Homeschooling is Discipleship - Part One

During the 18th century, most elementary education was directed by the vision of the father and the daily labors of the mother. The most prominent textbook was the Bible. If you read some of the writings from that day, the average housewife of that era was more knowledgeable of the scriptures than most of our modern preachers, and that’s not an overstatement. They were so familiar with the Word of God that it was a part of their every breath! At the dinner table, the family discussed all the issues of the day in the context of the Bible.

Perhaps you’ve home-schooled long enough to wonder if you are on the right track? What could be better than the most successful discipleship center in the history of mankind? More fruitful disciples have come from the “home school” than any other type of school in history. Most godly missionaries have completed discipleship-at-home training. Reflecting on your home you might feel, “I hope we can establish successful discipleship one of these days, that would really be wonderful!” What you mean is that your home is deficient (by your judgment) and it is hard for you to see its value as a discipleship center for your children.

When we started out, my wife and I worried that our children were going to be deficient in some academic areas.  We were emotionally pressed by our concerns and were impressed to pray for God to add to our resources. We literally got down on our knees and prayed, asking the Lord for direction and help which he wonderfully gave. We were tempted to ask, “Why teach our children when we feel so inadequate compared to a polished classroom environment?” How thankful we are today that God allowed us to see and embrace His design for the family.

I was teaching at a Christian school at the time so I knew what a polished school environment looked like. Why would we choose to teach our children at home if someone else could do a better job? For my wife and me, the issue came down to a simple question, “Who’s smarter, God or man?” I remembered 1 Cor. 1:25, “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” In other words, the smartest thing that a man can do is exceedingly less smart than the “dumbest” thing that God could do. The question wasn’t about how well we could perceive what to give our children, but rather, could we trust the Creator of the universe who designed our home by His wisdom? By God’s design we are going to significantly minister to our children even when we feel unqualified in what we are doing.

Being a Family is a Battle of Faith

Being a family is a battle of faith. Should you trust your feelings that say you don’t have much to offer. Or should you trust God who made your family to be a place for nurturing your children even beyond your understanding? God’s design for the family is His wonderful wisdom at work in you and your whole family! (see Malachi 2:15)

Think about a roof. There are all different kind of roofs, but all roofs have at least two purposes. They keep the water and sunlight out from where they don’t belong. How intellectual is a roof? How many roofs get up in the morning and think, “My job is to shed water and block light today, am I properly prepared to do that? Shingles, how are you doing?” Do roofs worry like this? Never! They reflect the intellect of their maker and do what they were designed to do. Are we not better than a roof?

God made man and the first significant thing that he did was to place man in a family environment to promote and preserve His eternal purposes in mankind. God chose the family to be the place where children would be born and nurtured. The family is all about God’s design. Think about God’s purpose for discipleship of children. Family operates by priorities. If you are a family you have priority problems all the time. God intends for us to battle with priorities. At the Fall in the Garden, God increased our needs and decreased our resources. (Genesis 3:16-17) The resulting frustration is a family matter by God’s design. In your weaknesses and shortcomings you will learn as a family what it means to pursue God and His hope of glory. (Romans 8:20-24) The growing Christian family is growing in repentance from worldly wisdom in all areas.

Repentance Leads The Way

Repentance means to change one’s mind about what is really important and as a result, to change one’s behavior and actions. A Christian must trust God and embrace His wisdom and design above his own perception of how that design is working. By Faith, you must embrace the wisdom of God and recognize that your children are under the ministry of God’s chosen home and they will be blessed with the blessings that God intended (even in hardships!). Repentance makes a choice. More than any opportunity outside of home, your children need your family environment in order to learn the kinds of things that God intended. In due time the Lord will provide other outside helps when they are needed.

Now frankly that’s a promise of Jesus! “…Your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. …Seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (see Matthew 6:30-34)

When you seek God’s heavenly kingdom by repentance, God will add to you all the things the Gentiles worry about. That very well may be math or science or what not. Since that is the case, what is the objective we should have in our homes as Christians? Our objective is to make disciples of our children. That is God’s call upon every believer. We are saved and called to make disciples, and the first place for making disciples is the family, your home and mine.

Part 2 next month…