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A major part of Keeping the Kids is to aim to make the Bible the Book of their lives.

The Bible is the infallible, divinely inspired Scripture (2 Ti. 3:16). It is the living, powerful Word of God (Heb. 4:12). It is the mind of Christ (1 Co. 2:16). It is able to make you wise unto salvation (2 Ti. 3:15). It is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among the saints (Ac. 20:32). It is a lamp to your feet (Ps. 119:105). It is a light that shineth in a dark place (2 Pe. 1:19). It is how the young man can cleanse his way (Ps. 119:9). It is able to make your way prosperous so thou shalt have good success (Jos. 1:8). It is able to grow you (1 Pe. 2:2). It is able to make the man of God perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Ti. 3:16-17). It is the shield of faith; it is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:16-17). It is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, eternal, true and righteous altogether (Ps. 19:7-9). It converts the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes (Ps. 19:7-8). It is more to be desired than gold. it is sweeter than honey (Ps. 19:10). It is the source of durable riches (Pr. 8:18). It transforms the life by renewing the mind (Ro. 12:2). It has the power to cast down wrong imaginations and to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Co. 10:5).

Apart from salvation, nothing in life is more important than a strong knowledge of the Bible.

God’s Word plainly instructs parents and churches to train up children and youth as disciples of Christ. Parents and pastors and youth workers should do a careful exegesis of the following Scriptures:

Genesis 18:19 - “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 - “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

Psalm 34:11 - “Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”

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

Ecclesiastes 12:1 - “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.”

Malachi 2:15 - “And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.”

John 21:15 - “He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.”

Ephesians 6:4 - “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

2 Timothy 2:22 - “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

2 Timothy. 3:15-17 - “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, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

Titus 2:3-5 - “The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Titus 2:6 - “Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.”

The homes and churches must be immersed in Scripture. But it must be more than rote learning. It must get into the heart and permeate every part of the life. It must be understood. It must produce the new birth. It must be profitably read and effectually studied. It must be rightly divided. It must change the thinking.

To make this happen must be the aim and sharp focus of every Christian home and church.

The average fundamentalist family and church is feeding young people a poor and insufficient diet of spiritual food from God’s Word. Babies need Pabulum (baby food), but to remain on Pabulum perpetually is symptomatic of a serious problem and will not sustain mature spiritual life. Sunday Schools and youth groups typically aim to meet the needs of the lowest common denominator, so the teaching is perpetually shallow and simplistic. Oftentimes it doesn’t get beyond the basic gospel and a few points of Christian living.

When I was a kid growing up in church, I did not know that the Bible is a practical book that speaks to the situations in my daily life. I thought it was just a bunch of old stories largely disconnected from modern life. I knew many Bible stories and I knew how to win a Sword Drill, but I had no clue how to study the Bible for myself.

Some of the respondents to our survey mentioned this theme.

“We must preach the Bible more thoroughly. We need to trust our young people with the Bible and teach them how to properly use it in their everyday lives. We teach fundamentals of math, grammar, spelling and history, why not a systematic study of the Bible geared toward young people. I came to this church finding the second generation barely holding on to the foundations their parents put in place and a third generation that is nowhere to be found. Why? I believe that the Bible was not given a priority and many false assurances of salvation were given at an altar for emotion’s sake and not Christ sake.”

“We must get the young people grounded in the Word of God by teaching them how to study the Bible through the use of reference works like a concordance, Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, and solid biblical commentaries. They need to be taught to meditate on the Word and learn to apply the Word to their lives to develop a close relationship with God through thanksgiving, praise, and prayer. Young people need to be shown how and why the Bible is true and reliable above all other sources.”

“There is thorough and deep biblical teaching, just Hyles’ style ‘ripping’ without any biblical study on anything.”

“Children must be taught that Scripture is their refuge from the pagan, post modern culture we are in, which rejects Truth. If they are not strengthened from a young age, they will accept compromise to get along.

“I am appalled at the lack of knowledge of sound doctrine; somehow, many Independent Baptist Churches fail to teach doctrine in any detail. They are good at behavioral preaching: tithe, go soul-winning; if you’re a man, don't wear long hair; if you’re a lady, don't wear trousers; dress up for church, etc. But teaching about why we are pre-trib, what we believe about salvation (why we are not Calvinist/Reformed), what we believe about the Holy Spirit (why we are not Pentecostal or charismatic) [that type of thing is missing]. It's easy to be in agreement when everyone around believes the same thing. Young people are not prepared for the challenges to their faith from those outside their faith (‘the world’) and from other Christians with different beliefs).”

