Where there is true love, home is heaven
【Building a Family Altar Part 3】
Summary of the previous article: Home is for people to live in peace, but also for people to go out; only when it is connected to the source of living water, can faith be passed on from generation to generation through blood; the last ten chapters of 2 Kings reveal the experience of each parent. The iron law of cause and effect is "two choices → two roads → two stories → two endings". (Please go online to read the special article in issue 41 of this magazine.)
Children are the mirror of their parents
To keep the waters of our faith and life clean and sweet, we must work very hard individually and encourage and hold each other accountable in the church family. This is my personal struggle experience and painful reflection over the years, as well as my wife Lisan’s constant reminder over the years.
God has set a spiritual mystery for the family, and that is - if the parents (parents, in the case of a single-parent family, they are single mothers or fathers) have holes in their character and spiritual life, the children cannot be covered. One day, all our weaknesses, shortcomings, blind spots, and stains will definitely be revealed in them, and they will even be more serious than ours. No matter how much we say, how we persuade, or how we scold them, it will be useless. Even if you go to the "True Love Family Association" to seek expert help, it may not be effective. Because we didn’t close the real hole—ourselves.
Sometimes when I see the child's attitude, expression, and virtue, I feel very angry (not angry, but very unbearable). Many parents are surprised afterwards: The child didn't do anything particularly bad today. Why am I so easily angered? Psychologists tell us that it is because a child is like a mirror, allowing you to clearly see yourself in him, and he is the most disliking and riddled self. A brother once angrily accused his 16-year-old son who was born and raised in the United States. The son actually said coolly in Chinese: "Baba, do you want to consider the issue of genetics?" Wow! Where did you learn the magical power of diamond body protection?
Dads, we are a group of people who are particularly vulnerable to attack and temptation. In the middle of the night, no one looks at pictures, texts, or videos that one knows they should not, cheats on one’s mind or body, behaves in ways that are not consistent with biblical principles in the workplace, and behaves in a manner that is inconsistent with words and deeds at church or at home, and is inconsistent with the inside and outside. people……. When we do these things, we often think that we are not aware of it, but our wives will feel that something is wrong. Even if they cannot tell the specific details, they just feel that something is wrong and feel heartache; at the same time, the children will definitely be hurt. They are clear-sighted and know it very well most of the time. Even if they don't know it, they will be contaminated and affected without knowing it. What’s more, Heavenly Father is also present when we do these things. What we see, He sees; what we say, He hears; what we feel, He feels. Brothers, have you ever thought about this?
▲A child is like a mirror, allowing you to see yourself clearly in him. (Image source: http://www.parentproducts.com/images/4u2c_car_setup_crop.jpg)
Sincerity is better than everything
what to do? — "Let this water flow out of the sanctuary"! Flow out from under the throne of God! Let us say to the Lord: Lord, I believe and I am willing, but my faith is not enough; my will is weak, please help me! As emphasized in the book "Spiritual Parenting" (Michelle Anthony, witness, 2014): "Let us bravely live a true life in front of our children, always putting love for God first . No matter at the breakfast table, in the supermarket, in a clean or messy home, while doing housework or rushing to work, or during leisure and entertainment, admitting mistakes and repenting, or during the long night when there is no one around, we They can pass on their beliefs to the next generation.”
Parents must set an example to shoulder the responsibility of passing on their faith. This is also because in this unpredictable and turbulent era, where values, moral values, and family structures are collapsing, it is important for the whole family to gather together, have faith in God, have hope for themselves, and have hope for others. Love itself is the most powerful witness. No need to say anything, it will naturally attract people to find out.
Another reason why building a family altar is very important is: “Family is where your story begins.” The experiences in one’s family of origin are the source of everyone’s best or darkest memories. This is true for you, and even more true for your children and grandchildren. What has gone is gone, what has come can be pursued. How to make the family a museum of memories and constantly add to the collection? How can we minimize our children’s memories of pain, hurt, betrayal, and neglect at home? How can we view all that has happened in the past with new heavenly eyes and values, so as to bring forgiveness, reconciliation and healing? The family altar of "workers before work", living out the truth, and sharing true love has been recognized as the most effective way for many Christian families throughout the ages.
family like aircraft carrier battle group
Why build a family altar? Because "the church is like a warship sailing in enemy waters", it will encounter attacks from the sea, the bottom of the sea, and the air at any time; therefore, it is necessary to prepare enough ammunition, be diligent in drills and training, and be ready to respond at any time.
"The church is a big family, and the family is a small church." The Christian family is also like a battleship sailing in enemy waters. Each of our families lives in a culture and community that is hostile to God and contrary to biblical truth, so we all need to be prepared with sufficient ammunition, drill and train, and be ready for war at any time.
