Category: Education

Brothers, I’m praying that we would be capable swordsmen able to wield the Word of God well to be disciple makers and biblical counselors in our homes. I pray God would equip us to develop a cultural theology for our families. God has us in this world for a reason, and it is not so we can float along in the worlds cultural lazy river! I pray we are establishing a solid foundation (Matt. 7:24) in our homes. I pray it is cultivated and grows into a Godly culture that the worldly cultural flood can not destroy! ““Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”” Matt. 7:24-27

“We need all of God’s word for all of life, and the biblical counselor’s task is to grasp the word, give it well, and guide souls by it to wholeness in Christ. As the Puritans often remarked, we are to teach “doctrine for life” (1 Tim 1:5).” Counsel from the Confession? 1689 Eschatology and Pastoral Biblical Counseling https://founders.org/2022/02/04/counsel-from-the-confession-1689-eschatology-and-pastoral-biblical-counseling/

In Colossians 2:6-10 “Paul calls on us to be so grounded in Jesus Christ that no one can take you captive with hollow and deceptive philosophies… Christ has given us His Word and that Word is authoritative, sufficient, and final. It teaches us that God is the Creator of this world. He has ordered it… He alone is righteous and He has revealed His righteousness to us in the moral law… In a phrase, this is God’s world and He gets to set the rules.” By What Standard: God’s world… God’s rules https://press.founders.org/shop/by-what-standard-gods-world-gods-rules/ 

““Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”” Matthew 7:24-27 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.7.24-27.ESV

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” Colossians 2:6-10 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/col.2.6-10.ESV

THE GOOD NEWS

There is a God that created the heavens and the earth. We humans are created in His image.

We are sinners, we have rebelled against Him, our Creator. Our rebellion has brought “all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice… envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness” to the world. Romans 1:29-31 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.1.29-31.ESV

Therefore we justly deserve our due punishment of death and damnation, “as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’” Romans 3:10-12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.3.10-12.ESV

But good news! God is merciful and loving. Jesus is God the only begotten Son and He took our punishment upon Himself in our place. Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death and securing the hope of our salvation. 

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.15.3-8.ESV

““Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”” Acts 2:36-38 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/act.2.36-38.ESV

We need only repent and believe it. Repent: turn away from our sins, proclaim Jesus is lord and savior, and we will be forgiven our sins and have life ever after! “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”” Romans 10:9-11 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.10.9-11.ESV

There is hope. Believe in Jesus! ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.3.16.ESV 

It doesn’t matter who you’ve been or what you’ve done, God stands with arms wide open, ready to forgive you. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1jn.1.9.ESV

“To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:11‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/1pe.5.11.ESV

Brothers tomorrow, March 2 2022, starts the 40 day devotional season leading to Easter. I’ve chosen a “40 Days of Lent” reading plan to read in our household. I’m praying for sweet time in God’s word for our household and yours. Praying for growing faith and hunger to know God more in our children. Praying for the good news of Christ’s redeeming work on the cross and His resurrection from the dead to work in them and through them in everything they do for all of their lives. All to the glory of God our Savior! “To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 5:11 ESV

40 Days of Lent reading plan: https://www.bible.com/en/reading-plans/85

“Lent has always been a time to turn our attention to all that has been done for us on the cross in Christ. This lavish gift can be meditated on year after year, and still would leave us to wonder in amazement. Through this reading plan, you will walk through the gospel accounts in chronological order, tracing the steps of Jesus during his last week of his earthly ministry. This plan is 47 days in length, but the seven Sundays are days of rest according to tradition.”

We have been told that we people are the chance result of impersonal chaos working its dark magic on the universe… The outcome of such thinking? Humanity is disenchanted…

But this is not the biblical account of man… God, the beautiful one, made the human race as his capstone work, his corporeal masterpiece (Ps 8:3-6; 27:4) … The imago dei marks out humanity as an enchanted race. Tragically, humanity disenchanted itself by following the anti-wisdom of the serpent…

If we have assumed… that our children learned what they needed to know simply by ecclesial and cultural osmosis, let us be clear that we may hold this assumption no longer. Now is not the time to play down our doctrine of mankind; now is the time to teach it with confidence and with joy, seeking to be witnesses to fellow sinners and guides to all God’s flock.

