So often the church forgets the next generation.
They plunk them down in a Sunday school class and hope for the best from some thin watered down "curriculum" the church board bought because it looked fun and just may save the visitor's children. This is not what we are supposed to be doing. We are starving them all.
The children are being entertained. Not trained.
How we miss the mark!
If the next generation- today's children and youth- are tomorrow's leaders... WE ARE FAILING THEM.
Have they learned to serve?
Have they learned how to read and study the Word?
Do they know the Lord they claim to follow?
Do they keep His commandments?
Have their gifts been indentified and cultivated?
Sadly, "No" is the answer to all of these questions.
What can we do about that? Well, it starts with us and does not- and I repeat NOT- lay in the lap of our church. We, as our children's parents, are responsible for the training up of our children.
Get out you Bible. Get out theirs and make sure they know where it is at all times. Teach those children to reverence the scriptures and to dilligently read it every day. No exceptions.
Use the model Jesus taught when you instruct your children how to pray. Write it out and analyze the different parts and what they are. For example: say Who you are praying to, praise Him, thank Him, ask forgiveness, pray for others, ask direction, ask for protection, always finish praying in the name of Jesus.
There are few materials out there to help train our children in their spirtual gifts that God gave them. It is as if the church does not really believe children have them! What a travesty!
Scripture tells us to teach them dilligently. When we get up, as we go through our day, as we walk along the road. You get it, you know what Bible says. But are you doing it? I mean really doing it. Do you stop at almost every opportunity and show your child God's handiwork? His every day miracles? His answers to prayer? Do you set them back on track and point them in the right direction again according to what the Bible says? Do you show them God's plan for their life? Do you encourage them in it?
It grieves me to tears at the starvation of spirit in the body of Christ today. Let us not neglect the future of the bride! Will she be ready?
I have included some links to some books and information on identifying your children's spiritual gifts here.
I was just hitting the old random button, and I wanted to say that I love your blog!
ReplyDeleteAnd I wanted to thank you for this post. I teach Sunday School, and I write my own curriculum because I was so dissatiffied with what the church was buying. The trouble is that- aside from my own son- attendance is sporadic, and the parents have NO interest in what we're learning or backing it up at home. Then they complain that their children aren't getting a Christian education! I also taught the lessons for our VBS last year, and the kids didn't know any of the basic Bible stories: "Who's Daniel?", "What are Israelites?", etc. And these were middle school kids!
Kids can't learn all of these stories in one hour a week or even two. Their parents need to make it a part of everyday life, but they're content to shuffle the responsibility to the pastor and Sunday School teachers and show no respect for either!
Sorry about my little rant, but I wanted to thank you for putting words to what I've been thinking about for a long time.
Jennifer
It is totally up to us and not the church! The church is really no longer what it was orignally intended to be. Sad but true.
ReplyDeleteIt is a great responsibility we have to train our children. I pray I can do what I am supposed to!
blessings ~