Where there is true love, home is heaven

【Building a Family Altar Part 1】

What is the core element of "what makes a home a home"? ─Of course it is a "relationship", and it is a relationship that is committed, able to grow, and lasts until death. Even after the physical body passes away, the love and shaping power will still remain. Only with the foundation of family faith inheritance can it be possible to build such a palace of love. How to pass on family faith? "Writing family stories", "Drafting moral wills" (ethical wills), "Holding family reunions" (family reunions), "Building family altars", etc. are all channels worthy of efforts. In the following series of three features, let us first focus on the construction of a home altar.

lifelong beneficiary

As soon as I talk about the family altar, these poems seem to be automatically replayed in my ears...

"The sunrise does not make me sleepy. I get up early to do my duty...", reminding me to go to bed early and get up early to get close to God; "I met the Lord Jesus at the intersection of two roads...", emphasizing that people must do the right thing every day The choice is to follow the Lord single-mindedly; "I was a slave of sin in Egypt, preparing myself for the bitter taste of sin..." The experience of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness reminded me that God is faithful and righteous; the Old Testament Table of Contents "Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua..."; and Table of Contents of the New Testament "Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Acts of the Apostles..." , Rome, Corinth...", it taught me the names and relative positions of the sixty-six books of the Bible, which is a good tool for my whole life.

Yes, they are all Taiwanese songs, because that was my mother tongue when I was a child. Nearly sixty years have passed since I first learned these songs, and I still remember them and still use them. And when I wake up every morning, I silently recite in my heart in Taiwanese ￭ "Heavenly Father, I thank you, and you will give me a new day..." (Heavenly Father, I thank you, and you will give me a new day...), which has become a habit. natural reaction.

All of this started from the family altar in that small wooden building in the downtown area of Tainan, Taiwan! In the early morning, to the beautiful melody of the old organ, a family of ten gets up, does gymnastics, memorizes the Bible, and prays; at night, they sit around under the lamp. If it is summer, each person holds a fan and blows the whirring old Datong electric fan. In winter, we sit around on the Datong bunk, with a big quilt covering our feet, singing hymns, listening to Bible stories, sharing testimonies, and praying for each other...

I am truly a lifelong beneficiary of family altars. However, I definitely do not think that I have done a very good job, so I am qualified to speak out from my own experience. It is just because I have received the Lord’s grace and understood the important teachings on family altars in the Bible, and I have seen some beautiful examples with my own eyes, so I would like to share my experience with you here. Readers encourage each other, discuss with each other, and run towards the goal together.

▲From this small wooden building in the downtown area of Tainan, Taiwan, the family altar established by Father Su and Mother Su has now influenced more Chinese families around the world through the family ministry team. (Taken in the 1960s)

The purpose of settling down is to go out

Living in a house, how can we sit back and relax, live and work in peace and contentment?

First, do not destroy: do not suffer wars, wind disasters, fires, floods, earthquakes, and do not kick, bump, or knock randomly.

Second, maintain it: not only don’t destroy it, but also take good care of it. If you don’t believe it, try not doing laundry, washing dishes, cleaning, or taking out the trash for two weeks and see what your home will look like!

Third, beautify: In addition to not destroying and maintaining the home, furniture, lights, potted plants, calligraphy and paintings, bookshelves, books, etc. must be used to create a comfortable, warm, and elegant home atmosphere. The above does not require destruction, maintenance, or beautification. We are just talking about the shell and hardware. What is more important? How can we make this home not just a house or warehouse, but a home and a family?

Fourth, it must be popular: the main body of the home is people. No matter where you live in the world, no matter what the surrounding environment is, home is home because your family can learn, grow, be provided for, be protected, and be healed here. Despite birth, old age, illness and death, despite material embarrassment, the impact of disasters, the temper of war, and the grinding of relationships, in the end, the whole family can still continue to grow in love together.

Fifth, go out: People who live in this house are nurtured, molded, and equipped. When they go out of the house, they can contribute to the community, the country, and the kingdom of God, and even have the power to oppose God. fight for truth in our culture.

It is difficult and difficult for a family to function in such a complete manner without heavenly wisdom and energy. Where does the heavenly wisdom and energy for the whole family come from? The "family altar" is a very, very important key.

