How can I teach my grandfather?
Question:
Hello,
My best friend is my grandfather. He has never been dedicated, baptized, or read the Bible. I, being only twelve years old, have done all three. Today, I told him about heaven and H-E double hockey sticks. He doesn't really seem to be trying too hard. I explained to him about accepting Christ into his heart and how to do so, which he did on the spot. I told him some stuff from the Bible about disciples, Christmas, Easter, Mary, Bethlehem, the beggar, Noah, Jonah, Adam and Eve. I also read to him some Bible pages. Scriptures and verses. It surprised me how perplexed he was with learning Genesis and some other basic information, but I am not sure how to teach him evaluation and revelation. I encourage him to pray and read devotions to him, but as you know I cannot force him to believe or go to church. He asks questions such as will God forgive him if he intentionally gambles or has a glass of beer? Why did God make grandma ill? (She has Alzheimer's disease.) Could you please send me some printable devotions, Scriptures, information, pictures, advice, ideas, lesson plans, answers, etc.? Any help would be significantly appreciated.
Thank you for reading this.
Answer:
I can see why you are having trouble talking with your grandfather since you are blending things found in the Bible with man-made myths. For example, Christmas and Easter are man-made holidays to commemorate events that happened in the Bible, but the holidays are not mentioned nor did God ask Christians to celebrate these holidays.
The Bible doesn't speak about accepting Jesus into your heart nor does it say that this will cause a person to be saved. People made this up. The nearest you can find is, "But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 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 10:8-10). Belief and confession will lead toward salvation, but neither cause salvation by themselves. To learn about what is needed for salvation from sin, read the passages listed in "Things that Accompany Salvation."
The best thing that you can do is learn your Bible better and share the things that you learn with your grandfather. Perhaps God's word will soften his heart, but in the meantime, it will teach you how to live as a Christian. A study that you would enjoy is Moral Principles for Young People. There is no need for me to email the study to you since you can get them directly from the website. Make sure you read all the passages and think about how they apply to the lesson being taught.
In regards to your grandmother, you have things backward. God hasn't made your grandmother ill. He may have allowed it to happen, but disease is the result of man's sins and the decay of this physical world. Please read over the lesson "Does God Make the Handicapped?" to learn more.
There is a study of Genesis on this website that is a good study for someone who doesn't know a lot about the Bible. Perhaps you can study each of the lessons with your grandfather. It will benefit both of you.
