10 Things to Know Before Leaving Home

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In thinking about what I want my children to be as adults, and working and training them towards those goals, I found this article gave me some things to think about. "I want them to be nice people," or "I want them to be well educated," may be top priorities for us as we train them, but what are the most important things in life that we must teach our children before they leave our care?
Thank you to http://www.gospelmessage.net for permission to reprint.

10 Things to Know Before Leaving HomeDave Hartman

Dave Hartman, elder at the Prince Road Church of Christ in Alton, IL, recently gave the congregation an assignment. He asked the members to come up with 10 things that they would like for their children to have learned before leaving home. Here are the ten points he came up with:

1. Heaven and Hell are real, and there will be a Day of Judgment to determine where you will be forever.
 “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” (Matthew 25:46).
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
 2. Jesus is God’s Son and He is the Savior of the Body (Church). “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).
 “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the Saviour of the body. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” (Ephesians 5: 23, 25).
 3. You enter the body of Christ by these five steps, leaving none out:

• Hearing the Word
 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17).

• Believing the Word
 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6).

• Repenting of Sin
 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38).

• Confessing Your Faith
 “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9,10).


• Immersion (baptism) for the forgiveness of sins “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:16).

4. You must remain faithful to the church. Baptism isn’t the finish line, it is the start.
 “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:25). 
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4).
 5. You must know what sin is- God hates sin, and we have to take it seriously.
 “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17).
 6. The Bible is God’s inspired word, not man-generated.
 “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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16,17).
 7. Not all churches are created equally. The Bible shows the structure of the church and how it ought to worship the Lord with the aid of three officers: Elders, Deacons, Evangelists. There is no hierarchy beyond the local church.
 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,” (Ephesians 4:11,12).
(See also 1 Timothy 3:8-13).
 8. Who you marry will go a long ways towards helping you with spiritual maturity.
“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? (2 Corinthians 6:14,15).
(See also Ephesians 5:25).
 9. You are responsible for your actions, as well as the abilities and information you have learned. 
“But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:48).
 10. Treat people as you would like to be treated (or, The Golden Rule).
 “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.” (Luke 6: 31).

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