Teaching, Talking, And Tattooing - Part 1

God commands parents, specifically fathers to nourish our children in the Lord’s instruction.

The church can aid in this endeavor, but not replace.

At Calvary Hills Baptist Church…

If we have your children here every time they are aloud to come, we would have them for about

26 Hours on Wednesday Nights.

48 Hours on Sunday Mornings SS

Total: 74 Hours.

In contrast, you as parents, if you spend

(8 hours per day at school for 9 months, 5 hours per day during school year, 12 during weekends.

900 hours + 864 weekend hours = 1,700ish hours during school year.

3 full months of break at least = 1,000

Total: At least around 2,700 hours for us parents.

YOU CANNOT REPLACE THE INFLUENCE OF THE PARENT.

Disciple-Making Parents teach their children the Word of God.

Formal & Informal Teaching.

When I say the word teach… what comes to your mind?

backed chairs,

books,

blackboard,

whiteboard,

lecturing.

When we think of the way that Christ taught in the NT… one of the beautiful things that we see from the MASTER TEACHER is that He taught in a variety of ways.

FORMAL

Organized Instruction.

Sermon on the Mount

Teaching the disciples before sending them out.

Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24–25, Mark 13, and Luke 21.)

The last supper and leading up to His Death and Resurrection.

God also had times of formal education, like

entering into covenant with His people and giving them the law.

Formal education, teaching and preaching of God’s Word is something that should not be lost in the life of a family.

Especially in the life of the church.

We want to expose our children to this, and help them be prepared for their heart posture in receiving this teaching.

Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Help them through…

Prayer

Good questions.

For younger children: What was the song you liked the most today?Who did we learn about in the Bible story?What did Jesus do in the story today?What does it mean to love others?What can you pray about this week? For older children: What did the pastor say that made you think?What is something you are going to try to do differently this week based on what you learned today?What Bible verse stood out to you today?How does today's lesson relate to your life?What questions do you have about the Bible or about God?

1 Thessalonians 2:13 ESV

13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

What are ways in which you do this in your home?

INFORMAL

Just as important in the teachings of Jesus was His informal way of teaching, or CONVERSATION.

Conversation is not lecture.

Questions and answers

Listening and responding.

God commands that we bring His Word into the very rhythm of life.

After witnessing Jesus pray so often, Hey Jesus, can you teach us how to pray?

After asking Him to be on His right and on His left,… guys, let me tell you what greatness is like in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Transfiguration: Hey, Peter, James, John… come on up here with me… I’m going to meet with a few of my old buddies. (And then appear Elijah and Moses!)

Hey, bring those children on over here… you know what… the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall of one of their tents when Jesus was out camping with His Disciples. (CHOSEN does a great job in bringing this to light.)

God gives us touch points

God has given us a with-ness opportunity with our children.

God wants the word of God to invade our lives and He has created our children to hear and learn the Word of God in different ways. It can’t always be in formal settings.

Deuteronomy 6:7 (ESV)

7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Times To Talk Of The Word

WHEN YOU RISE UP

I often say to the girls, this is the Day that The Lord has made… we shall rejoice and be glad in it!

What a great idea to share a Psalm of the day in the morning,

Go over memory verses first thing in the morning,

David doing a devotional with one of his kids on and off in the morning.

WHEN YOU SIT AT HOME

It’s not like it used to be where families would often sit together often throughout the day. Our society is so much different. Many families don’t sit together at home.

Make it a point to sit for dinner together, without the TV on. Discussing your day.

Be intentional and redeem this time with them to lead them into God’s Word.

A later lesson will be spent on this very subject.

WHEN YOU WALK ALONG THE WAY

Traveling can be a great time to prompt a conversation into talking about God and HIs Word.

Debrief after church.

Play hymns that are scripture filled.

Play a chapter of the bible each time.

I love how Chap brought up talking about the biblical perspective on the news. Great Podcast that help in this.

WHEN YOU LIE DOWN

Again, perfect time for singing,

prayer,

testimonies,

scripture,

memory.

How God’s Word applies to certain life situations.

I love the question… “Is there anything else you need to tell me?

WHEN SHEPHERDING THE HEART

Throughout the time of Shepherding, there are going to be both times when we need to exhort, correct, teach, admonish, encourage, use God’s Promises, talk about His Attributes,

Any and all conversation is on the table.

