THE FAMILY COVENANT

 

The God of the Bible is a God of the family. The fact that God is not only our God, but the God of our children, the God of our families, is emphatically taught throughout the Scriptures, and should be regarded as a source of comfort to Christian parents in all ages and under all circumstances. God-fearing parents may, in confidence, claim the promise for their children, “I will be their God” (Gen 17:8). It is on this basis that Paul declares that if one parent is a believer, the other members of the family are “sanctified” by the covenant relationship, “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.” (1 Cor 7:14).

The spiritual education of the covenant family is emphasised in the great command of Deuteronomy 6:4-7, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

Throughout the Scriptures there is a strong emphasis upon the parental-filial relationship. Of Abraham, God said, “Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him … For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment;…” (Gen 18:18-19).

Teaching the Bible to our children is a must. This should be done right from birth. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up [catechise] a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Fathers are commanded, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph 6:4). Do not infuriate but influence your children in the right way towards godliness. Guide them with the wisdom of God as found in His Word, and grant them the freedom to learn and explore within proper limits and boundaries as long as they do not violate the laws of God.

Mothers ought to pray and sing the words of Scripture when feeding, bathing, playing with their baby. A child’s first words should not only be Papa and Mama but also Jesus. It is vital that mothers be in the full-time work of bringing up their children in the Lord and in His Word (cf. 2 Tim 1:5). This should be especially so within the first seven years of a child’s life, for it is the time of their spiritual formation. If they are trained well in the Christian way, they shall not stray from the Lord in their youth and adult life when temptations come fast and furious. The roots of faith must sink in deep and strong for them to withstand the relentless onslaughts of youthful lusts.

Children ought to be disciplined when they are disobedient. Contrary to modern and godless psychology, the rod is truly an effective tool to inculcate values and virtues in their young hearts and minds (Prov 13:24, 19:18, 22:15, 23:13–14, 29:15, 17). When disciplining our children, it is important to ensure that they understand why they have been disciplined in the light of God’s commandments.

Children are not only to be taught at home but also in church. They should participate in the worship services from young so that they know and understand the holiness of God and the solemnity of worshipping God. They should be enrolled in the Sunday school and join the fellowship meetings not only to study the Bible but also to make good Christian friends that would last a life-time. Dr Carl McIntire rightly said, “The hope of preserving our future is wrapped up entirely in our children.” He also rightly warned, “When you are training children without the knowledge of the Word of God, the floodgates are open, the churches are empty, and the lovers of pleasure take over instead of the lovers of God.” Pray the Lord to save our children. JK

TWO NEW FELLOWSHIPS

Praise the Lord for church members who have a burden for mothers and children. Here are two new fellowships to cater to the growing spiritual needs of our mothers and children.

Mums of True Life

“Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.” (Prov 31:25-28). The Proverbs 31 woman is the oft-quoted role model in scripture for mothers, wives and ladies. A mother’s role is an important one, more so in a covenant home. Mothers are called to nurture and nourish the children spiritually and physically with wisdom, kindness, joy and diligence. This is a challenging journey wrought with many struggles unique to those the Lord has called to be mothers.

For the purpose of spiritual growth, mutual encouragement and fellowship, a group of mothers have gathered monthly at cottage meetings and outings since May this year. We call ourselves “Mums of True Life” (MTL). Our cottage meetings consisted of a message by Rev Samuel Joseph, singing of hymns, sharing and prayer followed by food fellowship contributed by attendees. Our first two messages were on discipleship and disciplining of children. Besides cottage meetings, we have also visited a fellow mum-in-Christ, met for a walk at Rifle Range Nature Park, and organised an outing during the September School Holidays.

Come 2024, we look forward to regular meetings on the first Friday morning of the month. God willing, messages will focus on mothers in the Bible. We welcome all mothers, grandmothers, those preparing to be mothers and all who are in nurturing roles to join us. We hope more can attend the MTL meetings for the learning of God’s Word, sweet fellowship and mutual edification. Ee Jia

Lively Children’s Fellowship

“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 3:14, 15) 

In God’s good time and according to His sovereign will and plan, a new fellowship group—Lively Children’s Fellowship (LCF)—will be inaugurated on Saturday December 16 to minister to the children in our midst. With fellowship groups catering for the adults, men, ladies, young adults, youth, and families, as well as the Chinese-speaking brethren already established over the years, we must not forget the precious children whom God has placed alongside us in this body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” The danger of our children being influenced by the world is very real as they spend most of their time in school with their school friends, many of whom are non-Christians. In comparison, they do not get to spend as much time with their church friends. It is important for the children to have fellowship with friends from church so that they may “provoke [one another] unto love and to good works” (Heb 10:24).

With more avenues for the children to learn God’s Word together and play together, we pray that as they are grounded in the faith, they can at the same time, form firm and enduring friendships that are rooted in Christ from a young age. The burden for them is that rather than having ungodly peers as their close friends who will draw them away from God, they will have godly friends to walk together in this life (cf. Amos 3:3). God-fearing friends will encourage one another to keep on following and obeying Christ no matter the challenges that may arise. Practically, they can help bear one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2) and keep one another in check when faced with temptations to sin.

Thus, the aims of the Children’s Fellowship are: (i) To teach the children the Word of God that sinners may be saved, and believers be sanctified and established in the faith; (ii) To foster godly friendships that are premised on the fear of God and a shared bond in Christ.

God willing, each meeting will begin with a time of singspiration, followed by the Bible lesson which will be conducted in two classes (Preschool and Primary). After a snack break, the children will have an activity time to end off the session. Interacting informally over snacks and activities provides a good opportunity for the children to build their relationships with their friends.

The inaugural meeting will be a Christmas-themed gathering on December 16, Saturday, 3.30 pm at the home of Rev and Mrs Samuel Joseph. Thereafter, the LCF will meet every second Saturday of the month, 3.30 pm to 5 pm, God willing. We thank the Lord for the gracious provision of a conducive place for our meetings through Rev and Mrs Joseph. Psalm 34:11 says, “Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.” Do bring your children to come and join the Lively Children’s Fellowship. We welcome those who would like to serve in this ministry to come join us too. Joycelyn