Christian Education Awareness Network (CEANet)

Presents a Book:

Homeschooling For Eternity


by Skeet Savage

ISBN 0-9728139-0-X

Wisdom's Gate
Covert, Michigan


Chapter 31

Homeschooling: How You Can and Why You Must!

Success in homeschooling begins with you.  A parent who does not possess a teachable spirit is not able to teach and achieve positive, eternal results.  The character traits that you desire for your children must come first to be manifested in your own life.

Maybe you’ve been discouraged lately in your homeschooling.  Possibly, you feel like you’re losing your son or your daughter despite all you’ve tried to do in homeschooling them.  Perhaps you feel you’ve bit off more than you can chew and you’re considering throwing in the towel.

Well, maybe it’s simply time to put your homeschool under new Management!

Maybe it’s time to confess that you’ve been sitting in the place where the Lord should have been all along.  Maybe it’s time to admit that you’ve been homeschooling for all the wrong reasons.  Maybe this is the day that you will begin to see your homeschooling transformed beyond your wildest dreams as you renew your mind and bring every thought captive to His Word and His Way.  It’s totally up to you.

If life is not turning out as you hoped, don’t just sit there like lump!  Be like blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52), and cry, "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me."  Be like Zacchaeus (Luke 19:2-9) and keep climbing higher until you’ve got Jesus clearly in view.

Perhaps, you’ve been struggling along for years like the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34) -- why not reach out to Him today and get a firm hold on whatever He has for you?  Hold on tight to the promises of God!

When you read Scriptures such as, "Her children arise and call her blessed" (Proverbs 31:28), do you ever wonder sometimes if you will ever live to see that day?  I do understand that it can be difficult for a young mother to ever imagine a day when her children will ever rise up in the morning and say anything but "What’s for breakfast?" or "Where’s my shoes...socks...hairbrush...?!"  Again I say, no matter what situation you face, hold on to the promises!  God is a God of His Word.  Relax!  God said it.  He has promised -- you can count on it!

You’ve heard it said that homeschooling is not for everyone -- and I would have to agree.  Homeschooling is not for the lazy, the selfish, or the faint of heart.  It’s not for those parents who would rather be anything but parents.  It takes a wholehearted commitment to be a successful homeschooling parent.

Stop wavering and be committed!  (No, I don’t mean have yourself committed like your neighbor suggested when you confessed that you were going to homeschool!)  Commit yourself to diligent pursuit and acceptance of the responsibility to train up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  Something or someone is going to influence your child -- for good or for bad.  Settle the matter this very day -- resolve to succeed in influencing your children -- for the glory of God.

Far from being overwhelming, successful training requires three very simple but important elements -- time, togetherness and tenacity.

Be willing to invest time in your children.  Reassess your priorities.  Children are keenly aware of their true place in your life.  They know what gets first dibs in your life.  Your children suffer immensely when they are only getting the dregs of your time.  Move each of your children up on the priority list and make a concerted effort to focus the bulk of your time on recognizing and meeting their legitimate needs.

Remember, you can’t train up a child who is off with his buddies at the mall (or arcade, roller skating rink, county fair, church youth group, camp, etc.).  Homeschooling means spending quantitative, quality time together -- working, playing, studying, laughing, worshipping, serving -- living!

When Proverbs 22:6 says that we are to train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it, this doesn’t mean he’s ready to tackle the world at the ripe old age of 13!  Don’t be too quick to test their wings.  Each child develops and matures at a different pace.  There is no set age for pronouncing them "adults" and no practical need for doing so before they are ready.  Hunker down for the long haul and resolutely pursue your holy objective in training your children for the glory of our God.

HOMESCHOOLING:  WHY  YOU  MUST !

As we have seen, there are many homeschoolers in the world but not all of them homeschool for the same reasons.  

Maybe you chose to homeschool because of the academic advantages of being able to process through a lot of material in a lot less time and with a whole lot less distraction. 

Perhaps, you have opted to teach your children at home so as to avoid the social disadvantages of conflicting moral values and negative peer pressure.

Or, you might have chosen home education to escape the drugs and violence that have become increasingly threatening in the government school setting.

Homeschooling definitely has its advantages.  Still, it is possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason.

Frankly, some folks are guilty of homeschooling out of sheer rebellion.  Somewhere along the way, they got ticked off at the local school board, or the fifth-grade teacher, and decided right then and there that they were gonna yank their kids out of that school and show those uppity folks a thing or two!  This may be the impetus to bringing the children home but, hopefully, a higher motivation will replace an initial reactive decision to homeschool.