Little Deposits Work Best

We must not expect all things at once. We must remember what children are, and teach them as they are able to bear. Their minds are like a lump of metal-not to be forged and made useful at once, but only by a succession of little blows. Their understandings are like narrow vessels: we must pour in the wine of knowledge gradually, or much of it will be spilled and lost.

Scattered throughout the week, in small does. Not overbearingly. But lovingly and in the times in which God provides for us.

The Master Teacher

Let’s also take a deeper look at Jesus who as we all know is the Master Teacher.

How was it that He discipled the men with him?

How did He teach them?

What methods did He use?

QUESTIONS

Bettis refers to this as “tilling the soil”.

Before coming down hard with information… we can look at asking good questions as in preparing their hearts to receive the news that they are about to hear.

You want to teach like Jesus? Ask a question to a question! He did this all the time.

The number many biblical scholars come to as far as the amount of questions Jesus asked is 305 throughout the Gospels. Alsways trying to move His students along in their understanding.

Let this be a regular occurrence in our teaching as well.

SONGS

We see God command Moses to compose a song to teach certain truths about God to the Israelites.

Deuteronomy 31:19–22 ESV

19 “Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. 20 For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. 21 And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.” 22 So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel.

Many people know the order of the books of the Bible from song or like we did this last year from Morgan’s song she composed memorizing 1 John 2:1-12.

Songs have a tendency to attach things to our hearts.

TRUE BIBLE STORIES

Jesus taught from OT stories often.

We’re told that OT stories are written to give us hope. Romans. 15:4

Romans 15:4 ESV

4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

They were also written to warn us,

1 Corinthians 10:11 ESV

11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

Now, we have the advantage of having the whole span of God’s Word to teach from. What a glorious thing we have. Let’s use it for God’s Glory in our home.

TRUE PERSONAL STORIES

Personal stories also seem to have a way to stick into children.

Idk about you, but I tend to have a horrible memory. But I’m able to recall stories told to me by my mother, grandmother even about their personal lives because it was so interesting to hear how they grew up, how God worked in their lives. It makes it very personal.

FICTIONAL STORIES

We think of the story that Nathan told to David about the rich land owner who stole the poor man’s sheep in 2 Sam. 12. That’s a good example.

We have a bad example of fictional story telling in 2 Sam. 14 where Joab has another lady go and deceitfully tell David a story to try and get Absalom back to the city.

Jesus tells His disciples stories about a Prodigal Son, Good Samaritan, Land owners, Party throwers…

Fictional stories can be good if we use them correctly.

CELEBRATIONS

We also see celebrations within scripture and those celebrations used for the good of the teacher.

You think of the wedding in Cana or Jesus observing the Passover and the Feat of Unleavened bread.

We have many celebrations we can take advantage of in the midst of teaching…

Christmas, Easter, Baptisms, Lord’s Supper…

Weddings, anniversaries, going away celebrations,

MEMORIAL STONES

Physical Reminders of God’s Deliverances for our family and for you as a believer.

Bettis Suggest a couple of things here:

Christmas Tree Ornaments,

Writing in the front of our Bibles or notes inside our Bibles. Keep the Same Bible.

Other suggestions: Framing certain pictures, Bible verses,

Certificates.

PROVERBS

Figure out ways to have these proverbs read regularly or seen throughout the house.

ONJECT LESSONS

Many children’s favorite way of learning.

Jesus often taught while bringing up certain objects.

Good Samaritan, Sower and the seeds, The Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, Mustard Seed, Rich Young Ruler and His possessions, the lilies of the field.

Two Words of Warning

We are not always on duty

Always and in everything being in teaching mode will soon overwhelm the children.

Focus on what they can handle in the moment.

Even Jesus recognized that He couldn’t tell His disciples everything all at once. John 16:12

John 16:12 ESV

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

Their understandings are like narrow-necked vessels: we must pour in the wine of knowledge gradually, or much of it will be spilled and lost.

2. Only the Holy Spirit can give them a hear to delight.

Let this be a constant prayer of ours.

Part 1 Conclusion:

Jesus was the Master Teacher but He has also delegated the teaching of our children to us!

Let us learn from how He did it and use those same ways in our homes.

Disciple Making Parents Teach their children the word of God.