Teaching Children To Behave In Worship
Connie W. Adams, Truth Magazine 1-2000

When you take a large bag full of books, cars, dolls, stuffed animals and cookies, you are giving the wrong signal. I have seen children soon discard all of these and still act like brats and disrupt a whole service. When you put them on the floor to play under the benches, or allow them to run up and down the pew, or you run in and out with them to pacify them and then give them a cookie when you take them out, or worse, allow them to make a garbage dump out of the pew and floor for several yards around you, you are not training your children to reverence God. You are teaching the child to hold both God and man in contempt. And by the way, if you get a cookie for creating such a disturbance as to be taken out, would you not soon learn how to go about getting a cookie? I have seen children old enough to go to school sit in services with comic books or other secular books, and I have seen some do school work while the gospel is being preached. I have seen children who are old enough to hold a song book and learn to sing, allowed to sit while the whole congregation is asked to stand, or worse yet, to make a bed and go to sleep rather than sitting up and being respectful. When parents allow this, they are teaching their children all right; they are teaching them to dishonor God and show contempt for others. When they get older, they will move to the back rows, if you allow it, and there they will sleep, laugh with other unruly young people, pass pictures, write notes, flirt, and wander in and out to the water fountain and restroom.

What do you do with an infant child, past the infant stage, who is cranky and unresponsive to warnings? I first heard this formula from Gary Ogden of Plant City, Florida. He is exactly right an I pass it on to you for what it is worth. After trying briefly to get things under control (and I emphasize briefly—don’t sit there so long you destroy the effect of the whole service), then here is what you do:

Take them out.

Wear them out

Bring them right back in.

Well, you say, suppose that does not work? Then the next thing you do is:

Take them out.

Wear them out

Bring them right back in.

You think that won’t work? Of course it works! My own children soon learned that it was not such fun to have to go out and that it was much more pleasant to stay inside and be quiet. I learned the same lesson as a small child. My parents before me learned the same lesson in the same way.

The trouble is that we have too many who are relying too heavily on the instruction of permissive psychologists as to how to train children. There are principles in the word of God that will help them with this problem. Consider the following:

“Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying” Prov 19:18

“Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it” Prov 22:6

“Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him” Prov 22:15

“Withhold not correction from the child; for if thou beat him with the rod, he shall not die” Prov 23:13

“The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame” Prov 29:15

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” Heb 12:11

To His children in Laodicea, the Lord said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten” Rev 3:19

Let no one suppose that this writer has advocated brutal treatment of children. We are all sensitive to the subject of child abuse these days, and well we should be. But measured, reasonable correction which emphatically makes the point that some behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated is much needed these days. The Lord placed the responsibility for training in the hands of parents. One day he shall call us to account for how we managed the task. If you want your children to grow up to reverence God and obey His will, then you must start today to teach them respect for worship of God. It will take time, effort and great patience, but it is worth all of that, and more… 

Teach Your Child To Love Worship
Doy Moyer

A very serious problem exists among religious families: sometimes their children who have been brought up "in the church" are anxious to "get out of the house" so they won’t "have to go to church" anymore. This is a perplexing problem fraught with serious consequences. Why does a child want to "get away from" the church? What kind of children from what kind of families do so? I don’t know all the answers to questions like this, but let me suggest a few thoughts.

I believe that one real source of this attitude is that children are not taught to love the worship of the Lord. From the time they are infants the parents are yelling at them on Sundays to "hurry up and get up ‘cause we have to go to church" with the emphasis on "have." Nothing is said about the joy of worship. Nothing is said about the wonderful privilege that is ours. Children are taught that "going to church" is a drudge. No wonder they want to get away from it.

When children are in the assembly, often they are allowed to play with all sorts of toys and games. This causes them to think that the assembly is some place to play games; and then when they are older and too big to play games, they are bored with what is going on. Many children are not taught to sing. They are allowed to play when worship to God in song is being rendered. If they are not taught to sing as tiny tots, then as they grow older they will not sing. Parents, do you teach your children the words to songs at home so they will know them and be able to join in the singing? It is a sad sight to see teenagers just sitting and looking around instead of singing. No wonder they have no interest. They are not taught reverence during prayer. They keep on playing instead of being taught to always bow their heads in reverence. If you took your child to the funeral of a loved one, would you give him games to play? Would you allow him to "do his own thing" or would you teach him reverence and respect for the dead? No, our worship is not a funeral, but it is holy and children need to be taught that it is.

They must be taught to study the Word. Are you studying the class lessons with your children every day? Are you teaching them to enjoy that part of the day and really look forward to it? If this is the environment of a child, you will seldom see him wander away from the Lord. Those who are taught to study the Bible are the ones who listen to sermons and lessons. They are the ones who will understand much more of the lessons that are being presented. (And, by the way, what happened to the teenagers all sitting at the front? What an inspiration that is to the whole congregation!) These are the ones who grow up to love the Lord and stay with Him.

Friend, what are you teaching your children? To love God and His worship, His word, and His people? What you teach your child, who is a tiny tot now, will determine where he will be when he is old. Seems like Solomon said something like that somewhere. 