Typically, the young people aren’t taught how to study and interpret the Bible for themselves. They don’t understand such things as justification, redemption, propitiation, sanctification, holiness, Spirit filling, a pilgrim lifestyle. They don’t very well understand law and grace. They don’t know the purpose of the law of Moses or its place in the Christian life. They don’t know Bible doctrine. They don’t have a biblical worldview. They are ignorant of Christ’s High Priesthood. They know little to nothing about spiritual warfare. They don’t know Bible prophecy. The prophetic books, which form a large portion of Scripture, are a puzzle. They don’t understand the book of Revelation. They don’t have a good grasp of the Bible’s timeline and when biblical events occurred. They have little to no understanding of the Psalms. They know little to nothing about the resurrection body. They aren’t taught how to defend the faith against the spiritual enemies that proliferate in these end times, such as evolution, theological liberalism, higher criticism, textual criticism, the emerging church, cultural liberalism, and the new Reformed Calvinism. They have little to no knowledge of church history. They are largely ignorant of the danger of contemporary worship music. They haven’t learned to discern between sacred and contemporary styles of music.

Must Begin with the Children

“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” (2 Ti. 3:15).

Teaching young people to make the Bible the book of their lives must begin at an early age.

We have dealt with this in the chapter on “Child Discipline.” There, we deal with such things as teaching them to have a daily Bible reading habit, how to pay attention to the preaching and take notes and ask question, and how to have family devotions.

The Bible Knowledge Test

A good way to see where the young people are in their understanding of biblical things is to administer The Bible Knowledge Test, which is available free from our website at www.wayoflife.org.

Memory Verse Journal

The goal of the Memory Verse Journal is to help the believer hide God’s Word in his heart (Psalm 119:11) and to meditate on it in an effectual, practical way. God doesn’t want His people to read and memorize the Scriptures in a robotic or parroting fashion. Everything is to be done with understanding. See Psalm 47:7; 1 Corinthians 14:15, 19; Colossians 1:9; 3:16.

Meditating on a verse or passage of God’s Word effectually begins with understanding its meaning. This requires the application of the fundamental principles of Bible interpretation (e.g., context, comparing Scripture with Scripture, defining the words, literal vs. allegorical, understanding figures of speech) and the wise use of Bible study tools (e.g., dictionary, concordance, Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, commentary). A basic education in these things can be obtained from The Effectual Bible Student. This 12-hour video course, accompanied by a printed manual, is available for free viewing and download from www.wayoflife,org. It is also available for purchase on DVDs. The more the child of God invests in pursuing this type of education, the better he will understand the Bible.

Memorization and meditation go together. By memorizing a verse, the believer can then meditate on it as he goes about his daily life. He can ask himself, what does this verse mean? What are its main lessons? What does this mean for my daily life?

The journal is accompanied by a five-year weekly memory verse program (one or two verses per week). The verses are carefully selected for edification and exhortation.

The journal and the weekly memory verse program can be used by individuals, families, classes, and churches.
https://www.wayoflife.org/free_ebooks/memory_verse_journal.php

How to Study the Bible

When a young person learns how to study the Bible, the Book becomes much more interesting and powerful. Just reading the Bible doesn’t teach the student how to understand it. If a young person tries to have a daily Bible reading program without learning how to understand it, he is crippled. A very large part of what he reads is not understood, and that becomes boring and discouraging.

The Effectual Bible Student is an introductory course especially designed for older mature children and teens. The package consists of a 14-hour series of video teaching plus the textbook. It has four major sections: First, the spiritual requirements for effectual Bible study. Second, tips for daily Bible study. Third, principles of Bible interpretation. Fourth, how to use Bible study tools.
https://www.wayoflife.org/publications/books/effectual_bible_student.php

Understanding the Bible for Yourself is an advanced course. It deals with choosing the right Bible, how to establish a habit of daily Bible study, rules of Bible interpretation, methods of study (a practical seven-fold plan for studying any Bible passage), using Bible study tools, using Bible commentaries, using Bible study software, and having a plan of lifelong study. There is an extensive list of suggested Bible study projects. The course is extremely practical. We explain exactly how to get started in Bible study and how to move forward step by step. It is a course for new Bible students as well as for old.
https://www.wayoflife.org/publications/books/understanding_bible_for_yourself.php

The book of Proverbs is particularly important and effective for discipling children and young people.

