Homeschool Sunday 2024

HOMESCHOOL SUNDAY 2024

BIBLICAL FOUNDATION FOR HOMESCHOOLING YOUR CHILDREN

AS WE TAKE THIS SUNDAY TO HIGHLIGHT THE HOMESCHOOL MINISTRY OPERATING OUT OF BETHANY, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BOTH THE HOMESCHOOL AND CHRISTIAN SCHOOL MODELS.

FIRST, DO I REALLY HAVE ANY “STREET CRED” IN THIS AREA?

WHAT YOU SEE BEFORE YOU IS A SCREEN SHOT OF THE WEBSITE FOR THE GRAPEVILLE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL.

WHEN SHERRY ANDI CAME TO THE GRAPEVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH IN MARCH OF ____ BY THAT SEPTEMBER, WE HAD STARTED A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL AT THE REQUEST OF HOMESCHOOLERS THAT WERE GETTING BEYOND THEIR COMFORT LEVEL IN TEACHING THEIR CHILDREN.

THAT YEAR WE STARTED WITH 26 KIDS, GRADES K-10.

THIS SCHOOL WOULD PROGRESS TO APPROX 60 STUDENTS. CURRENTLY THERE ARE 48

DOES HOMESCHOOL/CHRISTIAN EDUCATION WORK? LET ME SHARE THIS WITH YOU….

1. PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY MORE BASED ON FLUCTUATING VALUES THAN BIBLICAL NORMS

COLOSSIANS 2:8 SEE TO IT THAT NO ONE TAKES YOU CAPTIVE THROUGH HOLLOW AND DECEPTIVE PHILOSOPHY, WHICH DEPENDS ON HUMAN TRADITION AND THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THIS WORLD RATHER THAN ON CHRIST.

a. CHRISTIAN FAMILIES WHO HAVE CHOSEN TO HOME SCHOOL THEIR CHILDREN ARE DOING SO BECAUSE OF THE DIRECTION SOCIETY HAS TAKEN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM.

2. WITH THE EVER-INCREASING INCLUSION OF INSTRUCTION THAT HAS DRIFTED FROM TRADITIONAL VALUES AND EDUCATION THERE COMES WITH IT THE GREATER OPPORTUNITY FOR CHILDREN TAUGHT VALUES INCONSISTENT WITH THOSE OF THEIR PARENTS

1 CORINTHIANS 15:33 DO NOT BE MISLED: “BAD COMPANY CORRUPTS GOOD CHARACTER.”

a. RIGHT IS STILL RIGHT AND WRONG IS STILL WRONG

b. FRANCIS SCHAEFFER HAS SAID IT BEST -- “ IF THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE BY WHICH TO JUDGE SOCIETY, SOCIETY IS ABSOLUTE.”

c. THE BIBLE AND ITS INSTRUCTION IS ABSOLUTE. GOD’S INSTRUCTION, VALUE AND CHARACTER HAVE NOT, NOR EVER WILL CHANGE

3. BETWEEN THE CHOICE OF CONFORMITY TO THE WORLD, OR CONFORMITY TO CHRIST, THE CHOICE IS CLEAR FOR CHRISTIAN HOMES WHO CHOSE TO EDUCATE THEIR CHILDREN.

ROMANS 12:2 DO NOT CONFORM ANY LONGER TO THE PATTERN OF THIS WORLD, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND. THEN YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TEST AND APPROVE WHAT GOD’S WILL IS—HIS GOOD, PLEASING AND PERFECT WILL.

4. THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTEGRATE A BIBLICAL VIEW OF GOD AND HIS ACTIVITY IN ALL AREAS OF EDUCATION IS FAR GREATER IN THE HOMESCHOOL/CHRISTIAN SCHOOL SETTING

PSALM 111:10 THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM; ALL WHO FOLLOW HIS PRECEPTS HAVE GOOD UNDERSTANDING. TO HIM BELONGS ETERNAL PRAISE.

a. CREATIONISM

b. BIBLICAL VIEW OF HISTORY

c. VALIDITY OF SCRIPTURE WHERE SCIENCE, HISTORY, ETC. INTERSECT

5. CHILDREN ARE A PROTECTED “COMMODITY” OF GOD.

PSALM 127:3 SONS ARE A HERITAGE FROM THE LORD, CHILDREN A REWARD FROM HIM.

MATTHEW 19:14 JESUS SAID, “LET THE LITTLE CHILDREN COME TO ME, AND DO NOT HINDER THEM, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN BELONGS TO SUCH AS THESE.”

a. THERE IS A SPECIAL PLACE IN THE HEART OF GOD FOR CHILDREN

i. GOD ENCOURAGES THEIR PRESENCE WITH HIM

ii. GOD ENGAGES IN THEIR PROTECTION

1. BETTER FOR A MAN TO HAVE A MILESTONE TIED AROUND HIS NECK THAN TO HARM ONE OF THESE.

6. BY CHOOSING TO INSTRUCT THEIR CHILDREN, PARENTS BENEFIT AS THEY LEARN BY TEACHING

PROVERBS 3:13–15,18 BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO FINDS WISDOM, THE MAN WHO GAINS UNDERSTANDING,

14FOR SHE IS MORE PROFITABLE THAN SILVER AND YIELDS BETTER RETURNS THAN GOLD.

15SHE IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN RUBIES; NOTHING YOU DESIRE CAN COMPARE WITH HER.

18SHE IS A TREE OF LIFE TO THOSE WHO EMBRACE HER; THOSE WHO LAY HOLD OF HER WILL BE BLESSED.

a. SOLOMON EQUATES LEARNING, UNDERSTANDING AND WISDOM WITH A BLESSING

b. YOU CANNOT BE IN A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, WHETHER INSTRUCTOR OR STUDENT AND NOT LEARN YOURSELF

7. HOMESCHOOLING PROMOTES MORE FAMILY TIME

PHILIPPIANS 2:2 THEN MAKE MY JOY COMPLETE BY BEING LIKE-MINDED, HAVING THE SAME LOVE, BEING ONE IN SPIRIT AND PURPOSE.

PSALM 133:1 HOW GOOD AND PLEASANT IT IS WHEN BROTHERS LIVE TOGETHER IN UNITY!

a. GOD ESTABLISHED THE FAMILY UNIT. FIRST IN MARRIAGE AND THEN THROUGH CHILDREN

b. THE FAMILY IS FAVORED BY GOD - PSALM 127:3–5 SONS ARE A HERITAGE FROM THE LORD, CHILDREN A REWARD FROM HIM. 4LIKE ARROWS IN THE HANDS OF A WARRIOR ARE SONS BORN IN ONE’S YOUTH. 5BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE QUIVER IS FULL OF THEM.

c. WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY TODAY THAT SEEKS TO EITHER DISRUPT OR REDEFINE THE DEFINITION AND THEREBY THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE FAMILY

8. THE WORD OF GOD HAS BEEN ABANDONED IS THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM AND THEREFORE LIMITS THE ABILITY OF CHILDREN TO GROW CLOSER TO GOD.

MATTHEW 4:4 JESUS ANSWERED, “IT IS WRITTEN: ‘MAN DOES NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT COMES FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”