Plato wrote a story about what he viewed to be the perfect society. Babies would be born only to state approved parents, raised from birth by state trained daycare workers, taught by state paid teachers, work in the occupations state councelors said they should work in, live in the areas they are told to, and eventually die and be buried in state graveyards with state paid for funerals. Children stay with children, adults live with adults and seniors stay in their care facilities. Many feel this would be a perfect society and actively aim to bring this about.
This scares me. I see intrusive Big Brother, every sneeze regulated, no freedom, no love.
God made two groups (of one each) at creation;
So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:27
God created the family unit. It takes one man and one woman to have a baby. Not one man, one woman, one nursery director, one teacher, one administrator, etc. (It doesn't take a village to raise a child. It takes a mom and dad!) Instructions in the Bible (that apply to us. I am not counting the Levites here), that God gave to different groups, were given to four divisions; men, women, children, and everyone. Men were told to care for their families and love their wives. Women were told to keep the home and obey their hubbys while loving them and their children. Children were told to obey and honor their parents. Everyone was told to love God more than anything else and value His appoval above all, and to love their neighbors as themselves.
In God's perfect society, a child is born to a loving, God fearing mom and dad who choose to love each other. He spends his early years (plural) at his mother's breast and on his father's knee. He has regular contact with grandparents and aunts, uncles and cousins. Usually they are neighbors. As he grows older, he helps his father in his daily work. Girls help their mothers. The family works side by side, aiming for the betterment of the whole family. When a boy reaches adulthood (somewhere between 12 and 20) his parents help him get into his own place (business, farm, whatever his calling is). They then help him pick a wife that will be a help in his future and be an asset to him. When a girl reaches adulthood her parents start looking for a suitable man for Daddy's Little Princess.
Man and woman marry and They twain shall become one.
If and when God wills, children are added to the family (usually one at a time to allow for sufficient bonding time). When grandparents are unable to care for themselves they move in with one of their children (as do any handicapped or single female relatives) and help them all they can.
Everyone has the freedom to be their best, the security of a support group,
and the ability to see how they are supposed to behave by looking ahead to parents and grandparents and behind to siblings, children and grandchildren.
Each generation has the benefit of the wisdom of those older and the energy of those younger in their daily life. Everyone is accountable to those around them for food, morale, and being the best they can be.
This brings to my mind pictures of freedom, peace and security, exactly what the proponents of the former scenario are trying for, but anytime socialism has been tried it ends in the death of many, many, innocents (Stalin, Hitler, Sparta, pilgrims, American communes, even today's abortion is based on this belief.)
Now, the real point of this article; how should our church be structured? When your family arrives on church grounds, what should happen? At most of today's churches its 7quot;Well by kids. See you tonight.quot; Is this the way it should be? quot;And today's announcements; Singles Bible study tomorrow, married study on Wednesday, widows meet Saturday afternoon and the youth have their thing Saturday night.quot; Is this right? Is this the way God would set it up? Somehow I don't think so. Don't get me wrong, God has told some churches to have some of these programs. But just because God told John Wesley to open a Sunday School class in Georgia in the early 1800's doesn't mean God has called everyone to separate children from adults. Because some churches have been led to have senior groups, or singles groups, or purple people eater groups doesn't mean we are all to do this.
How's this for an idea: everyone arrives at church. Everyone worships together (ages 1-100). Maybe provide a training chapel
where parents can take noisy, restless children to teach them how to behave. Not a place to play or visit but a place where it is basically quiet but a small child's squirming or crying doesn't distract. Then again, maybe not. How about the main congregation just learning to be tolerant of God's babies? Then someone gives a basic Bible lesson to the children, but in the sanctuary with everyone else (many adults need these lessons as much or more than the children). The parents bring quiet toys or books for the littlest ones to use during service and deligently teach them to be still. Older children can be encouraged to listen and take notes on the sermon. Youngers learn from olders, olders get perspective from youngers, singles marrieds and retireds aren't that different, they all are learning how to serve God to the best of their ability with what they have. Titus 2 gives instruction for just this format. During the week the church could have a New Member's Class or other specialty studies (Prophecies, Finance, etc.)
Regular fellowship outside the church would be encouraged (quot;I'm going to the Nugget and then the park after church. Anyone want to come?quot; quot;I'm renting movies Friday. Why don't you come over and watch them with me?quot; and of course quot;Sister Smith needs her front lawn mowed and her house painted. Let's go do that Saturday.quot;) The church could be structured like a family and function like an extended family. Wouldn't this provide more cohesion in the church and more accountability to individuals? There would be more available wisdom to all of us, and more security that we are loved and not just on assignment. Other churches have tried similar family integrated formats, many with outstanding results (one pastor felt led to eliminate the Youth Ministry at his church. The first week the youth were in the service with the adults they had thirty children come to the Lord!)
Does this format stir a cord? Does it harmonize with the Bible? Let's pray about it. Maybe God is ready to do something new.
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betty@homeschoolwwh.com
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