The Iron Pen #71
"...graven with an iron pen and lead..." Job
19:24
Pastor David L. Brown, Ph.D.
God & Country
In this age there can be no substitute for Christianity: that, in its general
principles, is the great conservative element on which we must rely for the purity and
permanence of free institutions. That was the religion of the founders of the republic,
and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants. There is a great and
very prevalent error on this subject in the opinion that those who organized this
Government did not legislate on religion. (An excerpt from Mr.
Meacham’s report of the House Committee on the Judiciary received by the Congress of
the United States of America on March 27th, 1854)
Well-ordered families naturally produce a good order in other societies. When families
are under an ill discipline, all other societies being therefore ill disciplined, will
feel that error in the first concoction. -- Dr. Cotton Mather (1663-1728)
Five Parenting Responsibilities
David L. Brown
There are five key responsibilities in parenting that are pointed out
in the Bible. Let's look at each of these responsibilities individually.
1. Education -- Deuteronomy 6: 1-9
The primary persons responsible for a child's education are the
parents. I might add, the primary things to be taught are biblical values (Ephesians
6:4).
Parenting is a joint effort! Proverbs 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of thy
father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.
2. Communication - Deuteronomy 6:7; James 1:19
Parents need to have open, often (daily), communication with their
children. Real communication includes talking and listening! Hear your children out, even
if you disagree (Proverbs 18:13), provided they are calm and respectful. Then lay the
Bible grid alongside the situations they face in life and teach them how to implement its
instructions.
3. Participation – Deuteronomy 6:6-7
It is obvious from Deuteronomy 6 that God expects us to be involved
in the lives of our children. While it is true that we no longer live in an agricultural
society, we still need to be involved in the lives of our children. Do things with them!
Plan activities that involve them. Go to their school activities. Participation in the
lives of your children will enable you to see how they behave, who their friends are and
how they interact with others, etc.
4. Regulation -- Proverbs 4:10-27; Proverbs 23:13-14
God expects parents to set clear boundaries for their children. Your
children need to know what the rules are. Commend them for obedience and correct them for
disobedience.
5. Investigation -- Proverbs 18:17
If you are going to be a proper parent and have your children in
order you must regularly be involved in investigation. You must know who they are hanging
around with and who their friends are. You need to know the values of the families of
their friends. Know who they are talking to on the phone, who they are writing and
receiving mail from (e-mail included). You need to know the chat rooms they are visiting,
the web sites they are visiting. What music are they listening to? What videos are they
watching and what video games are they playing? You need to know where they are going and
what they are doing and don't always take their word for it. Check it out! Then respond
accordingly. Curtail wrong friendship (1 Corinthians 15:33; Psalm 1). Prohibit wrong
music, games, videos and TV (Proverbs 4:23; Proverbs 23:7). Stop questionable activities.
Remember, God holds you responsible for training up your children in the way they should
go, not the way they want to go. In fact, your children are a reflection of your
parenting.
Remember parents are responsible for parenting their children---not the
day care center, not the neighbor lady, not the government, not the school system, not
even the church. Rearing children is the parent's job according to the Bible.
Don’t Neglect The Family
We must have a special eye upon families, to see that they are well ordered, and the
duties of each relation performed. The life of religion, and the welfare and glory of both
the Church and the State, depend much on family government and duty. If we suffer the
neglect of this, we shall undo all. -- Rev. Richard Baxter (1615-1691)
Three Kinds of Confession
Dr. Oswald J. Smith - Sermon for 1959
1. Private Confession -- Psalm 51:1-4
If the sin has been committed against God and God alone, then it need only to be to
confessed to God and it will be forgiven.
2. Personal Confession -- Luke 15:18-21
If a sin has been committed against another individual, it can never be forgiven until
you go to the other individual and make right the wrong. To be right with God is to be
right with man, and to be wrong with man is to be wrong with God. You cannot be right with
God and be wrong with man. There must be personal confession.
3. Public Confession – 1 Corinthians 5:1-7
If the sin is known publicly, if the whole church knows about it, then there can never
be forgiveness until the confession has been publicly made, for public sin must be
publicly confessed.
"Christian, fill thy life with most explicit acknowledgments of the glorious God,
and acts of obedience to him." -- Dr. Cotton Mather (1663-1728)
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