Ephesians 6:1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right."
The previous two posts showed us how the parents need revival and why. Today we'll look at how the children in the home need revival and why.
Our children should not be in a hurry to grow up. A lot of children want to grow up quickly. It's also sad to say that even a lot of parents want their children to grow up quickly and get out of the house. Children want out of the house because they want their independence and to be able to live their own lives without the boundaries and rules of their parents controlling their lives. Parents want their children out of the house because they feel they have done their raising of them and that it is time for them to go out on their own and experience life. Neither of them knows or thinks about what the consequences could be for this taking place. Our children need their parents to stay in their lives to protect them and help keep them from making decisions that would harm them.
Children should not talk back to their parents. Years ago a child 12 years of age would be found playing with toy cars and trucks in the dirt making roads for them and ponds to drive them into and through. Today 12 year olds are being taught about sex and having babies or being given birth control.
Years ago children were taught discipline. Today problems are taking place in homes because the children aren't being taught what was taught when I was a child. I was taught to respect my parents and obey them. Did I always respect and obey them? No I didn't. But if I didn't there were consequences to be suffered.
Parents need to teach their children to respect them and they need to teach them to respect them. They also need to teach them to respect the preacher. They need to be taught to respect their teachers and their principal. There is little respect for anyone in authority where the young person is concerned these days. Unfortunately they learn it from their parents in a lot of homes.
There is an umbrella of protection and authority that God has in place over the home. It is God's will for a child to stay at home until marriage. Age is not a factor. Mom and Dad are an umbrella to their children. The children need to stay under that umbrella. When the daughter leaves the home in marriage...she leaves from her daddy being head over her to live with her husband who then becomes her head.
When children reach the age of graduation and leave to go to college they are stepping out from under that umbrella. Parents need to be careful not to encourage that. Education is not everything. The problem is...is that a lot of young people want out for one reason or another. There are those that get out and get an apartment. God never intended for that to be so. God wants our children to stay home under momma and daddy.
Daddy has some wisdom. Children don't realize that though. A lot of children feel they know more than momma and daddy.
Our children also need to realize that there is no set age for marriage. Each person is ready at different ages. Just because God sends one person their spouse at one age doesn't mean that the next person will be ready by that age. If young people will just seek God and patiently wait till He knows they're ready then it will happen. But it may not be at the same age as your friend. Each young person needs to marry the right one. But until that right one comes along they need to keep their eyes on God. Let God take care of bringing him/her to you.
Children should never forget to honor their parents. Obedience to parents is expected while the child lives at home. Honoring the parents is for life. We never graduate from honoring our parents. A person who honors their parents will live long on the earth. It's a promise of God. Ephesians 6:2-3 "Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth."
If you're a parent...you have a responsibility to God, your children and yourself to have revival. If you are a young person you need revival as well. If God has touched on something in your life through these posts on revival...get those things right with one another and right with God and have revival in your home. If our homes see revival then our churches can and will see revival.
These are notes taken (with some of my own thoughts added) from a message preached by Bro. Marion Atkinson at Faith Baptist Camp on August 10, 2007.
24 comments:
Mrs Julie that is a great post. What is said in this post is foreign to most Christians. I agree if the home see's revival the church then has a chance to see revival.
Bro Tim
Bro. Adkinson's messages were all great. I like to hear good preaching on the home.
What you said about marriage happening at different ages is so true. It's very hard at times to "wait", but it will be worth it in the end to be married to the one God chose for you!
bro. tim....you are right about things like this being foreign to most Christians...and that is sad. Welcome back home...even though you are probably going to be leaving us :( (sniff...sniff).
courtney....I loved Bro. Atkinson's messages too. They really helped me and I know they helped Kristina as well.
I agree mostly and you learned some great things at camp meeting. I might email you privately about some stuff because although I'm not arguing anything, I have a question or two and I don't want to give an appearance of arguing. I agree about children staying at home and about the honourimg and obeying and all that though.
I don't know how much I agree with the children growing up too quickly thing. I'd rather talk to a sensible thirteen year old that knows some stuff than a silly one who's parents still let their child act like they are seven. I do agree with in on some issues though as in the children thinking they are able to leave the home etc.
My husband and I talk about stuff like this quite often since our first baby of hopefully many is due to be born any time.
katy-anne...I appreciate your comments and I don't take you as arguing. I know how you are and how you question some things but that is not taken by me as arguing. Everyone is entitled to their opinion on things.
