missio

This is the third part in the Shalom in the Home blog series. So what do children raised in the Gospel look like? Spiritually speaking, we are the Father’s children, adopted by Him through the blood of His Firstborn, Jesus. As such, we should look at our children in the same way: deserving of our endless love, mercy and grace. At the same time, whenever we sin against God, He brings His discipline upon us. In the same way, we should discipline our children when they sin against us. Let’s look at some Scriptures regarding parenting and child-raising.

The first Scripture section I’d like to take a look at is in Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

What this tells us is that children are to be taught the ways of the Lord, from the outset. Right along with reading, writing, and arithmetic, they should learn holiness. To neglect their spiritual upbringing is to neglect their soul, and indeed, to neglect this section of Scripture. Notice that we are to teach them not in a prude way or lackadaisically. We are to teach them diligently. This means faithfully, with hard work. This fits right along with the New Testament teaching that leaders are supposed to “fight the good fight” and are to be “like an ox”. As Christian parents, we must pastor our families with the same intensity that we are to love Jesus as individuals.

Secondly, let’s look at an oft-quoted section of the Psalms, regarding children:

  Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.
  Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!

Here we see that the origin and source of children comes from Jesus alone. To have kids is to be blessed; to be rewarded with the “fruit of the womb”. What’s interesting in the next section of Scripture is that children are compared with weaponry. Arrows in the hand of a warrior show that the warrior is armed, and is to be respected. Likewise, children in the hands of a God-fearing man is to be respected, as he is armed to change the world…one little person at a time. To have one’s family full of children is to be blessed with “weaponry” for the Kingdom.

Lastly for our purposes, I want to talk about the parent-children relationship as it is mentioned in Scripture. Check out Ephesians 6:1-4:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),  “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”  Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

This section directly follows the section concerning wives and husbands that we looked at last time in Ephesians 5. Just as before, Paul relates the familial relationship with the Gospel of God. Children obeying their parents is right. We should be raising children to obey their parents, not simply out of respect for them as wise elders, but rather out of respect for the Law of God. It shows the world Christ when children listen to their parents. This is a marvelous revelation! The next phrase has echoes of Jeremiah 29: that when children honor their parents, they will be well and will live long. This too is amazing. It brings to mind the command to the exiles in Jeremiah that they should take wives, build houses, and desire for the prosperity of their city. In doing this, they will be prosperous. In the same way, if children are a part of a Gospel-centered family, they are bringing prosperity to their city, and in turn, they will be made prosperous by the Lord!

Lastly, as always, I want to put a special emphasis on the fathers here…because Paul does. Note that in between verses 4 and 5 there is no admonition to the mothers. There is simply a command to the men to not provoke their children, instead pastoring them in the Gospel and Kingdom of Jesus. Men: it is vitally important that you are not simply masculine figures for your sons and daughters. You must be masculine pastors for your sons and daughters, providing them with discipline, instruction, and example in the faith. That is the command of Scripture.

Where do you measure up, and where do you fall short? Think about it.

This morning, I gave an introduction to the Holy Spirit’s working. I didn’t have time to expound on what He does in the church body, and I think it’s vitally important that I at least give a short run through of how He works in His people, if for no other reason than for Spurgeon’s quote that we read this morning. Here’s a list of the gifts that He gives the body, where they are found in Scripture, and what they actually are:

Discernment (1 Corinthians 12:10)

• This gift helps the possessor determine the spiritual source of an action or teaching, whether it is divine, demonic, or human in origin and nature.
• One with this gift should guard himself or herself from pride, otherwise he/she and his/her observations will be disregarded.
• Examples in Scripture include when Jesus rebukes Peter (Matthew 16:23), or when Paul recognizes the slave girl’s inspiration in Acts 16:16-18.

Word of Knowledge (1 Corinthians 12:8)

• The Holy Spirit reveals information about the present or the past that would be impossible to know without divine inspiration.
• It is usually helpful in intercession, counseling, or pointing out hidden sin in someone’s life.

Word of Wisdom (1 Corinthians 12:8)

• The Holy Spirit reveals a measure of insight which has not been acquired via experience. It usually comes to solve a problem in someone’s life, or to silence the opposition.
• Jesus uses divine wisdom in particular when the Pharisees attempt to trap Him about paying taxes “Who’s image is on the coin?”

Gifts of Healings (1 Corinthians 12:9)

• Helpful in confirming the preaching of the Gospel.
• A special gift given to few believers, though all believers are to lay hands and pray for the sick. Praying for the sick is not dependent on healing gifts.

Faith (1 Corinthians 12:9)

• Helps the believer supernaturally persist in prayer and conviction.
• Different than ordinary faith in the sovereignty of God.
• Needs special grace in leading a balanced life because of the heavy emphasis on prayer.

Prophecy (1 Corinthians 12:10, Romans 12:6)

• This gift is communication from God to a local body of believers. Prophecies are to be judged by others, particularly by someone with the gift of discernment.
• Prophecies must always line up with Scripture.
• “One on one” prophecies are not needed: we are all a part of the royal priesthood: we have direct access to the Father. Prophecies are to the assembly, not the individual.
• A prophecy should always edify, encourage, or comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3)
• Agabus and Philip’s daughters are both examples of this gift (Acts 11 and Acts 21, respectively)

Gift of Tongues (1 Corinthians 12:9)

• The gift of tongues is to bring a message directly from God. It is a partner gift with interpretation, to be used together with it.
• It is not for all believers, and is a particular gift for particular people whom the Holy Spirit designates as receivers of the gift.
• It is not to be abused in public worship, so as to not cause confusion among non-believers.

Gift of Interpretation (1 Corinthians 12:10, 14:27)

• This gift is required to verify the gift of tongues. Prophesy by tongues and interpretation of tongues are two separate gifts, to be used in partnership, by two separate people, so as to verify the legitimacy of the message given.
• The message in tongues is then translated into the common, local language, to be understood by the assembly.

Gift of Teaching (Romans 12:7)

• A person with this gift has insight to the matters of Scripture, and their daily living that exceeds normal understanding of Scriptures.
• They can communicate the Truth of Scripture clearly, systematically, and effectively.

Apostleship (Romans 1:5)

• A person with this gift is a servant to the kingdom, who plants new churches in a region.
• He has extraordinary capacity for cultural adaptation.
• He is not self-selected, but ordained to the task.

Other, more straightforward gifts include the following: serving, giving, mercy, leadership, administration, miraculous powers (raising the dead, healing the sick, etc.), encouragement, and evangelism.

Questions, comments, concerns?