Very recently, I have again come across a very contradictory notion. I come across it often enough in the past, but every time I come across it catches me by surprise. The notion is contradictory in the fact that the very idea that this notion works toward is disbelieved when part of that notion comes to fruition.

The first part of this generally held notion, I totally agree with. That is that we should raise our children in a distinctly Biblical fashion. Indeed, we who are Christians (Christ followers) are commanded to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We should be actively discipling our children. Our children are actually Christ’s disciples. I whole-heartedly agree with this and am hoping to actively pursue this objective in raising my own children if God will grant me that privilege. However, what surprises me is when people who believe this are skeptical when their children talk and act like disciples of the Lord. They say things like, “Well, I am not sure if Johnny knows what he is saying. I just don’t think he really know what he is talking about. I think he is just regurgitating what he is told.” What??? Regurgitating what they are taught… how terrible… I guess?!?

I don’t know what to make of that. Don’t we want our children to regurgitate what they are taught? We teach them the ways of the Lord and then are surprised when they start talking about the ways of the Lord. It’s an interesting phenomenon, one that I surely don’t understand. Of course, as a covenantal Baptist it is hard for me to understand that at all, but even from a non paedo-baptist perspective, why would you be so shocked when your children regurgitate what you teach them, or act as if you didn’t think they could possibly know what they are really saying. After all, they are just children. But we seem to forget that Christ told us that we should become like unto a little Child. To be clear, this of course does not mean that we are to be childish in our ways and actions. But we are rather to have the faith of children. Now, if we are to have the faith of children, then why are we so skeptical that our children could possibly have the faith that they need in our Lord who loves them? Put more simply, we think that they need to grow up so that they can become like a child (Okay I’m confused now, can I go home?).

This is what I mean by saying that the very idea that the notion works toward is disbelieved when it comes to fruition. It seems they work hard to raise Godly children and then, when the children act Godly at a young age, they reject it. When we raise our children for the Lord, we should fully expect that they will act like the Lord’s. I won’t go into my views on baptism right now, I’ll save that for later.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:2-3 (KJV)

I have a widget on my dashboard (dashboard is a Mac OS 10.4 thing :-D) that displays a daily verse. I am going to try to post it here on the days when I get a chance. Today’s is:

It’s amazing the way things have changed over the years. When I was growing up, we didn’t have computers and internet. We didn’t have digital cameras and digital cell phones. We didn’t have CDs or DVDs. We didn’t have HD TV or all these fancy plasma screens and LCDs. No email, we wrote letters. No Instant Messaging, we called people.

You know how old I am? I’m 23!!! Things have changed a lot in a short order of time haven’t they? But no matter how much they change, we should endeavor to keep our focus where it should be. The potential that all the above mentioned things have for good can be turned into an equal potential for evil. What are we doing with the things God has given us? Do we use these things to honor and glorify Him?

You know, maybe we aren’t using them for evil necessarily, maybe we just dig a hole and hide them in it? I mean that maybe we are just not doing anything with what God has given to us. We don’t use it for evil, but we aren’t doing anything good with it either. Remember the parable of the talents? Not doing anything with what we have been given is not good. It does not honor and glorify the Lord. In fact, in that parable the servant that didn’t do anything with his talent was called wicked and slothful.

Am I saying that you have to have a blog such as this one in order to be effective? No, of course not. I am not implying that or anything of the sort. But what I am saying is that we need to be careful to not let the things God has given us lay idle.

Some of my first memories are of my dad and I out in a semi-truck somewhere in this big US of A. He started taking me with him in the truck when I was three years old. I remember that I loved to be with my dad. And at this place in my life I realize that there could have been nothing better for me. He quit driving when I was about 6 or so to work in a factory for a while, but I was again in the truck with my dad when he went back to truck driving. I was 11 at the time. He continued to be a truck driver until I was 15 and I went with him everywhere. Because I was homeschooled I could take my school work with me. Anything I needed help with from my mom could be done when dad and I got back home. And of course anything that dad could help me with, such as math, he could help me with right there as we were driving down the road (he is still much better at math than I will ever be).

As I said, I feel that this was the best thing that could have happened to me at that age. Children need their father, especially boys. They need an example of a man to follow. For those of us who subscribe to covenant theology, it’s easy to be all talk. When my parents decided that they needed to be raising their children in a more Godly fashion, they didn’t know anything about covenant theology. They read in Proverbs where is says to train up a child in the way he should go… and they knew that they needed to do that. We realize now that the things that we have come to believe over the years are part of something called covenant theology. It’s a big fancy term. Sometimes we can get wrapped up in something, and tell other people that that is what they should be doing, and we forget to do it ourselves. I know of people who can tell you how to raise your children, but you had better look at the fruit of the children that they raised before you take their advice. It’s time for those of the ranks of covenant theology who have been raised that way, to remember why they were raised that way. It’s not just another set of doctrines. We are trying to raise up a Godly seed. And my parents are living proof that you don’t have to know about some big fancy doctrine called covenant theology, you don’t have to know the order of salvation as taught by Calvin (or other great theologians), you don’t have to know what TULIP means, what you need to do is Train up your child.

For those who were not raised with covenant theology, you need to train up your child. To ALL who are reading this who have children. You need to train up your children.

Train them up in what? In the nurture and admonition of the Lord. If you teach your children the scripture, it means that you will have to learn that scripture too (or at least you had better). So if you don’t know the order of salvation when you start training your children, by the time you are done you probably will.

Am I saying that doctrine is not important? NOT BY ANY MEANS. But we must make sure our focus is right. The first thing we have to have is obedience. If you are obedient to the word of God when He tells you train your children (this also falls under that category of making disciples of all nations, by the way), then you are at a good starting place.