II. When and Where Should We Instruct Children?

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 - We should teach continually (walking, sitting, lying, etc.). Consider some specific applications:

A. Begin Early

A child's character is formed primarily in his early years, so we must begin early to instill God's word.

2 Timothy 3:15 - Timothy knew the Scriptures "from childhood."

Matthew 21:15,16 - Jesus appreciated praise from the mouth of babes and nursing infants. God and His will should be among the very first things that children learn. From the time they learn to talk, they should grow up talking about God.

Bob and Sandra Waldron tell of a mother who took a Bible story book to the hospital to read to her child from the time it was first born. They encourage mothers to read Bible stories when they nurse their babies. The baby won't understand the words but will grow up understanding the importance of Bible study and will always have pleasant memories of it. (A Generation that Knows Not God, p. 137)

Some people say, "It's not right to indoctrinate a little child. Let him grow up and decide for himself what he believes."

Or they say, "I don't think you should make a child go to church or Bible class."

However, you can't avoid indoctrinating a child. There is no way to be neutral about God (Matt. 12:30). If you serve God faithfully, then your child will see and hear you living and teaching God's word. But if you never do or say anything about God, then you will teach the child that God is unimportant. Either way you are teaching the child about religion.

Furthermore, Satan will attempt to indoctrinate your child. Do you think Satan will wait till the child is grown before he places temptations and false teachings before him? You must begin early to teach the truth, or Satan will win by default!

In a garden, good plants must be cultivated, but weeds grow by themselves. So we must teach children the truth early, or Satan will fill their lives with spiritual weeds.

So the fact is that the child will be indoctrinated regardless of what we do or don't do. The only question is: What values will he be taught? To fail to teach truth is to guarantee that Satan will teach him lies and cause him to be lost eternally.

The only one who really gains if we don't teach our children early is Satan. And he is the ultimate source of the view that parents should not indoctrinate children. When you hear people say "don't indoctrinate children," you can be sure they are not faithful Christians. Knowingly or unknowingly, they are tools of Satan.

God commands us to teach, and to begin early.

When children are small, anticipate later problems, and begin to instill habits that will prevent those problems.

It is a simple fact that proper training when a child is young will help him avoid most of the serious spiritual problems that teenagers face. If a child is going to have a problem, it usually begins in early years; then it grows as the child grows. When teenage years come, it may be too late to change the child. Yes, we should continue to train our teens, but the best way to avoid serious problems is to train them properly long before they become teens!

For example, when I was in the fourth grade, the schools wanted to teach us to dance, but my parents refused. One might reason that a fourth-grader would not be likely to lust. But by starting young, my parents trained me not to dance. When I became a teenager, dancing was never an issue. But if you let a child dance when he is young, it becomes far more difficult to get him to quit when the lusts of adolescence come.

The same principle applies in many other areas.

B. Attend ALL Church Assemblies and Classes

This too should begin early in a child's life.

Bring him from the age he is first able to go anywhere. Even though he does not understand what is being said, yet your example will permanently instill the fact that these meetings are very important. (Parents are also learning an important lesson of commitment to God that strengthens them and gives them the assurance they did their best.)

Your child should never be able to remember a time when he did not attend church meetings regularly.

Regular attendance should be so routine that the whole family automatically knows that everyone will attend every meeting (Heb. 10:25; Acts 11:26).

There should never be any doubt in anyone's mind where they will be Sunday evening, mid-week classes, gospel meetings, etc. Every family member should view this as a pre-determined appointment.

Less important matters (school activities, sports, musical activities, etc.) should never be allowed to hinder church meetings. That also applies to jobs. Working a job may be good for teens, but they have no God-given obligation to provide for the family like their fathers do. So how can they be justified in missing church for work?

Children should be trained from the beginning to seek first the kingdom and sacrifice for the cause of Christ (Matt. 6:33; Rom. 12:1,2).

Parents should make sure all family members come with their lessons prepared.

Parents must set the proper example by having their own lessons prepared. They should also check with teachers from time to time to see how their children are doing. Church meetings and classes are only part of the teaching children need, but the least parents can do is to bring their children to meetings on time and well-prepared.

Many parents have been indifferent and irregular regarding attendance, only to find that their children grow up and decide not to attend at all. But by then it is too late for the parents to change them. What a shame!

How regular is your family in attending church meetings?