“Reenchanting Humanity: a theology of mankind” by Owen Strachan

Brothers, today I am giving thanks for our Classical Conversations homeschool community and for the demonstration of service and hospitality. There are many prayers needed. There have been lost loved ones and illnesses. If you know a family in need of prayer reach out, pray, and show love and hospitality. 

“Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”
Romans 12:13 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.12.13.ESV

“True community is something that develops as the result of interwoven relationships, and that requires an ethos of hospitality… In order to have a flourishing Christian community, it is necessary for the children of that community to have a shared experience of godly education… Education is one of the central instruments given to us by God for the establishment and perpetuation of a culture.” Gashmu Saith It: How to build Christian communities that save the world, by Douglas Wilson https://canonpress.com/products/gashmu-saith-it/ 

Brothers, I’m praying we would be filled with the Holy Spirit and trusting in Him as we prepare our children, as we lead our households, and as we witness to the Kingdom of Heaven in this world. Praying for good health through cold, flu, and covid season.

“Prepare your children to stand up in the battlefield. Prepare your children to stand upon the Word of God. Prepare your children to have confidence in the Word of God. The greatest legacy we leave our children and grandchildren is not a great education, good and important as that may be… the greatest legacy, the best legacy, the most enduring legacy, is to teach them to appreciate, revere, and obey the Word of God.” A message from Dr. @MichaelAYoussef to Christian parents https://twitter.com/leadingtheway/status/1476346087296413698?s=21 

“God loves to work through small bands of hard men… a local gang of hard men who can train together – theologically, physically, spiritually – and start to multiply through discipleship and household building. A psalm-singing, worship gang of holy troublemakers… a few good men dedicated to worship-centered culture building and defending the perimeter… The nuclear center of God’s plan for establishing order in the cosmos starts with one man and one woman coming together to produce offspring and live out God’s creational, sexual, hierarchical order (Ephesians 5)” Slaying the Feminist Leviathan by Eric Conn, Fight Laugh Feast issue 2.3 Fall 2021

“You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” Deuteronomy 6:7 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/deu.6.7.ESV

Brothers, I pray you had a blessed Christmas, and as we come to celebrating the start of a new year, I pray that you will find rhythm and consistency in family worship, devotions, and instruction. I listened to two young fathers give their testimony on growing up in Christian homes and what they experienced from their new fathers perspective. Rhythm and consistency were two keys mentioned.

Delano Squires | Why Black Men Must Lead the Battle in Saving the Nuclear Family https://founders.org/interviews/tstt-delano-squires-why-black-men-must-lead-the-battle-in-saving-the-nuclear-family/

“They discuss the impact of growing up in a christian home and the importance of the nuclear family. They discuss the war that is being waged by Black Lives Matter, Radical Feminists and others on the nuclear family in the black community. How do we fight back with Gospel truth? How do we have these conversations as Christians?”

https://the-sword-and-the-trowel.castos.com/player/878637

Schools Intentionally Dumbing Down Children for Control as Education Becomes Politicized: Alex Newman https://link.theepochtimes.com/mkt_app/schools-intentionally-dumbing-down-children-for-control-as-education-becomes-politicized-alex-newman_4180130.html

“If you love your children… remove them from the public school system.”

“Education has come front and center in the United States, where parents are allegedly being targeted through counterterrorism technologies through a request from the school boards. At the same time, the Chinese regime is promoting critical race theory through its state-run media, right here in the United States—raising big questions on why this is happening. To learn more about how parents have gradually gotten less say in what their children are being taught, and how education can be weaponized as a political tool, we’ve invited investigative journalist and Epoch Times contributor Alex Newman to speak with us.”