CHURCH HISTORY: A BIBLICAL VIEW
Part II No. 11 Compiled and written by Gary Eubanks

I . Introduction

Though the emphasis in recent lessons has been upon the departures of the post-apostolic church from New Testament teachings concerning the organization for the church, it should not be forgotten that other changes in doctrine and practice, though perhaps more subtly and slowly, were also being made. This could only be expected. When men refuse to acknowledge, and adhere to, the authoritative pattern of the New Testament in one particular there is no reason for them to do so in other matters. Apostasy cannot long be confined to one aspect of the church. It may be that changes in the organizational structure of the church had to occur first in order to provide an avenue for further apostasies. This is to say that the basis of authority had to be shifted from the New Testament and the bishops of local churches to sources such as tradition, monarchical bishops, the clergy, and synods, for the New Testament itself contained no justification for the coming apostasies. Thus, the initial organizational changes paved the way for changes in doctrine, worship, and other practices. In confirmation of this it may be observed that those sects which are most foreign to the New Testament in their practices have sources of authority and organizations just as foreign to the New Testament.

A. Days of worship. The day of the week on which saints gathered for worship in the apostolic age was the first day of the week, or Sunday (Acts 20:7; I Cor. 16:1,2; Rev. 1:10). This continued to be the case after the deaths of the apostles. Eventually, Wednesday and Friday were set aside as days of fasting. Easter season became the greatest event of the year, and was considered an especially appropriate time for baptisms.

B. Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper (which became known as the Eucharist, from the Greek verb, "eucharisteo," meaning "to give thanks") was the main focal point of the service in the post-apostolic church. Probably due to the strong influence of heathen and Jewish practices, as well as those of the mystery religions, slow but fundamental changes

began to occur in Christians' minds toward the Lord's Supper . (1) Real presence of Christ., Christians began to take more and more literally Christ's words with respect to the bread and wine, "This is My body," and "This is My blood" (Matt. 26:26-29). It gave dramatic meaning to the Lord's Supper to believe that Christ was really present in the elements, though it would be many years later before this idea would reach full bloom and it be concluded how He was present. (2) Sacrament. This is defined by a Catholic source as "a sacred sign instituted by Christ to give grace" (Life in Christ, p.161). Thus, the idea began to arise that partaking of the Lord's Supper, per se, could confer special benefits, such as forgiveness of sins, upon the partakers. Consequently, the threat of exclusion from the Lord's Supper became a powerful weapon of manipulation in the hands of the clergy. (3) Sacrifice. Again, though it took many more years to become fully developed, the idea that the observance of the Lord's Supper was a renewal of the sacrifice of Christ began to gain popularity. This thinking made a great contribution to the prestige and power of the clergy. Something fraught with such awesome importance required the special handling of skilful hands and knowledgeable minds; that is, those of "priests."

C. Veneration of "saints." The term, "saint" means "holy one" one set apart to the service of God. In the New Testament all Christians were regarded as saints (I Cor. 1:2). However, the term eventually came to be used exclusively in reference to a few pious elite who had attained a special degree of holiness by virtue of their works. Early persecutions also produced a number of martyrs. Saints and martyrs at first were honored and commemorated, but they eventually began to be prayed to and venerated. Even their relics were highly prized. This was the roots of saint-worship.

A. Baptism. This early became a matter of diverse and heated controversies.

(1) Formula. Whether the names of all of the Trinity were to be pronounced at baptism (Matt. 28:19), or only that of Christ (Acts 2:38), was a matter of concern. Supposedly, it was the practice of the early post-apostolic churches to immerse the candidate once for each of the three members of the Trinity.

(2) Catechumens. This was one who was receiving instruction in the faith preparatory to his baptism. This practice of deferring baptism until the candidate was properly taught was thought to protect the church from unworthy members. The period of instruction might last two or three years.

(3) Subjects. There are no references to infant baptism until an obscure one by Ireneus about 185. However, infant baptism began to be increasingly popular because infants, as much as adults, were thought to be in need of the benefits conferred through baptism.

(4) Administrants. The mid-Third Century witnessed a heated controversy over validity of heretical baptism. Out of this controversy grew additional emphasis upon the qualifications of the ones administering baptism. Hence, it became a rite to be performed by the clergy with appropriate ritualism attending it. Nonmembers were excluded from baptisms.

(5) Method. Though immersion has always prevailed in the East, it began to give way to pouring (effusion) water over the head in the West. At first it was done only in those cases which supposedly necessitated it.

B. Forgiveness of sins. (1) Unforgivable sins. This was also a matter of long and general discussion. The number and kind of unforgivable sins kept fluctuating, but renunciation of faith was perhaps the most persistent one.

(2) Absolution. Persecutions produced many disavowals of faith which, in turn, raised the question of forgiveness for those who desired restoration. Though practices differed, the right to pronounce penance (involving "making amends") and absolution (forgiveness) was ultimately granted to the clergy - another step which vastly increased their power. 

Children do not know true values. A very small child will prefer a shiny copper coin to a crumpled ten dollar bill. Older children would eat all dessert and no meat if parents would allow it. Children will not look beyond this life unless they are taught about heaven and hell. If children see their parents forsake the assembly in order to go visiting, they will not be taught the true value of assembling to worship God.