30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 17 1-2 Children and the kingdom of God 14 Cultivate the spirit of enquiry in the child
📖 Luke 17:1-2
22Jun2020 - *Cultivate the spirit of enquiry in the child* - _Luke 17:1-2_ - Bible reading: _Exodus 12:26-27_
_Luke 17:1-2 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! (2) It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones._
We have understood that as parents and as a whole community we are responsible for the edification of the child. The dimensions of nurture or edification of a child are presented to us in scripture. _Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men._
The goal of all edification is to present every man (child) perfect in Christ. With this goal being clear, we can bring much strength to the quality of edification that we provide for children. Let us also remember that we are always nurturing the child to be part of the body of Christ, which is also growing into the fullness of Christ.
*Cultivate the spirit of enquiry in the child*
Children are naturally curious and we must cultivate the spirit of enquiry in them and not douse the flames. _Exodus 12:26-27 And it shall be, when your children say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?' (27) that you shall say, 'It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.' " So the people bowed their heads and worshiped._
In the most unexpected and maybe in an awkward moment, our children will raise questions of eternal significance. We must be prepared in the Lord and when such opportunities arise, we must lead them to the eternal truth of the gospel, the Holy Spirit leading us.
If we get irritated, brush their questions away or give them a vague answer then there will be two effects. One is that we will have lost the opportunity to lead them to the fount of living water and secondly, the lesson that they will learn from us is to behave in exactly the same way in which we have demonstrated to them. They will mirror us.
_(Parents give all kinds of false stories to make their young children eat their food or do their homework. What have parents done? They may have managed to get the child the do what they wanted the child to do but the *lasting lesson that they have built into the child is on how to tell false stories to get their way*.)_
_Exodus 13:14 So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is this?' that you shall say to him, 'By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage._ Every question that the child raises is an opportunity to talk about the faithfulness of God and of our dependence on Him. Children must learn from us as to how the Lord has led us over the years and the lessons that we have learnt over life’s journey.
From a very young age, our children must observe and know from us that our life is an outcome of God’s grace and our faith in Him and not about our accomplishments. Children will pick up the lesson of faith very quickly.
_Deuteronomy 6:20 “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?' Deuteronomy 6:24 And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day._
Questions that children raise are the opportunities to explain the righteousness of God. As they journey with us, they must witness, first-hand, on how we obey the word of God in all circumstances and the cost that we have had to pay to live by His word. They must know that as a family, we are not just those who believe in the Bible, in theory, but that we are a family who will bring God’s word into everyday life application.
*Thought to ponder*
```When speaking with children, get down to their eye level. Do not talk down at them.```