Several years ago, I was talking with my Christian Friend, Bob Ginger, who now lives in Phoenix. Their Bible study seemed to be losing some of its enthusiasm and momentum. Bob is concerned for he has been involved in this Bible study for years. Our discussion soon led us into talking about how great Pastor Sam's Bible studies were when we were at the Irvine Fil-Am church in the late 1980s, and even in following churches that he pastored.
And, I got onto my favorite soap box - Family Bible Study! While we had many solid Christian families in our Bible studies, I used as my prime example the family of Nimfa Veneracion and her daughters, Chantelle and Gabrielle, as my perfect example of why we should have Family Bible studies -- and not just limit them to adults only.
So often, on the TimesDaily Religion Forum and on other venues, I have read posts from atheists, agnostics, and other non-believers shouting that it is criminal to subject a child to Bible study and church. They tell us, "Wait until the child is old enough - and let him/her make up their own mind!"
What they are really telling us is, "Leave your children with no knowledge of God's Word and vulnerable - so that we have a better chance of snaring them for our leader, Satan." Sorry, my atheist Friends, but that will never happen! As Christians, we protect our children - physically and spiritually.
How can a young person make a decision about life, when that person has never been prepared for life, through study. That is rather like taking a young person who has never studied engineering - and asking him/her to design an advanced computer. First, one prepares, or is prepared - and then one does the work for which he/she is prepared. We Christian believers prepare our children to serve the Lord. And, we praise God for that opportunity.
Since we, as adults - parents, grandparents, and God parents - know and understand that God is God, preexisting, perfect, and holy - wouldn't it be criminal if we do not teach our children about Him and His love for us?
Back in the mid to late 1990s, our church, the Filipino-American Church of Irvine (FACI), had what I still view as the perfect Bible studies. I call them Family Bible Studies, for no one was excluded. In our Friday Night Bible Studies, we often had as many as 30, 40, or more people there to study God's Word. And, we had all ages, from toddler, to youth, to young adult, to mom and dad, grandma and grandpa - and all in between.
The kiddies sat on the floor in the middle, we adults sat on sofas and chairs - and Pastor Sam taught us. Being a kid at heart, sometimes I also sat on the floor. I will admit that Pastor Sam has always been very adept at keeping the young ones interested, while not boring we who were a wee bit older. I have heard folks complaining that having children in the Bible studies with adults is distracting. Not so when they are included.
So, what do we have? We have youth hearing the Word of God, hearing our discussions, and most often able to be included in the discussions. True, the toddlers cannot do that, but what they see is mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, and all their friends sharing love, the love of God, and Christian love for one another. That image will always stay in their minds. And, as they grow older, they, too, can join in when we read and discuss God's Word. In a Family Bible Study of God's Word, nothing is wasted - not the love, not the lessons, not the memories.
From that large Bible study group we had in the late 1980s and into the 1990s, I was blessed to watch the young people grow in knowledge of God's Word. And, I have been blessed to see them put that knowledge into action. At least four of our young men from those studies have become Godly pastors and teachers, leading local fellowships. All four married young ladies from our Family Bible Study groups - and are raising their own children up to be Godly children. That is truly paying it forward.
Over the years, I have had the joy of watching all those young children who were in our FACI Bible study groups go on to lead positive Christian lives, virtually all of them in some way involved in ministry - from mission trips, to becoming missionaries, to being active in local Christian fellowships, to being pastors and pastors' wives, and so much more.
I have even had the joy of seeing my own granddaughter, who is now a junior at a wonderful Christian college, going on several mission trips.
As are told in Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he (she) should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it."
My reason for writing this article is my memories of a young child who was in our early Family Bible Studies - who is today a perfect example of what I have written. One family who were regulars in our early Bible studies was my Christian sister, Nimfa Veneracion, and her two young daughters (shown in the photo below), Chantelle (left) and Gabrielle (right). The photo below is how they looked during those 1990s Bible studies. Several years ago, Nimfa posted a video of Chantelle doing a recitation at church. At that time, Chantelle was still in high school or maybe just entering Biola University. But, that video totally blew my mind.
