Christianity Begins at Home
“The greatest influence on a child’s life is their parents; what they do, how they act, and what they say. A few short years after they are born, they will leave for a life of their own, and they will either be following God or they will not.”
Deuteronomy 4:9 warns us to be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. It goes on to say, “Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” If the word of God warns us to watch ourselves closely so as to not let truth slip from us or our children, then that means that it is possible for this to happen.
A friend told his story just a few days ago that neither he, nor his children attend church anymore. They saw some things that bothered them in the church they attended, got offended and slowly, over a period of years found them no longer involved in church or sadly, the things of God.
Furthermore…
Verse 10 continues with further instruction: Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach these words to their children. The primary responsibility to carry the word to the next generation is the parents.
But this scripture reveals another responsibility to all generations that follow: all the people are to be assembled in a group setting. In these group settings, according to the Word, the children need to be taught just as the adults are. Children will receive more if they are taught at their own level. One wouldn’t expect an eight year old to perform calculus. Similarly, eight year olds need the Word of God broken down to a level they can understand.
(Excerpt from The Secret Door)