Without checking, I would say that there is not a subject
that I have written about any more than family worship and the importance of dads leading out in this area. I have preached on this, taught this, and
blogged on this, but I do not want to ever quit beating this drum. Below is a
blog that inspired and encouraged me as I read it as it deals with the “Why?” of family
worship. I hope it resonates within your heart as well:
Family Worship. Why?
Being in a healthy, Bible-teaching local church is important for
Christian parenting. But is it enough?
Some time ago, I was in England and heard a report on BBC radio
about a government study there indicating that, as a result of TV, technology,
and the like, families rarely spend time together. The study observed that
conversation between family members has "degenerated into an indistinguishable
series of monosyllabic grunts." And what was the recommended solution
to this dilemma? The government should teach a series of classes
instructing families how to talk and play together.
I have at least two responses to this report. First, things
are really bad when the government believes that the family is in
trouble. Second, God has a much better plan for family time together than
classes taught by the government.
I had gone to England to speak at a conference. Around the
table there one evening, I heard the story of a minister's family who had not
acted as though God has a better plan until it was too late. The
minister's widow told me that the greatest regret of her life was that her late
husband had not begun leading their family in daily worship together until
after he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Contrast that with a story
sent to me by a friend describing what he and his four siblings said at their
parents' fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration. He wrote,
All five of us children decided to express thanks to our father
and mother for one thing without consulting each other. Remarkably, all
five of us thanked our mother for her prayers and all five of us thanked our
father for his leadership of . . . family worship. My brother said,
"Dad, the oldest memory I have is of tears streaming over your face as you
taught us from Pilgrim's Progress on Sunday evenings how the Holy Spirit leads
believers. [When I was only] three, God used you in family worship to
convict me that Christianity was
real. No matter how far I went astray in later years, I could never
seriously question the reality of Christianity and I want to thank you for
that."[1]
The latest figures I have seen from the North American Mission
Board of the Southern Baptist Convention report that 88% of churched youth in
the US leave the church once they finish high school.[2] Researcher George
Barna's statistics are only slightly better: "When [churchgoing
teenagers were] asked to estimate the likelihood that they will continue to
participate in church life once they are living on their own, levels dip
precipitously, to only about one out of every three teens"[3] saying they
expect to stay in church.
One of the problems with these numbers is, unlike the siblings
at the fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration, most of these young people
have no lifelong, sweet memories of family worship. If they had them, such
memories might prevent their departure from the faith in the first place. Or
if they do walk away, the memories might be the means to return them to the
faith later.
The great British Baptist preacher of the 1800's, Charles
Spurgeon, spoke to this issue, saying,
Brethren, I wish it were more common, I wish it were universal,
with all [Christians] to have family
prayer. We sometimes hear of children of Christian parents who do not grow
up in the fear of God, and we are asked how it is that they turn out so
badly. In many, very many cases, I fear there is such a neglect of family
worship that it's not probable that the children are at all impressed by any
piety supposed to be possessed by their parents.[4]
I am persuaded that so little family worship regularly exists in
Christian homes, that even in most of our best churches, most of our best men
do not lead their wives—and children if they have them—in family
worship. Another recent survey by George Barna supports that
claim. According to his research,
Eighty-five percent of parents with children under age 13
believe they have primary responsibility for teaching their children about
religious beliefs and spiritual matters. However, a majority of parents
don't spend any time during a typical week discussing religious matters or
studying religious materials with their children. . . . Parents generally rely
upon their church to do all of the religious training their children will
receive.[5]
Having your family in a good, Bible-teaching local church is
crucial to Christian parenting. But this is not enough for conveying to
your children all you want to teach them about God and your
beliefs. Moreover, it is unlikely that exposure to the church once or
twice a week will impress your children enough with the greatness and glory of
God that they will want to pursue Him once they leave home.
This is why family worship is so important. But even more
importantly, God deserves to be worshiped daily in our homes by our families.
