“Every parent wishes the best for his children — the best in health, in education, in opportunity, in companionship, and, most of all, in character.” — from “The Pentecostal Evangel,” August 3, 1958.
The advice from that article, a reprint from an unknown writer for “Bible Society Record,” is still good.
“The Bible has been the cornerstone of Christian homes,” that writer says. “The home is where the Bible was first used by Christians. The churches met in homes. The schools, likewise. These have outgrown the home, but the Bible still does its best work in its original setting.”
The Sunday school movement, a cross-denominational effort, began because the Bible was neglected in homes. Sunday schools were first set up in England in the 1700s to provide education to working children.
“Too much cannot be said of Sunday school,” the article writer says. “Wise parents will attend it themselves, not only to encourage their children to go, but to improve their own knowledge and love of the Bible. But far more can be done for the development of character through the use of the Bible in the home than anywhere else.”
Worshiping as a family is part of God’s plan for a Christian family, the writer says. “Should Bible-reading be a ‘must' in every Christian home? Are family devotions impossible in our crowded, busy life? The best place to learn and understand and love the Bible is where the family group reads and studies it as naturally as they read and discuss other matters.”
“Fathers, … bring them [children] up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4 ESV).
The Bible is one Book that can be enjoyed together at home and supplies light to live by. The writer says the first step is for parents themselves to read, know, and enjoy the Bible. We should say, “There is one thing I can do, and I am going to do it. I am going to see that our child know and loves the Bible.”
The Bible can become one of the great links between home and church, the writer says.
He says the church is doing a good job in training youths in Sunday school. Today, however, is that true? It now seems harder to get people to attend Sunday school. Churches with longer praise-and-worship services tend to de-emphasize Sunday school. People’s attention spans are challenged by long services, and Sunday school may seem unimportant. But, fellowship and line-by-line teaching are available in Sunday school, or “Bible study” if you think the term “Sunday school” is outdated.
Meanwhile, back at “home”:
Bible reading with the family should not be about an exact amount of reading but the regularity of it — the habit of it, the writer says. By doing this, you establish your children in a Bible-reading habit. Read daily, if possible. Read at morning or evening meals or before bedtime. If you can’t read daily together, do it weekly, maybe on Saturday or on Sunday, the Lord’s Day.
“Let great hymns and pictures help illuminate the message from the pages of the Good Book,” the writer says. “At dinner or after reading, diversion is often found in naming a place of importance and asking what event took place there. A Bible character may be mentioned and followed up by a statement as to why he or she was worthy of being remembered.”
Perhaps you can designate a place in your living room or den where a small family Bible could be kept. Perhaps a Bible dictionary or book of Bible maps could be kept there to help understand God’s Word, the writer says. “Besides its practical convenience, the visible presence of such a Bible corner lays constant emphasis upon the fact that the Bible is different from and more important than any other book in the house. The successful use of the Bible in the home lies with the parents. … If children are to love the Word, it must first be in the hearing of the parents — not just in their heads, but in their hearts, directing their lives.”
Wise parents teach the Word of God diligently to their children by making the Bible a part of their daily conversation, the writer says. Reading and quoting the Bible should be as natural in the Christian home as speaking about the weather.
“When used reverently, intelligently, and regularly, the Bible can transform family living — and habits and actions of individuals within the home,” the writer says.
