There’s so much confusing parenting advice out there. Everyone seems to have an opinion. But who’s right? What if we could cut through the clutter and hear from a real expert? What if we could hear from God himself?
We’re drowning in parenting advice, aren’t we? And here I am doing the same thing. Just a few weeks ago, I completed two back-to-back weekends of my Parenting 101 material. I call it Parenting with Confidence. I hope to make that available soon. But the basis for that seminar is unpacking Ephesians 6:1-4. And in that seminar, I made the distinction between two types of authority that the material had. I compared it to a study Bible. Part of a study Bible is God’s authoritative Word, but other parts are comments by wise men and women. And that’s the idea behind the seminar that I presented: some of this is God’s Word, and some of this is wise application.
But sometimes it’s easy to get lost in the study Bible notes, so we need to go back to a book with just God’s words in it, and say, “This is what God commands.” The host pastor of one of those churches had just done an excellent job succinctly opening up that same passage in Ephesians. I liked it so much that I wanted to share it with you.
Erik Raymond is the senior pastor of Redeemer Church in Watertown, MA. He’s also the author of Chasing Contentment: Trusting God In a Discontented Age. He’s married to Christie and and they have 6 children.
Let’s remind ourselves of God’s parenting advice. No, not his advice; his instructions and commands that are for our flourishing and his glory.
Listen below or on itunes here.
Resources Mentioned in the Podcast
Chasing Contentment: Trusting In a Discontented Age, by Erik Raymond
Parenting with Confidence Seminar
Parenting with Patience: Overcoming Anger In the Home – Participant Workbook
Parenting with Patience Videos
Topics Covered in This Week’s Podcast:
0:15 Introduction
3:02 Reading: Ephesians 6:1-4. When the Gospel comes home, our homes change to reflect the Gospel. How children should interact with their parents (v.1-3).
21:58 On not provoking our children to anger, but bringing them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (v.4).
34:34 The home as the primary discipler of children
