Home First, then the World

-the beloved of the LORD are to hand down their witness for the Gospel and the covenant to their heirs; these, in turn, are to hand it down to their descendants. This is our first duty. We are to begin with the family. He who does not begin his ministry at home is a bad preacher. The unsaved are to be sought by all means, and the “highways and hedges” (Luke 14:23) are to be searched, but home has a prior claim. Woe to those who reverse the order of the LORD’S arrangement. Teaching our children God’s ways is a personal duty; we cannot delegate it to Sunday school teachers or other friendly helpers. They can assist us, but they cannot deliver us from our sacred obligation; proxies and sponsors are wicked instruments under these conditions. Mothers and fathers must, like Abraham, instruct their households in the fear of God and talk with their offspring concerning the wondrous works of the Most High. Parental teaching is a natural duty. Who are best able to look to a child’s well-being as those who are the authors of his physical being? To neglect the instruction of our offspring is worse than foolish. Family religion is necessary for the family itself, for the nation, and for the church of God. One of the most effective means of preventing unbelief and doctrinal error is the instruction of children in the faith. However, this means is all but being neglected. Parents must realize the importance of this matter. It is a pleasant duty to talk to our sons and daughters about Jesus, and even more so because it has often proven to be an accepted work. –Charles H. Spurgeon