Therefore, the church is like an aircraft carrier in a battleship group, responsible for command, training, and support; while Christian families are like other ships, each responsible for different defense and combat tasks. Christian parents are like aircraft carriers, and their children are like ships. They come in different sizes and have different functions, but they form a team that is closely connected and supports each other. To achieve such results, how can we not have a common command center and communication channel, how can we lack a high level of tacit understanding and trust? Therefore, building a family altar is so that the family can brave the wind and waves and fight for the Lord in the turbulent ocean of the world!
workers before work
When it comes to passing on family beliefs, parents have an extremely important responsibility! Experts summarize the equipment and shaping that a family can provide to family members into seven categories:
IQ (intellectual education, refers to intelligence and academic performance);
EQ (moral education, referring to emotion and character);
HQ (health, referring to physical health, lifestyle habits, and exercise);
FQ (food education, refers to healthy eating and correct and delicious cooking);
LQ (live education, refers to life skills, such as doing housework and repairing things);
AQ (adversity quotient, change, refers to the ability to adapt and face setbacks, also known as adversity quotient);
SQ (spiritual education, refers to the shaping and growth of spiritual life).
Among these seven categories, SQ is the most fundamental and important link, which can run through these seven aspects. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10). This promise is true and living!
Faith is by no means limited to intellectual knowledge, but includes "rational cognition" (belief), "a state of mind of trust" (trust) and "action of faith" (action). When a person has firm faith and is determined to obey God, he will naturally behave accordingly. Many times we just focus on "corresponding behavior", but in fact it is just a by-product.
If you can set an example and let yourself and your children do and learn from all the fruits of sincere faith, watered and cultivated by the water flowing from the sanctuary, then there will be a promising future for family faith inheritance. The vocation of Christian parents is to open their lives and the lives of their children to the Holy Spirit and to create good soil where the Holy Spirit can freely accomplish His work. He can combine faith and fruit so that the shaping of the whole person with all seven qualities can be implemented. If you want to build a family altar that can truly live out the truth and share true love, whether you can implement the heavenly principle of "workers come before work" is absolutely the key to success or failure.
"Rejuvenate the country and the city" or "power the country and the city"
Who should bear the main responsibility on the road of inheriting the faith of children? Who takes the lead in building a family altar?
Please see the above chart compiled from 2 Kings chapters 16 to 25.
The last nine kings of Judah before their fall. Except for Hezekiah and Josiah, two good kings who "did what was right in the sight of the Lord," the rest were all bad kings, all of whom "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord."
Why did God-fearing fathers like Hezekiah and Josiah fail to raise godly descendants? Why do fathers who rebel against God, such as Ahaz and Amon, have sons who follow God wholeheartedly? The Bible does not tell us the answer directly, but there seem to be clues in the scriptures. When the biblical authors record the coming of a new king to the throne, they follow a certain format - in addition to stating how old he was at the time and how many years he had been king, before commenting on whether he was good or bad, he must first specify who his biological mother is, and most of them include his maternal grandfather. His name is also recorded.
Does the Bible author's "pen of spring and autumn" imply that good mothers can raise good children in a bad environment, but derelict mothers can raise bad children even in a good spiritual atmosphere?
Perhaps we can think of it this way: when a child is young, daddy is like the father of the family, and mommy is the queen. Mummy, the first teacher in the lives of little princes and princesses, plays such an important role! These ten chapters of 2 Kings tell us: Even in an extremely bad spiritual environment, a mother who is devout and loving to the Lord can definitely "build up a country and prosper a city", but a mother who goes her own way can definitely "overwhelm a country" Allure".
▲Mommy is the first teacher in a child’s life, and her role is so important! A mother who is pious and loves the Lord can definitely “revitalize a country and a city.” (Image source: https://hecticparents.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/reading-to-kid-asian.jpg)
Exist in the heart, think over and over again
The next association is logical: a good natal family produces a good mother, and a bad natal family produces a bad mother. And isn’t the parent of the natal family grandpa? ! Otherwise, why would the Bible make the names of the mother and grandfather of the good king and the bad king public and pass them down through the ages? Is the Holy Spirit reminding parents that God’s original intention is for fathers to take on the mission of inheriting the faith of their children? In other words, the father leads and the mother helps. Although due to human weakness, in many families, this important task is often borne by the mother. However, if the father can take the main responsibility, he will be more in line with God's heart. The records in the last ten chapters of 2 Kings are a living textbook for family faith inheritance!
▲Mary kept all these things in her heart and pondered over them. (Luke 2:19) (Image source: https://stuffithoughtabouttoday.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/nativity.jpg)
The two good mothers mentioned in the New Testament give us profound inspiration. The good mother Lo Yi raised a good daughter Eunice, and the good daughter Eunice also became a good mother when she grew up and raised a good son Timothy. In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul said this to Timothy: “Considering your sincere faith, which was first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, I am convinced that it is also in yours. In the heart." For parents with a sense of mission, faith can be passed down through blood. So don’t ignore any day when a child lives under our roof, and remind yourself every day: I am not only raising a child, but also building a family!
Another good mother in the Bible is recorded in Luke 2:51. "He (Jesus) went down with them to Nazareth and obeyed them. His mother kept all these things in her heart."
It’s even more interesting if you look at 2:19: “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (NIV: But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.) Mary took what happened to her son. Keep these things in your heart's treasure chest, and take them out from time to time to weigh and ponder. Be sure to observe, record, and meditate on how God fulfills His plan in each of his children.(Next issue we will explore important principles and specific steps to achieve a successful home altar.)
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 led the team to write and produce two masterpieces on family faith inheritance, "As for Me and My Family" and "Loyalty to the Family". If you are interested, please contact American True Love For purchase, please contact the Family Keepers office@familykeepers.org or Taiwan Tianen Publishing House (02-2515-3551).