Our Home is Like a Little Church Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles Illustrated by Tessa Janes 3our home is like a little church.indd 1 19/11/2009 14:32:37
Our Home is Like a Little Church Copyright 2008 by Sojourn Community Church Text copyright 2008 by Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles Illustrations copyright 2008 by Tessa Janes Martin Luther quotation from Luther s Works, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan, Lectures on Genesis: Chapters 21 25 (St. Louis, MO: Concordia, 1964), page 304. ISBN: 978-1-84550-552-3 Published in 2010 by Christian Focus Publications, Geanies House, Fearn, Tain, Ross-shire, IV20 1TW, Scotland, U.K. www.christianfocus.com CF4 Because you re never too young to know Jesus Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Deuteronomy 4:9 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 11:9 3our home is like a little church.indd 2 19/11/2009 14:34:56
Abraham had in his tent a house of God and a church, just as today any godly and pious head of a household instructs his children in godliness. Therefore such a house is actually a school and church, and the head of the household is a bishop and priest in his house. MARTIN LUTHER Our Home is like a Little Church was written to teach preschool children the Christian truth evident in its title that the home is a little church where the father teaches his family God s commands and leads them to worship the one true God. God intended the home to be the front line of ministry to children not the Sunday school or public church gathering alone. The church and the home are partners. So, many of the practices present in a Christian worship service the Scriptures, prayer, and praise should be present in the home as well. Our Home is Like a Little Church teaches this truth by repeatedly putting church and home side by side on adjacent pages. God expects parents to teach their children when they sit down for meals, when they drive along the road, when they lie down for bed, and when they get up in the morning. These pastoral duties can be daunting for moms and pastor dads. So, Our Home is Like a Little Church also serves as a reminder that these duties are done in light of God s grace shown to us through Jesus work on the cross. Jared Kennedy Children s Minister, Sojourn Community Church, Louisville, KY 3our home is like a little church.indd 3 19/11/2009 14:34:57
My family goes to Sunday church. We see the pastor there. He teaches us the Word of God and leads us all in prayer. 3our home is like a little church.indd 4 19/11/2009 14:34:57
We pray and praise God at our house He makes our family glad. Our home is like a little church. The pastor is my dad. 3our home is like a little church.indd 5 19/11/2009 14:35:00
Christian Focus Publications publishes books for adults and children under its four main imprints: Christian Focus, Christian Heritage, CF4K and Mentor. Our books reflect that God s word is reliable and Jesus is the way to know him, and live for ever with him. Our children s publication list includes a Sunday school curriculum that covers preschool to early teens; puzzle and activity books. We also publish personal and family devotional titles, biographies and inspirational stories that children will love. If you are looking for quality Bible teaching for children then we have an excellent range of Bible story and age specific theological books. From pre-school to teenage fiction, we have it covered! Find us at our web page: www.christianfocus.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying. In the U.K. such licences are issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London, EC1 8TS. www.cla.co.uk CF4 Because you re never too young to know Jesus 3our home is like a little church.indd 16 19/11/2009 14:35:45