In this video, Chantelle is reciting, not reading, but reciting the full chapter of Nehemiah 6. And, she does it so well that we get the feeling that Nehemiah is actually telling us the story himself. This is an amazing Scripture recitation and performance and I pray that you enjoy it as much as I always have - every times I have watched it.
My Friends, this family is a perfect example of paying it forward. And, that is what Jesus Christ has instructed all Christian believers to do in His Great Commission:
There can be no greater example of the Great Commission - than seeing Chantelle Gibbs reciting Scripture in such an exciting and inspiring way.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The note below is from my Facebook Notes page. It is a great example of the benefits of having Family Bible Studies which includes the little ones - for the little ones today, are the leaders tomorrow. And, with leaders such as Chantelle andGabrielle have grown to be, America will be in good hands:
Bill Gray Hi all, Let me just take a moment and share with you the response below which was posted in Facebook. Nimfa is the mother of Chantelle, and a long time Christian sister:
Friends like this are part of the blessing of being adopted into the Family of God. I pray that this also blesses you.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
And, I got onto my favorite soap box - Family Bible Study! While we had many solid Christian families in our Bible studies, I used as my prime example the family of Nimfa Veneracion and her daughters, Chantelle and Gabrielle, as my perfect example of why we should have Family Bible studies -- and not just limit them to adults only.
When I reminded Bob about Chantelle's 2008 Nehemiah 6 video and the eNewsletter I had sent in July, he asked if I would send him a new copy so that he can share it and the video with their Bible study.
When I lost my Windows 7 computer, I lost all the Friends Ministry e-mails I had sent back then. But, praise God, since I also post most of my eNewsletters in my Facebook Notes, I have been able to reconstruct that e-mail. So, since I was doing this for my Friend, Bob Ginger, I decided to resend it to all my Friends and add the Facebook Notes comment Nimfa posted about Chantelle's more recent visit to her Christian optometrist.
Let's all continue to share the pure Christian joy we witness in this beautiful Christian child, now a beautiful Christian lady. Enjoy!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Nehemiah 6 Recitation By Chantelle Gibbs - Amazing!
Posted in Facebook: July 17, 2014 at 4:10pm
When I lost my Windows 7 computer, I lost all the Friends Ministry e-mails I had sent back then. But, praise God, since I also post most of my eNewsletters in my Facebook Notes, I have been able to reconstruct that e-mail. So, since I was doing this for my Friend, Bob Ginger, I decided to resend it to all my Friends and add the Facebook Notes comment Nimfa posted about Chantelle's more recent visit to her Christian optometrist.
Let's all continue to share the pure Christian joy we witness in this beautiful Christian child, now a beautiful Christian lady. Enjoy!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Nehemiah 6 Recitation By Chantelle Gibbs - Amazing!
Posted in Facebook: July 17, 2014 at 4:10pm
So often, on the TimesDaily Religion Forum and on other venues, I have read posts from atheists, agnostics, and other non-believers shouting that it is criminal to subject a child to Bible study and church. They tell us, "Wait until the child is old enough - and let him/her make up their own mind!"
What they are really telling us is, "Leave your children with no knowledge of God's Word and vulnerable - so that we have a better chance of snaring them for our leader, Satan." Sorry, my atheist Friends, but that will never happen! As Christians, we protect our children - physically and spiritually.
Joshua 24:15, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
How can a young person make a decision about life, when that person has never been prepared for life, through study. That is rather like taking a young person who has never studied engineering - and asking him/her to design an advanced computer. First, one prepares, or is prepared - and then one does the work for which he/she is prepared. We Christian believers prepare our children to serve the Lord. And, we praise God for that opportunity.
Since we, as adults - parents, grandparents, and God parents - know and understand that God is God, preexisting, perfect, and holy - wouldn't it be criminal if we do not teach our children about Him and His love for us?
Back in the mid to late 1990s, our church, the Filipino-American Church of Irvine (FACI), had what I still view as the perfect Bible studies. I call them Family Bible Studies, for no one was excluded. In our Friday Night Bible Studies, we often had as many as 30, 40, or more people there to study God's Word. And, we had all ages, from toddler, to youth, to young adult, to mom and dad, grandma and grandpa - and all in between.
