Matthew’s Gospel Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me, therefore go, make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” That is a totalizing statement…I have highest authority… all truth is God’s truth… God determines what is good, what is ethical, what is just, what is noble....I have all authority says Jesus and I command you to share the news with all people that I am Lord and King over all.

This same Jesus said to a grieving woman who’s brother had died, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who believes in me shall never die.” Many have noticed, this is not the teaching of a good man. If he is just a man he is an egotistical maniac or an evil manipulator. It can only be the teaching of God in the flesh. He is God and cannot be one path to God among many. Jesus has not left that as an option.

When Jesus Christ was on the earth many years ago, one of the things that he said was his highest calling and goal was this: to make known the Father to his children. Jesus came so that we might have a living relationship with our Heavenly Father…the one who created all things, who knows all things, and the one who loves us.

Listen to what the Word of God says,

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Proverbs 4:1–4 NIV

1 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. 2 I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. 3 For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother. 4 Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.

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Introduce video….

Show http://www.fathersloveletter.com/video.html

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Surely this morning, God is encouraging us in our calling to train up our children in the way they should go… but He also wants to encourage us in this, “I Am your Heavenly Father. I created you. I love you. And I have made it possible for us to have a relationship.”

Many here have heard and know this….. perhaps some here are hearing this for the first time….

Did you hear what Jesus said in the verses that I read for you towards the beginning of the sermon??

13 People were bringing little children to Jesusto have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. [SLIDE]15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. [7]

Like a little child…. Elaborate…. wonder, humility....trust....

Sofia Cavaletti is a researcher who has pioneered the study of spirituality in young children. She finds that children often have an amazing perception that far surpasses what they've already been taught. One three-year-old girl, raised in an atheistic family with no church contact at all, no Bible in the home, asked her father, "Where did the world come from?" He answered her in strictly naturalistic, scientific terms. Then he added, "There are some people who say that all this comes from a very powerful being, and they call him God." At this, the little girl started dancing around the room with joy as she said, "I knew what you told me wasn't true—it's him, it's him!"

Similarly, the author Anne Lamott was raised by her dad to be a devout atheist—all the children in her family had to agree to a contract to that effect when they were two or three years old—but she started backsliding into faith at an early age. "Even when I was a child I knew that when I said 'Hello,' someone heard."

Source: John Ortberg, "God Is Closer than You Think," Dallas Willard Center (accessed 4-28-17)

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), Mk 10:13–16. [2] John Ortbergand Ruth Haley, An Ordinary Day with Jesus (Zondervan, 2001), p. 122; submitted by Dave Slagle, Lawrenceville, Georgia [3] Leonard Ravenhill, The Last Days Newsletter [4] Del Jones, "Welch 'Angry at God' After Mom Died," USAToday (9-6-01) [5]CBS 60 Minutes Wednesday (4-30-05); submitted by Derrick Lewis, LaGrange, Georgia [6] The Holy Bible: New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), Pr 4:1–4. [7] The Holy Bible: New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), Mk 10:13–16. f S Eph5:18 g Lk 21:34; Gal 5:20,21; Eph 5:18; 1Pe 4:3 h Gal 3:27; Eph 4:24; Col 3:10,12