As varied as the reasons for homeschooling, the lists of pretexts for not accepting the responsibility to personally oversee, and meaningfully participate in, our children’s education are seemingly numerous as the sands along the shore.

One of the poorest excuses I’ve encountered for dumping innocent, impressionable children off in the government educational (or, more accurately, indoctrinational) system is the one that claims we need to have them there so they can be "salt and light" in the government schools.  An adult who has been completely trained may be prepared to go as a missionary into that dark setting -- an impressionable child in his formative years absolutely does not belong there.

Only the totally uninformed or the hopelessly naïve can believe that the education children receive at the hands of the unsaved, Godless teachers is values neutral.  Those who are ignorant of our God and His ways are incapable of conveying true wisdom and Godly knowledge.  Since people can only convey what they possess, those who walk in darkness cannot possibly teach us about light.

"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who bring past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.  But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus" (Ephesians 4:17-21)

It is not enough to merely teach our children about Jesus.  They must learn to know Jesus.  In order for them to know Jesus, you, as their teacher, must know Him as well.  It is only through knowing Jesus personally and intimately that you can teach them with power and authority.  This is something no secular educator can accomplish.

"And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matthew 7:28-29).

It is not enough that your children have learned to listen to you and obey you, because you will not always be around to give them instructions in every situation.  They must learn to listen for His voice and study to obey His every command.  This will only happen in the life of the willing student in direct proportion to the amount of time and effort the teacher has spent in private, personal pursuit of this goal.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that your child is a special case and would never fall into the clutches of evil.  Certainly, don’t fall for the false notion that your child will learn enough at church and at home to counter the negative effects of his government education.  "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Corinthians 15:33).  God said it, and it’s a fact.

If you plant your children in the world’s soil, which is heavily fertilized with a secular worldview, you will reap a worldly harvest.  "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galations 6:7).

Verbal communications is only one of the ways that a teacher influences the student.  The teacher also represents a model and an example to the student.  "Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you" (Philippians 4:9).  A Godly teacher can confidently say such things -- a carnal, atheistic, immoral teacher cannot.  Yet, a child will learn from both -- for good or for bad.

"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:13-17).

The book of Proverbs makes it abundantly clear that apart from the Lord and His Word there is no wisdom, knowledge or understanding -- and the first chapter of the book of Romans details what happens to those who try to pursue those things apart from God.  Yet, it is precisely those very folks who are hell bent on pushing their unholy agenda through every cultural avenue possible -- including the government schools.

It is utter insanity for Christians to continue blindly on, rendering our children to Caesar -- when, in reality, they belong to God -- and refusing to understand the times in which we are living.  We can’t keep on believing the lie that our failure to obey God’s every Word, separate ourselves from the enemies of God, and take dominion over this sinful world will not bear consequences.  This is called living in denial.

"They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them: But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.  And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.  Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.  Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.  And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them. Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand" (Psalm 34-42).

If God has already dealt with His chosen ones this way, do you really believe that He is going to let us off the hook for committing the very same sins -- surrendering the nurture, care and training of our precious children to the pagan institutions and idols of this world?  Do you really wonder why Christians are increasingly persecuted and losing their freedoms?  Read those verses again and weep tears of repentance!

When our God says, "Study to shew thyself approved of God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15) and clearly instructs us to "Pray without ceasing" (I Thessalonians 5:17) but our government says that our God and His Word and prayer have no place in their schools and institutions, then I say it’s time to stand along with Joshua and say, "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15).

If we want the blessing of the Lord to rest upon us and our children, we must learn to know the Lord and what pleases (and displeases) Him.

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.  The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish" (Psalm 1: 1-6).

The way of the righteous is not the way of the world.  A government-educated child cannot freely obey many of the commands contained in that verse as he walks through the school corridors or stands in the lunch line or sits in the classroom.

Our God has made it abundantly clear; our children are to be educated at His feet -- in preparation for a lifetime of service to our King -- and for His glory.  We cannot bow down in worship to the god of this world by sacrificing our children on its intellectual and cultural altars and not suffer His wrath.

"Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.  Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.  Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.  Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them.  Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it" (Jeremiah 6:15-19).

For many years we at Wisdom’s Gate have stood as watchmen -- through our publications and books and spoken messages -- to warn of the consequences of surrendering our children to the world system of education.  To many, the message contained in this book is a dying concept.  For me, the Biblical mandate for a truly Christian education is a message that I will preach until my dying day.

I can only hope that you have heard the vital truth of this message with your heart and will take up your own cross -- for your children’s sake.


© 2005 Wisdom’s Gate.  All Rights Reserved.

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