Of What Use is the Law? Three Purposes https://founders.org/2014/11/24/of-what-use-is-the-law-three-purposes/?fbclid=IwAR1nzqZ4ojjesdXGn_yS1245LpSnfPBSqqn3n0c_DR7ySj_yH4Bw2ksks3k

“Recently, after our family had completed its daily devotional time together, my oldest son asked me a very insightful question: How do the Ten Commandments apply to us today if they were given so long ago in the Old Testament? … In his venerable systematic theology, the Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin set forth three “uses” for the moral law of God. The Lord of history has given His law, Calvin wrote, to serve as…”

“A mirror. Calvin argued that the law functions to expose our sin and unrighteousness. When a sinner looks into the mirror of God’s law, he sees himself as he really is: depraved, sinful, wretched, undone, lost and in need of cleansing, in need of a savior…”

“A restrainer of evil. The law of God functions to keep evildoers from being as bad as they otherwise might be. Thus, to some degree it serves to protect God’s people from the sinful machinations of the ungodly, Calvin argued…”

“A revelation of the will of God. Believers, who have been transformed by the gospel, Calvin wrote, need the law as well, certainly not as a means of salvation, but as a guide to sanctification. The law reveals God’s perfect righteousness and reveals that which is pleasing to him. A believer can come to delight in God’s commands, however, only after his heart has been regenerated by God’s grace through the gospel. Wrote Calvin…”

Full article: https://founders.org/2014/11/24/of-what-use-is-the-law-three-purposes/?fbclid=IwAR1nzqZ4ojjesdXGn_yS1245LpSnfPBSqqn3n0c_DR7ySj_yH4Bw2ksks3k

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1jn.3.8.ESV

Brothers, Are we sons of Issachar, understanding the times we are in and knowing what to do about them? And are we preparing and equipping our children as citizens and ambassadors of the Kingdom of God in these times? Brothers I’m praying we make our best effort. I’m praying God the Holy Spirit would dwell in our children keeping them firm in the faith and courageous to stand in the truth.

Just a note on the role of Ambassador. We are sent to a nation to represent our King and His Kingdom, but if we don’t understand the culture and other dynamics in the nations we are sent to we may not be effective.

“Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.” 1 Chronicles 12:32 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1ch.12.32.ESV

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127:3-5 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.127.3-5.ESV

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/eph.6.4.ESV

Why? What is going on? Our local and American culture is not what it was. It is post-Christian. We should consider this as we disciple our children.

Listen to this important news brief: CrossPolitic daily news brief. Important message. https://crosspolitic.com/podcast/daily-news-brief-for-wednesday-december-15-2021/

Hey brothers, hope thanksgiving was a joy. I love the advent season and the teaching and discipleship opportunities it brings. Praying for sweet times reflecting on Immanuel, God with us, this month for every household in our community. Pray for continued good health and healing through the covid/flu season.

John Newton: Exhibit “A” For Why We Should Catechize Our Children “Catechesis was one factor in helping John Newton (1725–1807) finish well… Newton was converted amid a providentially ordained storm at sea. But the foundation for his encounter with grace was laid those first seven years at home… Parents, catechize your children, and watch God work. It may please him to open their blind eyes now, or perhaps later. Indeed, memorized truth could eventually become a light in a dark place, as it was for the great blasphemer who became a Jesus lover.” https://founders.org/2017/08/17/john-newton-exhibit-a-for-why-we-should-catechize-our-children/

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me;
I once was lost, but now I’m found,
Was blind, but now I see.

To know God

“For what higher, more exalted, and more compelling goal can there be than to know God?”

J. I. Packer, Knowing God

Brothers, I am praying today that we would know God more, and that we would find joy in making Him known to our children. I pray that by making family worship and Bible study a priority in our homes their hearts would rejoice in knowing Him.

“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

John 17:3 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.17.3.ESV

““You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

Deuteronomy 11:18-19 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/deu.11.18-19.ESV

“Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.””

Jeremiah 9:23-24 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jer.9.23-24.ESV