The kiddies sat on the floor in the middle, we adults sat on sofas and chairs - and Pastor Sam taught us. Being a kid at heart, sometimes I also sat on the floor. I will admit that Pastor Sam has always been very adept at keeping the young ones interested, while not boring we who were a wee bit older. I have heard folks complaining that having children in the Bible studies with adults is distracting. Not so when they are included.
So, what do we have? We have youth hearing the Word of God, hearing our discussions, and most often able to be included in the discussions. True, the toddlers cannot do that, but what they see is mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, and all their friends sharing love, the love of God, and Christian love for one another. That image will always stay in their minds. And, as they grow older, they, too, can join in when we read and discuss God's Word. In a Family Bible Study of God's Word, nothing is wasted - not the love, not the lessons, not the memories.
From that large Bible study group we had in the late 1980s and into the 1990s, I was blessed to watch the young people grow in knowledge of God's Word. And, I have been blessed to see them put that knowledge into action. At least four of our young men from those studies have become Godly pastors and teachers, leading local fellowships. All four married young ladies from our Family Bible Study groups - and are raising their own children up to be Godly children. That is truly paying it forward.
Over the years, I have had the joy of watching all those young children who were in our FACI Bible study groups go on to lead positive Christian lives, virtually all of them in some way involved in ministry - from mission trips, to becoming missionaries, to being active in local Christian fellowships, to being pastors and pastors' wives, and so much more.
I have even had the joy of seeing my own granddaughter, who is now a junior at a wonderful Christian college, going on several mission trips.
As are told in Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he (she) should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it."
My reason for writing this article is my memories of a young child who was in our early Family Bible Studies - who is today a perfect example of what I have written. One family who were regulars in our early Bible studies was my Christian sister, Nimfa Veneracion, and her two young daughters (shown in the photo below), Chantelle (left) and Gabrielle (right). The photo below is how they looked during those 1990s Bible studies. Several years ago, Nimfa posted a video of Chantelle doing a recitation at church. At that time, Chantelle was still in high school or maybe just entering Biola University. But, that video totally blew my mind.
For a long time, I have wanted to share the video with all my Friends, but in transitioning computers, newer operating systems, etc., somehow I could not find the video in my computer. Recently I found it on Nimfa's Facebook page and, holding her previous permission from past years to still be active and valid - I want to share it today.
In this video, Chantelle is reciting, not reading, but reciting the full chapter of Nehemiah 6. And, she does it so well that we get the feeling that Nehemiah is actually telling us the story himself. This is an amazing Scripture recitation and performance and I pray that you enjoy it as much as I always have - every times I have watched it.
Nehemiah 6 @ Celebration - Chantelle Gibbs Recitation - Video
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1059976421398&set=vb.1285550330&type=3&theater
My Friends, this family is a perfect example of paying it forward. And, that is what Jesus Christ has instructed all Christian believers to do in His Great Commission:
Matthew 28:19, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. . . You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. . . Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation."
There can be no greater example of the Great Commission - than seeing Chantelle Gibbs reciting Scripture in such an exciting and inspiring way.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The note below is from my Facebook Notes page. It is a great example of the benefits of having Family Bible Studies which includes the little ones - for the little ones today, are the leaders tomorrow. And, with leaders such as Chantelle andGabrielle have grown to be, America will be in good hands:
Bill Gray Hi all, Let me just take a moment and share with you the response below which was posted in Facebook. Nimfa is the mother of Chantelle, and a long time Christian sister:
Nimfa V: Awwww, thank you so much, Bill!! This is so exciting and I only hope that it will inspire and move people to love God's Word. Chantelle is such an inspiration to so many people, and has inspired me personally to memorize.
She digs into the Scripture with a journal at hand and write her insights and prayers. Her writings are deep and intentional.
Just yesterday she was at our optometrist. Dr Booth, after examining her eyes, asked her, "Chantelle, are you a believer and a lover of Christ?"
"Well, yes sir," she answered. Dr. Booth then shared a verse and talked about Jesus walking on water. She cried and was so blessed.
She loves the Word so much that every Bible she uses gets so worn out and pages falling out. Her transformation, her beautiful heart, is magnified because of her love for Jesus. Thank you, Bill.
Friends like this are part of the blessing of being adopted into the Family of God. I pray that this also blesses you.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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