Proverbs is, first of all, a book for young people. It is addressed to “my son” and “my children.” Youth is the best time to learn wisdom, and this is where Proverbs begins, but it is also a book for saints of all ages. This amazing book contains more wisdom about human life and the operation of home, society, commerce, and government than all of this world’s secular colleges and universities combined. The breadth of Proverbs is amazing. It contains practical wisdom for every type and class of person, for the king and the subject, the simple and the prudent, the male and the female, the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the master and the servant, the wise and the foolish, the married and the unmarried, the husband and the wife, the parent and the child, the angry and the calm, the patient and the impatient, the sluggard and the diligent, the friend and the enemy, the sad and the joyful, the one who talks much and the one who talks little. The book of Proverbs is a mirror that shows us the condition of our hearts.

We recommend the Mastering the English Bible - Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. This course contains four major sections: First, an introduction to Proverbs. Second, a verse by verse study of Proverbs 1-9 and Proverbs 31. Third, studies of the major themes of Proverbs 10-30 (Anger, Child Discipline, Counsel, the Fool, Friendship, the Poor, Pride, the Sluggard, the Talebearer, the Tongue, and Wine). Fourth, studies of some of the most important individual proverbs. This course is scheduled for publication in about June 2023 and will be available from the Way of Life Literature, web site - http://www.wayoflife.org

Teen Bible College

The teen Bible college is not an official college; it is a concept that saved teenagers can do Bible college level work if homes and churches would follow Scripture instead of the pop culture.

We can educate children and youth in Christian homes so they have the equivalent of a Bible Institute education by graduation from high school.

Of course, the heart and soul of the education is a personal, saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and surrender to pursuing God’s will. They must have the fear of God. Otherwise, the education will be wasted on self.

The entire book of Proverbs is written, first and foremost, to disciple young people (Pr. 1:4, 8, 10; 2:1, etc.), and it is serious discipleship.

The teen years should be devoted to building a spiritual foundation for adulthood. This is exactly the opposite of the philosophy of the pop culture, which encourages the young person to waste his teen years by pursuing fun and frivolity, by taking education lightly, by selfishness, by rebellion, and by isolation from those who could help him the most (e.g., the generation gap).

I regret that I did not have this understanding when our own children were growing up, but by God’s grace I have learned much since then, and I am passionate about helping fathers be wiser than I was.

We are seeing very good fruit these days in helping to build the kind of churches and homes that can be Teen Bible Colleges.

Suggested Curriculum

The following Bible courses are available from Way of Life Literature, www.wayoflife.org. Purchase of the textbooks allows the teacher and/or student to have access to the syllabi, review questions, tests, score sheets, and other helps for that course.

The Bible Knowledge Test
Introduction to Bible Geography (video series and PDF textbook)
The Bird’s-eye View of the Bible (textbook and video series)
The Effectual Bible Student (textbook and video series)
Highlights in Bible Doctrine (slated for second half 2023)
Highlights in Church History (textbook and video series)
Mastering the English Bible - The Four Gospels (textbook and video series)
Mastering the English Bible - Acts (textbook and video series)
Mastering the English Bible - Romans (textbook)
Mastering the English Bible - Proverbs (textbook)
Bible Times and Ancient Kingdoms (textbook and PowerPoints)
Spiritual Safety in the Facebook Age (textbook)
Knowing God’s Will (a study of Romans 12) (textbook)
Highlights in Bible Doctrine (textbook)
Cities and Places of Bible Times (textbook and video series)
Effectual Prayer (textbook and video series)
Why We Hold to the King James Bible (textbook and video series)
The Satanic Attack on Sacred Music (textbook and video series)
What Every Christian Should Know about Rock Music (book and video)
One Year Discipleship Course (book)
Bible Prophecy as Light on the 21st Century (textbook and video series)
Highlights in Church History (textbook and video series)
Highlights in Bible Doctrine (textbook)
The Hand of God in World History (scheduled for late 2023)
Jews in Fighter Jets: Israel Past, Present, and Future (textbook and video series) and PowerPoints)
The Pentecostal-Charismatic Movements (textbook and PowerPoints)
Sowing and Reaping: A Course in Evangelism (textbook and video series)
Spiritual Safety in the Facebook Age (book)
An Unshakeable Faith: A Christian Apologetics Course (textbook and PowerPoints)
The Future according to the Bible (book)
Woman and Her Service to God (book)

Building a Personal Bible Study Library

Young people need to be challenged to start building their own Bible study and research libraries. When they start learning how to study the Bible for themselves, they will be far more interested in this type of thing.

Following are some suggestions for the beginning of a basic Bible study library: Strong’s Concordance, Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, New Moody Atlas of the Bible, Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity, and Believer’s Bible Commentary, and Things Hard to Be Understood: A Handbook of Bible Difficulties.

This report is excerpted from Keeping the Kids in the Social Media Age, 2023 edition -
https://www.wayoflife.org/publications/all.php