Children's Church

The absence of an affection for God amongst toddlers, children and young adults of Christian families in many, or almost all churches (I say all because I can safely assume that families who attend church during Sundays have fathers who do not lead their families in daily and  intentional worship in their homes,) stem from the unfulfilled obligations of the parents in raising their household in the Scriptures and in the fear of the LORD. 

It is a pathetic excuse to say we simply do not have time. What we really are saying is either one of two things: I do not know I was supposed to lead my family daily in worship, or, I do not want to make time for it. These are the same people who can sit for hours fiddling with their gadgets, or watching movies, or doing other 'important' things. In our modern day we are simply detached from the reality of God and assume that just because we attend church our children will automatically learn God. We lazily delegate the teaching of our children to other people in the church, and think this is the way of the people of God. 

Yes. Think of the kind of education or masteral degree one would learn from 45 minutes of lecture once a week. Behaved children is not equivalent to God-fearing children. Coloring Noah's ark is not equivalent to memorizing Scripture. And attending church is not equivalent to a godly home. We have a twisted form of pragmatism that relies blindly on what we see in our children and not on what God sees in their hearts. 

Leading family worship every night Monday to Sunday is not an easy task. It requires exclusive grace that the LORD gives only to those who ask of it in behalf of His name for his household's sake. 

"The daily regular and solemn reading of God's holy Word by a parent before his children is one of the most powerful agencies of a Christian life. We are prone to undervalue this cause. It is a constant dropping, but it wears its mark into the rock. A family thus trained cannot be ignorant of the Word. The whole Scriptures come repeatedly before the mind. The most heedless child must observe and retain some portion of the sacred oracles; the most forgetful must treasure up some passages for life. No one part of juvenile education is more important. Between families thus instructed and those where the Bible is not read the contrast is striking. To deny such a source of influence to the youthful mind is an injustice, at the thought of which a professor of Christianity may well tremble. The filial affections are molded by family worship. The child beholds the parent in a peculiar relation. Nowhere is the Christian father so venerable as where he leads his house in prayer. The tenderness of love is hallowed by the sanctity of reverence.

The gracious promises of God to His Church, while they do not necessarily transmit salvation in the line of natural descent, perpetually recognize the relation of parent and child. God determines that His great favors shall descend from age to age. "The promise is to you and to your children." From the beginning of the world, He has dealt with mankind on the family principal. Every covenant has comprised succeeding generations." 

Alexander, James. 1847. Thoughts on Family Worship. Soli deo Gloria publications. 

No time? Look at your children and see if this is the kind of Christianity our Lord died for. Do we not reap what we sow? What is there to reap without any sowing? 

It would be of greater benefit for our children that the usual Sunday school format be changed to an actual church service, howbeit a miniaturized version using simple language. We are starting on an expository method of teaching and experiential application on the typology of Numbers 20. We look to our gracious Father to provide for our insufficiency. Catechism class follows and is handled by our member teachers. Ending in the recitation of the Decalogue. 

The common fear of children not understanding this level of teaching is unfounded. We read in the book of Joshua how he read the law to all the families including the nursing children. 

And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.

Joshua 8:34-35

Blessed be the LORD for using the message of our dear brother Erick Welsh of Grace Covenant Reformed Church to give us a clearer direction on this.