SEPTEMBER 2019
SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE
Posted by: District Evangelist Graham Stanford

Rich in Christ. Our Chief Apostle started the year with this as our motto. He said in his opening service of 2019: “It is to occupy our hearts.”  Our District Apostle further expanded the motto for our Canada district with the emphasis on love, knowledge, and peace as part of the richness in Christ.

Spiritual knowledge is imparted into our children via three main ways. The first way is from spiritual leaders in our Sunday School, Religious Instruction, and Confirmation teachers and by our serving ministers. They carry our children in their hearts and provide instruction through teaching spiritual historic and life lessons to the children during classes and in divine services.

A second way is through the example we set for our children in our congregational life. Children often imitate the behavior they see. The more they see us exemplifying the life of Christ in our dealings with each other, the more likely they are to treat others in a similar fashion.

A third way to spiritual knowledge is via their parents. Parents foster the gospel through positive spiritual conversations, family prayer, and by providing a harmonious environment for their children to grow in knowledge and richness in Christ. All parents are encouraged to keep the vow they made for their children at their baptism to raise them in a God-fearing fashion. The Lord Jesus shared this in Mark 12:30-32, where he spoke of loving God and our neighbour. It is a refresh of where it is written in Leviticus 19 to love your neighbour and in Deuteronomy 6 verses 5-7:  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” When parents reinforce the knowledge of this in their children daily and lay it in their hearts, they help the children to love God and their neighbour!

Whether we are teachers and ministers, members in the congregation, or parents of children, let us all remember the important part we play in enriching their spiritual knowledge. When we play a positive role in this, we all become Richer in Christ!

 

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