Parents & children in God's Word - TOGETHER!
Parents are an integral part of faith life at Epiphany. The growing and strengthening of faith can only occur through life-long worship and Bible study. The Scripture tells us:
“Fathers … bring up your children in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4) “Train up a child in the way he should go and even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
Statistics clearly demonstrate the need for parental involvement. A study has shown that:
• If BOTH mother and father attend church regularly – 72% of their children remain faithful in attendance.
• If ONLY dad attends regularly -- 55% remain faithful.
• If ONLY mom attends regularly – 15% remain faithful.
• If NEITHER mom nor dad attends regularly – only 6% remain faithful.
Another study has shown that an alarmingly low 8% of Christian parents ever talk about God at home. Yes, these are just statistics. But these are statistics that deal with our children’s eternal lives!
Consider the following:
• Both the Old and New Testaments clearly lay the responsibility for spiritual training on the parents, specifically on the fathers. See Genesis 2, Proverbs 1 and Ephesians 6. In Ephesians 4, God tells us that the church’s (Pastor’s) job is to prepare God’s people (parents) for doing this “work of service” or “ministry,” NOT TO DO IT FOR THEM (Ephesians 4:12).
• Parents will grow stronger in their faith as the Holy Spirit works through the Word. Everyone knows that teaching is the best way to learn something!
• Martin Luther wrote the catechism specifically for parents to use in teaching their children. The heading for each part of his catechism reads: “As the head of the family should teach it in the simplest way to those in his household.”
• God’s Law will become the guide for the whole family. God’s Gospel will become the inspiration for all behavior.
• The lines of communication will be kept open between parent and child. Conversation will go far beyond the weather and events at school! Parents and children will be discussing life: its problems, joys, answers, aims, and purpose!
• With increasing difficulty in scheduling around sports, band, clubs, etc. parents must make the choice of what will be the priority for the lives of their children.
Faith is the most precious treasure parents have to share with their children. Naturally, then, they will be vitally interested and involved in their children’s faith instruction. Parents will be involved in their own Bible studies, have the children attend Sunday School and then have family devotion and prayer time together at home.
“The church is only as strong as its families and homes.” -- Rev. Dr. Waldo Werning
“Fathers … bring up your children in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4) “Train up a child in the way he should go and even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
Statistics clearly demonstrate the need for parental involvement. A study has shown that:
• If BOTH mother and father attend church regularly – 72% of their children remain faithful in attendance.
• If ONLY dad attends regularly -- 55% remain faithful.
• If ONLY mom attends regularly – 15% remain faithful.
• If NEITHER mom nor dad attends regularly – only 6% remain faithful.
Another study has shown that an alarmingly low 8% of Christian parents ever talk about God at home. Yes, these are just statistics. But these are statistics that deal with our children’s eternal lives!
Consider the following:
• Both the Old and New Testaments clearly lay the responsibility for spiritual training on the parents, specifically on the fathers. See Genesis 2, Proverbs 1 and Ephesians 6. In Ephesians 4, God tells us that the church’s (Pastor’s) job is to prepare God’s people (parents) for doing this “work of service” or “ministry,” NOT TO DO IT FOR THEM (Ephesians 4:12).
• Parents will grow stronger in their faith as the Holy Spirit works through the Word. Everyone knows that teaching is the best way to learn something!
• Martin Luther wrote the catechism specifically for parents to use in teaching their children. The heading for each part of his catechism reads: “As the head of the family should teach it in the simplest way to those in his household.”
• God’s Law will become the guide for the whole family. God’s Gospel will become the inspiration for all behavior.
• The lines of communication will be kept open between parent and child. Conversation will go far beyond the weather and events at school! Parents and children will be discussing life: its problems, joys, answers, aims, and purpose!
• With increasing difficulty in scheduling around sports, band, clubs, etc. parents must make the choice of what will be the priority for the lives of their children.
Faith is the most precious treasure parents have to share with their children. Naturally, then, they will be vitally interested and involved in their children’s faith instruction. Parents will be involved in their own Bible studies, have the children attend Sunday School and then have family devotion and prayer time together at home.
“The church is only as strong as its families and homes.” -- Rev. Dr. Waldo Werning
Comments
Post a Comment