I really should learn to go into more detail about things I say in these posts. What I meant by growing up too quickly is that young people are missing out on their childhood which they should be allowed to enjoy. Peer pressure and pressure from parents is forcing our children to mature at younger and younger ages. When I was coming up children enjoying being children. These days there is so much pressure on children to like boys/girls at younger and younger ages. They are exposed to grown up things (drugs, pornography, alcohol, etc....I know these are sinful but they are considered grown up things) at such young ages now as opposed to years ago. Girls should be allowed to enjoy barbie dolls and baby dolls. It was common when I was 13 years old to be playing with barbies. If a girl is found to do that at that age these days they are made fun of and told to grow up. Children are just growing up too fast and missing out on their childhood. Once those years are gone they are gone forever. I hope I'm making sense. I know what I'm trying to say I just don't know if I'm getting it across how I want to say it. I'm not saying that a 13 year old should act 7....just that they shouldn't have to act 20 when they are 13.
Yeah I get what you mean...except the Barbie dolls won't be allowed in our house haha...but the baby dolls will. :-)
katy-anne....Oh I know....we don't like them either. But it was the only way I could explain what I was trying to get across. But I was not brought up in a Christian home so I had barbie dolls.
Yet another fantastic post in to this series! Could you imagine what it would be like if all parents would discipline and raise up their children the way that God commands us to? Wow, that would make this world pretty awesome, dont you think? I have a 12 year old daughter and when I was reading this post I got to thinking about her and a kid her age being taught about sex and given birth control and that just sickens me, but it does happen all the time. Todays children are out of control and parents try and put the blame on everything but themselves and their ways of parenting but when it comes down to it, it all falls on the parent.
sis. cindy...you are so right!!
These have been such good posts Sis. Julie. I hope lots of families get to read them. They can be of great help. Thank you, connie fromTexas
sis. connie....I'm glad you have enjoyed these posts. I too help that many read them and receive help from them.
Great post, Amen.
Julie,
These posts are so true and so RIGHT ON....so many families need to hear and heed this....
Deby
sis. deby...you are so right!!
What shocked me was I read the other day of a mother who thought her child was "becoming an adult" and therefore was "able to babysit neighbours children" and then I found out that even though this is a Christian family, that the girl is only 12! I'd be still hiring a (much older) babysitter for a 12 year old, a 12 year old is very much a child. But most of the time my children will be with me anyway. However a 12 year old is far too young to be responsible for other peoples children, or even their own siblings. I'll be sure to teach my children that they aren't to follow instructions given to them by another child.
katy-anne...Unfortunately that sort of thing happens a lot these days.
Wow! I just read all three parts to your series--these are so good, Julie! It is so true, that revival has to start at home, in the hearts of the parents. I love the last paragraph in this post where it says, "...get those things right with one another and right with God and have revival in your home." I think the most powerful thing we can do as Christian parents is, when we have failed our children by not training them in the ways of the Lord, to humble ourselves and go to them and (after repenting to the Lord, of course)apologize for not doing right by God or by them. I have seen this work in our own home through the years and it's been such a blessing for everyone. : )
Thanks for taking the bold stand to post these excellent messages.
sis. mishel...The Lord sure did use these messages to help me as they were being preached. I have many more messages I hope to post.
Julie-
I found this website by "coincidence", but I don't really believe in coincidence. It is such a blessing! I have spent the last two hours reading and reading here! Thank you for being bold and printing things we need to hear. I am also an Independent, Fundamental Baptist, KJV only!
I will continue to visit your site in hopes of learning something new each time!
Shari
Oregon
shari...I do not believe in coincidences. I'm thankful you have gotten a blessing from what has been posted. Thank you for leaving a comment and letting me know.
I agree. Some people in my family think my mom is so "different"..and she is!
I'm a little puzzled - are you against any child of yours getting a higher education, period? In my church, all the pastors have been to college, and most have Masters degrees, so I cannot really imagine this. Or are you simply saying that if a child wants to be, for example, a doctor, he or she should live at home while pursuing their education?
Jenna....I believe (and my husband too) that our children should live at home while pursuing their education. We do not encourage them to live away from home in order to further their education because there is no accountability to their parents in a situation like that. God gives each child parents that those children are to be accountable to as well as God.
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