[Day 2] Corporate God-man Living
After we talked about the challenges and problems faced by our children today, what is the solution?The solution for the problems, challenges, and crises faced by the children today is the church life and Corporate God-man living destined by God. Children need the church life, the corporate God-man living–– which is the fourth part ofw holistic education.
Corporate living is ordained by God. God’s heart desire is to gain a group of people as His expression to represent Him, so God ordains His children to live a Corporate God-man living—the life of the body of Christ. (Genesis 1:26, Rom. 12:4-5). God not only wants to gain a corporate man, but the people of this group must be built together to become his manifestation and representative. This was already established when God created man; this is God’s intention. In the New Testament, this group of people is the church; the church life is the corporate life that God has ordained for man, and it is also the corporate God-man life that we should pursue. Corporate God-man living is a life of complete rest and satisfaction that man seeks. People need to have God as their life inwardly, and outwardly they need to be in a corporate God-man living. Inwardly, we need God to be our life. Outwardly, we need brothers and sisters to be around us in order to live a Corporate God-man life.
Corporate God-man living allows children to have positive and healthy social relationships. Once a child was born, he would grow under his mother’s care and nourishment, first in the small family, building relationships with family members. When he is a little older, he continues to grow in the extended family—the church, developing and building relationships with other members in the church life. This is children’s social needs; They need to have such a corporate living. Corporate living is the garden of life, it allows children to learn the lesson of accepting and recognizing, be loved and to love; be helped and help others in their small homes and big home the church. It is a life of contentment, confidence, and joy. This is the corporate life that God has ordained for us.
Children learn how they ought to conduct themselves in the house of God. Through corporate living, they learn to respect and obey the elders, to help and perfect those who are younger(1 Tim. 3:15). Regarding the older generation, children need to respect, obey and listen to them. As to those children who are younger, they should help and assist them. Concerning those children who are the same age, they need to learn how to match and build together with them.
Children learn the lesson of coordination: in loving and safe environments they learn to solve contradictions, conflicts, and disputes between one another. Parents need to train children to solve problems by themselves; to confess, to apologize, to forgive and come together before the Lord. Parents must lead the children to turn to the Lord, help and guide them in resolving difficulties and problems in prayer. In church life, the children of saints often meet, quarrels and conflicts are inevitable. What should parents do? Some parents know that their children are angry and bullied in school, so they want them to fight with other children to defend. But in church life, we shouldn’t do this. Instead, when there are conflicts and disputes between children, parents should help and cooperate with the children in order to learn how to resolve conflicts, contradictions, and disputes with others in a lovely and peaceful way. In the process, they learn to admit mistakes, apologize, and forgive. These are very valuable lessons to children.
From an early age, children should learn to coordinate and build up with one another in this God-man living, and even become life-long spiritual companions. My two children have grown up together as companions since they were young. They still pair up together, which is very wonderful. The grace, blessings, and benefits we received in church life are so bountiful and great. Therefore, as our children grow up, we must always bring them into church life. I have seen some brothers and sisters who used to bring their children to live the church life but as the child grew up they placed too much emphasis on school work. Eventually, they sacrificed their children’s church life. Their children neither went to the children’s meeting nor participated in the church life. All their time and energy was devoted to homework.
Special reminder: Don’t let your children leave church life for any reason. We must put church life before schoolwork, talent classes, and extracurricular activities. Church life cannot be sacrificed. If you sacrifice your child’s church life now, you will regret it in the future, even for eternity. But if you keep your child securely in the church life, you and your child will be blessed, benefited, and even grateful for eternity.