Teaching Bible at Home Deut. 11:18-19 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
The best place for children to learn the Bible is at home. They are certainly going to learn some of the Bible at church in Sunday school and Bible Clubs. But they will learn much more at home than they will in the short time that we have them here each week. You say, “I would do that but I don’t know how.” This lesson is on teaching the Bible at home. These are some practical pointers to help you teach your children or grandchildren the Bible.
Before we start you must accept your spiritual responsibility to teach the Bible. Deut 11:19 says, “ye shall teach them your children… in thine house.” This responsibility to teach falls to father [Eph 6:4]. For a father to bring up his children in the admonition of the Lord, he has to teach them what the Lord said. Listen, a husband needs to know what God said well enough to be able to teach his wife at home [1 Cor 14:35] so he should certainly be able to teach his children. Furthermore, this responsibility falls to mother [2 Tim 1:5, 2 Tim 3:15]. Timothy’s mother and grandmother were obviously influential with the scriptures in Timothy’s life. Look how well the Bible is suited for training and preparing children [2 Tim 3:16-17].
Bible teaching by Bible story telling – “speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house.” Lk 17:26-29 – tell your children the great stories of the Bible. Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah’s flood, Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Joseph, Moses, the Exodus, crossing the Red Sea, etc.
Bible teaching by Bible reading – Is 34:16 – read the Bible with your children in the same way that you would read children’s books with your children. Point out things of interest and show how the Bible applies to their lives by reproof and instruction. They will get what they need from the words [1 Pet 2:2, Heb 4:12].
Bible teaching by Bible memory – “lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul.” Ps 119:9, 11 – work with your children on memorizing verses of the Bible, then passages of the Bible, then chapters of the Bible or even books of the Bible. At camp one year, three girls had memorized Colossians so well that they never struck out in the Bible memory contest. To end the contest, the moderator had them quote the entire book of Colossians, taking turns an each verse. They did it word perfectly. You can place memory cards on the kitchen table, the bathroom mirror, or the refrigerator door [Deut 6:9] to help them to remember the verses.
Bible teaching by Bible application – “when thou walkest by the way.” Quote a verse of scripture that applies to the current fault you are trying to correct or that applies to the instruction you are trying to teach. John Rice, when he was 17, had been rough on his plowing team one day and his father quoted Prov 12:10 to him. It was a lesson he never forgot.
Bible teaching by Bible example – “when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Your children ought to see you living by what the Bible says and living what you preach. Joel Dunbar said, “My mother lived at home what my father preached at church.”
Conclusion: It is up to you to decide whether your house is going to live by the Bible. If you are then you need to take this little lesson and apply it beginning now. It is never too late to begin to teach the Bible in your home.