Subject: parental responsibility and serving |
Bible Note: Hi, saved... I'm a strong believer in good, solid catechesis for our children. Indeed, if the parents were catechized properly in their own faith, they would be taking proper responsibility in raising their children. The church frequently, though, tries to take on this responsibility. I've seen many churches offering a variety of children's programs for just such purposes. Instead, they should have intense training programs for the adults! How can we be right with God if we are assuming the roles He has mandated to us? Anyway, recently, my grown son said, "Dad, you remember the Westminster Shorter Catechism you made me memorize before I turned 13? I just wanted to say, thanks! It has proven helpful more times than I can count." As he spoke, I was reminded of this anecdote: Dwight Lyman Moody was once speaking to a crowded meeting of children in Edinburgh, Scotland. He began his talk with the question, "What is prayer?" Of course, he intended it to be a question that he'd give the answer to himself. Consequently, he was surprised when dozens of little hands shot up all over the room. He pointed to one little boy who gave the following immediate answer, "Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins and thankful, acknowledgment of His mercies." Moody, delighted, exclaimed "Thank God, my boy, that you were born in Scotland!" (I sadly doubt such training of children is common there now as it was in Moody's day.) Along these lines, Charles H. Spurgeon wrote a wonderful book for parents and teachers on "the Christian training of children." It might be of interest to some of our forum members who work with children: http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/cyc.htm In Him, Doc PS By the way, Matthew 18:20 isn't about prayer. It is about church discipline. Context is everything! :-) |