From the Director’s Desk

Freedom House School has continued to enjoy a steady expansion, way above our imagination. We thank God because He has favored us with a staff that takes on the challenge and labors to represent Christ. We do realize that this high calling is made to us who though redeemed, daily face the limitation of our created nature in our fallen state. And for this reason we covet your prayers. It is now four terms since we opened the doors of our school to the public. This new term is the fifth. So the school has been operating for a year and five months. We bless God.

Growth of any kind, whether numerical or physical, comes with challenges that stretch and calls for constant evaluation of our programs in light of our mission statement. We welcome the challenges because they remind us of our need for God.

I would like to call our attention to the area of discipline, and general Christian conduct. We all know that a child can be raised up in a Christian home, go to a bible-believing church every Sunday, and attend a Christian school, yet end up choosing the path of sin. Questions have often been asked, who is to blame? Would it be the parents, the pastor, or the Christian school?

God had a plan for his children, the most important being- the plan of salvation through his Son Jesus Christ. The next most important plan was the education of his children. Both the Old and New Testament give evidences of God’s hand in all this- His strategies, implementation, and execution- theoretically and practically. The scriptures have clearly outlined responsibilities for particular leaders in the community of believer to play a key role in the education of children- the parents, pastors, and teachers.

The parents have the first and foremost key responsibility for the education of their children. And for this reason there is then a need for us all to keep evaluating our lives and efforts in light of these instructions:

In this newsletter, I will address both the Parent and the Christian Educator.
1. To the parent- special parental duties outlined by the scriptures include:

• To teach( Deuteronomy 6:7)
• To train (Proverbs 22:6)
• To provide for (2 Corinthians 12: 14)
• To nurture (Ephesians 6:4)
• To control (1Timothy 3:4)
• To love (Titus 3:4)

From the book of Proverbs we so often read
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”  (Proverbs 22: 6). Adam Clark’s Bible Commentary translates the word “train” as to ‘initiate instructions at the mouth of a child’s life.’- When a child comes to the opening of the way of life, being able to walk alone, and to choose; stop at this entrance, and begin a series of instructions, how he is to conduct himself in every step he takes. Show him the duties, the dangers, and the blessings of the path; give him directions how to perform the duties, how to escape the dangers, and how to secure the blessings, which all lie before him. Beg incessantly the blessing of God on all this teaching and discipline, and then you have obeyed the injunction of the wisest of the men.

 From this verse, we learn then that children, left untamed, given no direction, having no consistency instilled in their lives, are most likely to wonder away from the right path. We also learn that we have a part to play in the lives of our children. We are not to simply pray for God’s blessings in their lives, we are also called to instill the teaching, to live out – in our own lives as they watch us, and in the process pray on their behalf.

2. To the Christian Educator/local church:
Scripture defines the Christian Educator’s (either teachers/pastors/priests) role as that of leading students to the discovery of truth. This truth refers to God, themselves, other human beings, and the rest of creation and the way it operates. Ephesians 4:11-13 defines the role of a teacher as one who:

• Feeds – providing food from scriptures. (teaching & edifying)
• Shepherds – to lovingly guide the students in moving them from where they are in learning toward where they need to be; providing a comfortable learning environment that offers security, freedom and responsibility.
• Trains – by modeling Christ who embodied what he taught, and personalized it.

What is the purpose of all this? – God’s intention was that students would be “prepared for works of service” (Ephesians 4:12). Students are to be trained to do work themselves, “so that the body of Christ may be built up.”

I labor to call on our teaching staff to rise to this challenge – to realize this challenge – to realize this high calling of growing God’s children to be well equipped in all facets of life – demands alertness at all times, and dependence on God to help us fulfill this commission.

I believe we will do well in having an impact in the lives of our children and leading them in the way of the Lord. But I realize that this will not be possible unless we constantly evaluate ourselves in light of God’s design. We must understand this design, we must understand how it works, and we must follow through – consistently, no matter how tiring it may seem.

What then is this design? The key word I introduced in the beginning is ‘training.’ How does it work?

• Deuteronomy 6:4-9 – from this verse we learn that God’s intention was to have children raised in an environment where parents dominate it and condition it by His Word. Parents must see to it that they are engaging children in discussions that guide them to think of all things in light of God’s word. eg. When we ask them not to see certain TV shows – we have to take the time to use scripture- in explaining the reason why. In this way we will be guiding them to have a discerning heart. When we forbid we must go beyond the simple phrase, “it is not a good show for you.” We must talk to our children concerning certain issues regarding discipline.
• Matthew 22:37 - this verse tells us that we are to love God with all our heart. The child therefore must be taught how to love God in with all his/her mind. We can only do all this through teaching and modeling. We as parents, must purpose to live a life, engage in practices that testify of our love for God. This means that how we follow people, what we enjoy to watch, how we relate to the children etc. must not conflict with what we profess to be. Concerning the effects of failure to model genuine love for God to our children, Douglas Wilson, in his book Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, writes “At some point, the child will see the conflict between the two views and reject one teaching and accept the other, or he will become schizophrenic in his worldview. He will throw a little switch in his mind when he goes to church and he will believe this, and when he goes to the office or college classroom, he will flip another switch in order to believe that.”

Alan Clark further translates the word “train” as signifying to dedicate; and is often used for consecrating anything, house, or person, to the service of God. Dedicate therefore, in the first instance, your child to God; and nurse, teach, and discipline him as God’s child, whom he has entrusted to your care. When these things are observed, and illustrated by your own conduct, the child will imitate you and endeavor to live like you; the godly way.

We have been given a profound assignment over our children. If we set our hearts and minds to doing this assignment well – with much love and affection – the children will grow to love our God. This is God’s promise to us. Let us fire them to eternal excellence!

Jude Masadde