“And I will take every care so that you may have a clear memory of these things after my death<\/em>” (II Peter 1:15 BBE).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In regard to the principle of restoration, what about our legacy? If we believe the principle is valid, will we teach our children its importance – or will we remain silent and hope they’ll somehow pick it up on their own? When they feel the powerful pull of denominational “Christianity,” will they take a strong stand for “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints<\/em>” (Jude 3)?<\/p>\n
Like Peter, I want people to “have a clear memory of these things after my death<\/em>” (II Peter 1:15). While I’m still living, I want to emphasize holding fast to the apostolic faith and leave my words ringing in the ears of all whom I have taught. And when the time comes for the faith of my kids and grandkids to be tested, I want them to remember the things Grandpa Gary warned them to watch out for. If they leave the Lord, I don’t want it to be because I never spelled out the stark alternatives they would be faced with.<\/p>\n
No matter how effectively any of us teach, there is no guarantee that those whom we teach will remain faithful to Christ. With unspeakable sorrow, I call to mind the godly parents I know who have seen some of their children take the path of apostasy. The fact is, we can’t make our children’s choices for them. All we can do is teach them and warn them, as the apostles did for their hearers in the first century. If we’re not doing that, we need to get started.<\/p>\n
So, in case you haven’t noticed, I am a restorer. I am unbowed in my belief that until the Lord returns, the church must imitate the plan revealed by Him to the apostles in the first century. We must be diligent in learning the Lord’s will from the Scriptures and patient with others who are also learning. But nail this down: there is a huge difference between the Lord’s church and the churches of men, and I want my children to know that I make that distinction. I hope they’ll join me in the restoration quest – and never cease being restorers themselves.<\/p>\n
“To be a restorer has always meant to be an explorer in search of Zion, bound to grope in our own human and cultural maze, never finishing our task, but ever learning through struggle and commitment to the truth. But I have never been alone; God has provided others of like mind to be my fellow travelers. It has been a rigorous journey, but I know existentially no other way. The search has served me well, and should you come to look for me, you will find me a bit further down the same road” (David Edwin Harrell, Jr.).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Gary Henry via WordPoints.com “And I will take every care so that you may have a clear memory of these things after my death” (II Peter 1:15 BBE). In regard to the principle of restoration, what about our legacy? If we believe the principle is valid, will we teach our children its importance –…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1028],"tags":[665,110,29,107,1458],"class_list":["post-94258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","category-parenting","tag-child-rearing","tag-children","tag-parenting","tag-raising-children","tag-remembering"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":55257,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/five-smooth-stones-of-parenting\/","url_meta":{"origin":94258,"position":0},"title":"Five Smooth Stones of Parenting","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 21, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Sewell Hall In Goliath, David faced what seemed an indomitable foe. David's goal was not so much to kill the giant as to protect the children and honor God. He took five smooth stones from the brook to achieve his purpose. In the pervasive humanism of our society, parents\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/five-smooth-stones-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7676,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-i-correspond-with-you-regarding-parenting-issues\/","url_meta":{"origin":94258,"position":1},"title":"Can I correspond with you regarding parenting issues?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 31, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I had stumbled across your web site and just wanted to say how impressed I am with the site. It is very nice to see a site that follows the biblical principles and yet handles many of the tough contemporary issues that we are facing today. My hat\u2019s off\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33853,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-did-god-have-children-killed\/","url_meta":{"origin":94258,"position":2},"title":"Why Did God Have Children Killed?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Samuel 15:1-9 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Some questions, by their very nature are difficult topics to take up. The things discussed make us queasy. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Yet, you will find that those opposed to Christianity will often attack with these same topics for the very reason that they know\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":63224,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/parenting-newborns-learning-patience\/","url_meta":{"origin":94258,"position":3},"title":"Parenting Newborns: Learning Patience","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 4, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 5:6-11 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many changes comes to a family when a child is born \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Preparation is made for the coming years \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0With a newborn, it is the parents, not the child who have much to learn \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We could speak of love, devotion, but the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":82724,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/two-necessary-things-in-christian-parenting\/","url_meta":{"origin":94258,"position":4},"title":"Two Necessary Things in Christian Parenting","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 31, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jen Venuso Whether or not you make New Year's resolutions (I've been both), you're likely reflecting on the past and looking forward to the next year. 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