Keeping Watch over the Next Generation
The summer holidays will soon be over, and it is again time
for the offspring of our brothers and sisters to prepare for a new school year.
I¡¦m sure you¡¦ve all had an enjoyable get-together period with the family. I
hope that it wasn¡¦t the fun of fishing or clamming that most attracted you this
summer, but rather the feasting at the spiritual banquet during our summer
camp, when you were deeply attracted by the great love of our Lord to strive
for more growth in your spiritual lives, and to testify whole-heartedly for the
Lord.
With the beginning of the new school year in September, some
children and youth will switch to a different fellowship for their meetings,
and 7 youngsters will transfer from the Children¡¦s Worship to the English
Worship. The church has always assigned flocks by school grade level, and used
the age-group method when shepherding in its children and youth ministries
(including fellowships and Sunday School). This arrangement allows children and
youth who are within a few grade levels and years of age of each other to
receive the appropriate Biblical teaching and spiritual training. The writer
hopes to encourage everyone through this communication to express more concern
for the next generation of this church and to pray ardently for our children
and youth.
This writer believes that Christian parents play a most
important role in the spiritual nurturing and character development of children
and youth. Tutors at the church can only assist from the sidelines. The Bible
clearly points out that it is the duty of parents to teach and discipline their
children ¡V ¡§Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in
the training and instruction of the Lord.¡¨ (Ephesians 6:4) Consider that there
are 168 hours in a week. Tutors at the church are only in contact with your
children for not more than 6 of them (fellowships and Sunday Worship). Their
ability to understand, guide and influence your children is quite limited.
Christian parents must earnestly pray for themselves and the tutors and ask God
to grant grace, love, wisdom and power to raise the next generation.
Besides praying often for tutors and members in service,
Christian parents can also use the following means to support the church¡¦s
children and English ministries ¡V
1. Maintain
more direct communication with the tutors to ascertain their children¡¦s weekly
progress and performance. Encourage them to carry out the Biblical Truth in
school and at home.
2. Cooperate
with the tutors and use the same Biblical principles and standards when
teaching, so that children will not be confused.
3. Encourage
the children to participate in fellowship gatherings and strictly observe
Sunday Worship.
4. Take at
least one Sunday in every two months to join the English Worship with your
children. That way, besides being able to worship as a family, parents will get
to know the spiritual sustenance and needs of their next generation. It is also
a show of support for the members serving in the English ministry.
5. Teach the
children from infancy to dress properly and neatly for Sunday Worship. Instruct
them to go to bed earlier Saturday evening so that they will have sufficient
energy on Sunday to worship and listen to the sermon.
6. Remind the
children to finish their weekly assignments for Sunday School, take care when
using and protect public articles, not be wasteful, maintain cleanliness of the
facilities, and return everything to their original locations after use.
This writer hopes that members will be of one mind in the
Lord, use Biblical Truth in your teaching and ardently pray for and keep watch
over the next generation. May God grant us reverential and obedient children,
so that in this dark age the church may continue to be the Golden Lampstand
that pleases the Lord.
By: Daniel To