Come for living water from a source

More than 800 years ago, Zhu Xi, a great scholar of the Song Dynasty, wrote a poem called Qijue: "Half an acre of square pond is open, and the skylight and cloud shadows are wandering together. Ask the canal how clear it is, so that there is a source of living water." Master Zhu originally intended to persuade Many people read this poem and wrote this poem, and many Christians naturally have a deeper association with the phrase "living water comes from its source". Yes, only by connecting to the source of living water can we make the pool of our souls as clear as a mirror, reflecting Heavenly Father’s truth and true love that are as beautiful and colorful as “light in the sky, clouds and shadows.” When the whole family builds a family altar together, it is a major spiritual water conservancy project that "connects the source of living water."

My co-worker Mrs. Li Huai'en encourages parents like this: "We are like standing upstream of a river, while our children and grandchildren are downstream. Keeping our water clean will keep their water clean and sweet." - This is The inheritance of family faith is likened to a long river of life. Since it is a long river, it certainly has a source.

Let’s see how the Bible reveals the source of the river of life. When we read the following Ezekiel chapter 47 verses 1-12, we might as well imagine that we are watching a discovery documentary on the Discovery Channel, and the prophet Ezekiel is the host wearing a hunting hat and hunting clothes. people. The version we use is the modern Chinese translation.

"The man led me back to the entrance of the temple. There was a spring of water flowing out from under the entrance of the door, flowing to the east, which is the direction in front of the temple. ... There was water flowing out from the south side of the door. The man measured it with a ruler. Walking eastward from the gate, we measured five hundred meters; he asked me to wade through the water at that place, and the water was only up to my ankles.

He measured another five hundred meters from there, and the water reached his knees; and he measured another five hundred meters from there, and the water reached his waist. He measured another five hundred meters from there. The water was too deep to step into, so he had to swim to get across. …

There I saw many trees on both sides of the bank. He told me: "This river flows eastward, passing through the Jordan Valley and entering the Dead Sea. When the river flows into the Dead Sea, it will turn salt water into fresh water. Where the river passes, there will be all kinds of creatures and fish. The river water makes the Dead Sea beautiful. The water is fresh and there is life wherever it flows.

From En Gedi to En Eglaim, there will be fishermen drying their nets on the seashore. The Dead Sea will have all kinds of fish like the Mediterranean, lots of them. … There will be various trees growing strong on both sides of the river, which can be used for food. The leaves never wither, and the tree keeps bearing fruit. Fresh fruit was produced every month because the trees were irrigated with water from the temple. The fruits can be used as food and the leaves can be used as medicine. "

Please pay special attention to the phrase "these trees were irrigated with water that flows from the temple" in verse 12, which is the phrase "for the water flows from the holy place" in the Union Version. It turned out to be just a trickle, but as it went forward, the flow became more and more abundant. The depth increased from ankles, to knees, to waist, to more than chest, shoulders, and head. Finally, it became impossible to wade through, and could only swim in it. Not only is the water abundant, it also has strong vitality, supply power, and even healing power. -This is exactly the effect of family faith inheritance, and the secret of the source is in verse 12 - "For this water flows out of the Holy Place", from the temple, from the Holy Place, from under the altar, from the throne of God Come. This is the key to starting the engine of family faith inheritance. This is the blueprint and foundation for building a family altar! So, where will this long river of life flow? What is the goal of passing on our family’s faith?

The goal of family faith inheritance

Our goal should be to pass on a faith that is vibrant and transforming for the entire family, as emphasized in the excellent book Spiritual Parenting (Michelle Anthony, 2014). Yes, this kind of faith can enable our children to discern and hear the voice of God among the many noises; and when they hear the voice of God, they will desire to obey Him; they do not rely on their own strength alone, but rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. Come and obey your Heavenly Father.

In a Christian family, there are two styles of parenting. One is to warn every day, "Don't follow the example of this world!" The other is to set an example and let the children realize that "if you fall in love with Jesus, the world will naturally lose its appeal."

As the founder of kindergarten, the German Friedrich Fröbel (1782-1852), said: "Children are not the property of their parents, but are temporarily entrusted to the management of their parents by God in order to make the world progress. Therefore, as Parents, not only must take good care of their bodies, but the most important thing is to guide their souls to communicate directly with God, so that they can glorify God and benefit others in their respective positions.”

