Last week we found out that the first place we must start in the great commission is within our own families, or as we called it, "Jerusalem." The fact is, most Christian parents are skipping Jerusalem by sending their children away for the majority of their "education"  to the godless government schools. Some parents are trying to play make-up by sub-contracting out once a week to their local church a job that they should be doing themselves. What's also sad is that there are many misguided parents who believe that we should separate our roles as parents from our roles as educators. These parents have no idea how ridiculous this sounds. The latin root word for "educate" means "to lead." Parents, either you are leading your kids or some other person or system is. Sorry, but you cannot have it both ways, yet so many parents are puzzled as to why their kids won't listen to them or why they think and act like pagans. I think the answer is clear— see Luke 6:40.

So getting back to Jerusalem, what should we be doing? The three following points should help.

1. Put on your new life (power) in Christ (Eph. 4:22-24).
2. Witness, teach, and disciple FIRST in your own family then move out from there (Luke 24:48 & Matt. 28: 19-20).
3. Remember He will be with us always (Matt. 28:20) and try not to do it in your own strength but in His strength (Phil. 4:13).

Figuring that the parent is already a born-again believer (John 3:7), let's  quickly tackle the first point,  "...ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem..." (Acts 1:8) and "...beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47b). Parents, do you realize that our Lord has given us our own little mission fields (Jerusalem)? If we are claiming to be followers of Christ, then do our children see that in our lives? Think of some of the previous great missionaries like William Carey, David Brainerd, Mary Slessor, John Paton, and Hudson Taylor, to name but a few. These were people who were really sold out for Christ and we still esteem them today for that, but let's not forget that we, too, as parents, should be sold-out just as much. Do you have a burning passion that your children know the Lord? A recent survey found that only about 1 out of 5 Christian parents really cares about their child's salvation.

Are you feeling like you are at the end of your rope, that your have lost your passion for training up your kids,  are having bad day, week, month or year in "Jerusalem"? Remember parents, God gave us our children, God called us to homeschool, God has given us the power to train up our children, God has given us the instructions (Bible), and God wants us to lean on His strength in doing this work in our kids lives. Are you trying to do the Lord's work in your own strength? Why?

Learn from Hudson Taylor, who once said, "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply." Are you doing it God's way or your way? Are you tapping into your supply or God's supply? If you are asking, "How does one tap into God's supply?" The first step is to pray. This is such a vital step that parents miss, myself included. I heard a pastor once say, "Prayer is not part of the battle, it is the battle." I would agree with that and also with the great 17th century theologian, Jonathan Edwards, who said, "Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life; and to say a man lives a life of faith, and yet lives a prayerless life, is every whit as inconsistent and incredible, as to say, that a man lives without breathing."

Preaching to our kids is not the only tool to teach them about the Lord. Learning from past missionaries--yes, tell them about Christ, but be sure that you are walking the talk. A person from Mary Slessor's Nigerian mission field said the following of how Mary's ministry reached them, "Ma Slessor didn’t stand up on a mountain top and preach to us. She came right down and lived among us, ate our food, slept in our huts, showed us what was right and wrong by her example."

Our Lord has called us for a purpose to "Jerusalem". Let us never forget that. So when we are teaching, discipling, or training our children, remember that He has promised He would be with us always.

"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world Amen." (Matt. 28:20).

Next week: more on how we can and should be teaching, witnessing and discipling our children.
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—David d'Escoto is a teaching elder, the co-author of "The Little Book of Big Reasons to Homeschool" and its companion Bible study, he also co-hosted the former radio program "Homeschooling for Life." He and his wife, Kim, have homeschooled their five children for over 10 years. Visit their website to sign-up for their free webinars and newsletters at http://dexios.info.

Comments

Sep. 13, 2009 - Beginning in Jerusalem -part 2

Posted by Anonymous

Thank you for your encouragement and challenging words in the blog. I am from Western Australia and homeschool my two sons, ages 6 and 8. I havn't met many christian homeschoolers and have been feeling quite weak and weary in my efforts of late. It was good to be reminded that I need to do things in Christ's strength and that family - "Jerusalem" comes first, after God.
God bless, from an Aussie Mum.

- Home Where They Belong

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