Worship God In The Home

This is the first in a series of writings on an almost-forgotten Christian duty – and I am not talking about your duty to read, pray, study the word, evangelize, or congregate. After all, I believe that Christians today still attend church, despite much negligence about this matter, and that stupid virus fear that almost closed half of the world.

I am talking about Family Worship, which the Puritans named The Family Altar. Before I explain to you what it is, let me first give you the reasons why you should continue reading this series.

God Is Not Passive In The Salvation Of His Chosen Ones

“But He answered them, ‘My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working’” (John 5:17).

Many Christians in the 21st century face the problem of rebellious, apostate, and foolish children in their homes. But the bigger, underlying problems are the parents who are like Eli the priest, who are passive in the correction and discipline of their children.

How many parents today would like their children to be before the feet of Christ – to be godly men and women? That they would be faithful members of the congregation where they are attending? That they would be ministers or missionaries in the advancement of the gospel, or that they would at least be godly in their workplaces?

Which parents would not want to see their children to be faithful? Many parents would – even the most negligent in their Christian labors, those who are new in the faith, and those who are single parents.

The problem is that we usually assume God can save them through church activities. That he can only do this through Christian camps, conferences, homeschooling, or a Christian college.

“I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in the way, which is not good, following their own thoughts” (Isa. 65:7).

Beloved brethren, God is not passive in saving his people. As Reformed Presbyterians, we confess that God keeps His promises to save His own. Perhaps you are wondering: “Juan, wait, are you saying that God will save my children?” To which I’d answer: “yes, why wouldn’t he?”

God has enough power to save all our children. It is not up to us to know if He wants it or not, or if he has the will or not. It is up to us to be obedient to His commandments and the great commission.

God Calls Families To Know Him

“Then God said to Jacob, ‘Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.’ So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods which are among you and cleanse yourselves and change your garments.’” (Gen. 35:1-2).

One of the excuses I’ve heard from many Christians is this: “My children are still too young to understand the doctrines of the Gospel.” Every time I hear this and other excuses, they make me think that God has created a baby, without a brain and without the ability to understand. It is like those who say the fetus is not a human.

Beloved brothers, when God created us, He made us superior to the animals:

“But one has testified somewhere, saying, ‘What is man, that You remember him? Or the son of man, that You are concerned about him?’” (Heb. 2:6).

This should also lead us to think about Mary and Elizabeth when John recognizes the presence of Jesus in His mother’s womb. While John was a prophet, he was not superhuman, nor was he God. This is clear evidence that God has made our children able to understand the gospel from the womb.

The Bible teaches that God gives us faith by hearing the word of God, not by reasoning. Not by having a certain degree of intelligence, but by listening.

The great commission that the Old Testament church received was that the other nations would know the “Lord Our God,” not that they would know how blessed Israel was, or how strong or valiant in war they were.

“You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise.” (Deut. 6:1-7).

But before they were to proclaim His virtues with songs from the Psalms, they had to instruct their children and give them the Law of the LORD. To speak of all that they were before they were free, and of what God was now doing with them, and the promises of the Covenant of Grace they had received.

All the families had the duty to come to the temple, to pray to God, to sing to God, and to receive instruction from the Word of God through the head of the family. God made himself known to the sons of Adam. For example, consider how the sons of Adam knew how to offer sacrifices in Genesis 4. Also, think of Isaac, who knew what an altar required for a sacrifice. Finally, consider Timothy, who Paul notes had known the Torah since he was a child. 

God makes himself known to the family in general. He not only makes himself known to the Christian father, but also to the son, and I dare say, even to their neighbors. The problem is that we do not want to cross this boundary and make Him known in a more intimate and profound way, so that our children would worship Jehovah our God.

For example, in the year 1639, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland passed the following resolution:

“That there shall be a weekly catechism in some part of the congregation: that families shall be catechized at home by the heads of families, the duties of which shall be performed by ministers, assisted by an elder, and that family worship shall be held in every house morning and evening.”

Our Great Curable Problem 

I have already given two starting points that I will expand in the following writings, so now it is time to determine our great problem in our churches and families.

Due to the selfishness and hatred we have for our children, many parents – even though they know about family devotion – do not practice it, and would rather be served by their families than to serve them. Many pastors who know about this commandment of family worship do not exhort the heads of households to do it, because they themselves often make the same excuses for their negligence.

How easy it is to be against abortion, LGBT, and other demons, and yet not to remain ignorant and disobedient in bringing our families before God, the only Great Savior. Our concerns as heads of the home are in many things, but not our own children. Oh, these are the men who care more about a good piece of meat on the table for their children, instead of providing the Meat of the Lamb of God. They prefer a good piece of bread, before the Bread of Life for their souls. Then, do not complain that we live in a century filled with hypocritical and false worship.

We are guilty of our churches’ sorry state and of our nation’s pagan and apostate state. If we were diligent in presenting God and making Him known, our society would be different. Look and do the test like Joshua, and if that is not enough, look at the Scotland of Knox and the England of the Puritans.

The problem will be cured when we take the Book of Eternal Life, fall to our knees, and call our whole family and say, “[A]s for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh” (Josh. 24:15).

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