So, the "family altar" is the secret spiritual weapon that makes our home popular and allows our family to go out? Yes and no. That's right, because if the family altar is done well, it can indeed have a significant effect on the inheritance of family beliefs and the cohesion of family ties, taking it to a higher level. This is wrong because the "family altar" is more of a fruit than a tool or a means. What does it mean? As the author has been emphasizing since I started teaching literature camps in Pennsylvania in the summer of 1999: "Workers come before work, authors are more important than works, and sincerity is better than everything else." This spirit also applies to the construction of home altars. If the "family altar" is a "work", then the parents and children who build the family altar together are the "workers"; if the family faith inheritance brought about by the construction of the family altar is a "work", then the people who work together to build the family altar are "workers". The family is the "author"; and in this, sincerity to God, family, and oneself, the unity of words and deeds, and the consistency of appearance and interior are the keys to success!

is it hard? It's really not easy. Impossible? With God all things are possible! There is a saying: How easy it is for us to tell God how big the challenges we face are; but how rarely we tell ourselves how big God is in my challenges!

▲Learn the truth together as a family so that we and our children can discern and hear the voice of God among the many noises. (Image source: https://blog.faithlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/lightstock-31979-medium-logos-bible-software.jpg)

Israel’s national history

2 Kings chapters 16 to 25, the history of the 155 years before the fall of Judah, give us very important reminders for building family altars.

In the 19th year of this 155-year history, the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrian Empire. However, in the next 136 years, the southern kingdom of Judah seemed not to have learned any lessons from the tragic ending of the nation of Israel, and continued to act in reverse and sink. .

The last nine kings of Judah: Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. Among them, only Hezekiah and Josiah were "good kings" who did what was good in the eyes of the Lord; the other seven were "bad kings" and did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord.

What exactly is goodness? What is evil? The biblical standards are very clear: good means worshiping God alone and serving Him exclusively; evil means being half-hearted and restless, relying on and serving other gods besides Jehovah.

Deuteronomy 30:15-18: Hundreds of years ago, Moses warned the people of Israel hoarsely: "Behold, I set before you today life and blessing, death and disaster. I command you to love the Lord. - your God, walk in his ways and keep his commandments, statutes, and judgments, so that you may live and increase in number, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess it.

But if your heart turns away and you refuse to obey, but are led away to worship and serve other gods, I tell you today plainly that you will perish, and your days will not be long in the land that you crossed over Jordan to enter to possess it. "

In John 14:6, the Lord Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.”

Peter also cried out in Acts 4:12: “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

▲Pastor Su Wen’an’s parents chose to establish a family altar and family service team. (Taken in 1964, the author is the middle boy in the front row)

Two choices, two endings

Why build a family altar? God has given each of us (especially every parent) the privilege to write the history of ourselves, our families, and our families. We must cherish every day He gives us and lead our families to write it with our lives. Because there are two choices, two paths, two stories, two endings!

Why build a family altar? Because parents must lead their children to listen to the Lord’s words and obey the Lord’s ways. The history of the last nine kings of Judah in 2 Kings chapters 16 to 25 also tells us: If the parents refuse to repent and turn a deaf ear to God, no one can help.

In the last 155 years of the Kingdom of Judah, were there any servants of God who conveyed God’s plans, promises, and warnings? Of course! The prophets Micah, Isaiah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and Ezekiel spoke bitterly and hoarsely, but they were driven away, imprisoned, and killed, and their ears were turned away. Listen, cover your eyes and ignore.

Finally, God followed His warning and uprooted them from the land where they lived.

But God is gracious and merciful. When they repented and turned to Him, He led a small number of them back to their homeland. Yes, parents have flaws and mistakes, and have even been disciplined by God. As long as they turn back to God, they can receive mercy and favor again. However, the price is extremely painful! If it can be avoided, why not be a child of wisdom?

(Next time, let’s talk about how parents can be children of wisdom, so that their family team can become the Lord’s battleship in the dangerous ocean of the world. It can not only resist the enemy, but also take the initiative.)

Author profile

Pastor Su Wen'an is currently the vice president of the American True Love Family Association and the editor-in-chief of "True Love Family Magazine". At the same time, he serves voluntarily as the editor-in-chief of this magazine, the Kingdom of God Resources for Christ Association and the Genesis Text Training Shuyuan Text Pastor. As a beneficiary of the family altar, he is also a practitioner and advocate. He is the author of the book "With True Love, Home is Heaven - Family Altar Spirituality Textbook", and has led a team to write and produce two masterpieces on family faith inheritance, "As for Me and My Family" and "Loyalty to the Family". Interested readers can contact True Love Family Association office@familykeepers.org for purchase