Leviticus 18 and a Discussion of Nakedness for Children?

Recently a mother called our office about a Bible discussion she had with her two boys seven and nine years old.  They are going through the Bible chronologically and are now in Leviticus 18, which talks about uncovering the nakedness of kin from God's perspective, not man's.  As you may know, Leviticus is not like the stories in the Gospels and other "exciting" parts of Scripture.  

This mother and her husband discussed ahead of time whether this specific chapter and topic was appropriate for their children. Their desire is to teach them the entire Bible, believing that all Scripture is profitable, not just for adults but for children as well.  The parents had only generalized a few verses in Leviticus so far (those dealing with specific details of sexual interactions) believing them to be outside their age range, but all other verses, even the difficult ones, had been discussed.  

After the boys had spent time with their mom in this chapter, their 7-year-old boy shared with his mom that he had been thinking, "What is the big deal about seeing someone else's nakedness or someone seeing mine?  I didn't do it because you and Daddy said not to, but it really didn't seem like that big of a deal and I was tempted to do it.  But now I see that it is a big deal to God.  Nakedness is special, and God wants it to be private.  It must be important to Him because He spent a lot of verses saying not to uncover someone's nakedness over and over in different ways so that we wouldn't be confused."  

The parents previously had many open conversations with their sons regarding sex, what kinds of touches are good and not good, not showing your nakedness to anyone or looking at anyone else's nakedness, facing sexual temptation, etc. so covering these verses was not really new information.  Even though the parents had phrased their words with things like, "God says..." and "God doesn't want us to...", there was something different that happened in this conversation. 

The mother felt that the difference was the authority of God's Word, spoken directly from the source.  It wasn't simply the parent's rules with Scripture to back up the parents, but it was exposing the child to God's Word directly. This was done in the context of the story of God giving Moses His rules for the Children of Israel.  There was authority and power in laying open the whole passage, discussing it, and letting God's Word do the preaching and the Holy Spirit draw the conclusions in each individual heart.   

Had this mom not been discussing this chapter with her son, she would not have known her son’s heart.  She had no idea that he believed these lies or struggling with these temptations, even though they talked openly and often about the topic.  It wasn't until reading that chapter, which they "just happened" to cover at the exact time her son needed to hear it, that discussion was opened up, confession took place and truth was embraced.  The mom and I then remembered what God said in Deuteronomy 6:7 where God told the Israelites to teach His commandments diligently to their children when they sit in the house, walk by the way, lie down, and get up.  Did those commandments include Leviticus? 

This mother stated how thankful she was for God's Word as a parent.  The Bible is alive and powerful and reaches into her children’s hearts in ways she never could.  It reveals things that were hidden secretly away and replaces lies with truth.  It fills in gaps that she didn't even know were there.  "It is my most powerful parenting tool", she said gratefully.   

Should we expect surrogate parents, like school and Sunday school, to educate our children in the things of life that matter most? Our time at home with our children discussing the Word impacts them more than we know.  Unfortunately, many people avoid these tough discussions found throughout Leviticus with their children, or the conversations take a more worldly side perspective. For whatever reason, these uncomfortable topics or even these books in the Bible, full of loving rules, often don't get a second glance from people.  If the Lord says for us to talk about these subjects with our children, then why don't we?  

European Gypsies — Grateful for the Truth!

We are excited that God's Story is nearly completed in the language of a gypsy group in Western Europe. This group is described as having less than 2% evangelicals. Many who identify as Christians, do so superficially. They are in great need of spiritual renewal and commitment to Biblical truths, and currently God's Story remains the only Scripture in their language.

While God's Story has been waiting for approval among this people group, evangelistic work continues with one more person being baptized recently.

Our third God's Story gypsy language project, among an unreached Islamic people group, has begun and could use much prayer. There are only two believers that we are aware of among these people. 

Netherlands — A Growing Churchless Society or Full of Believers?

One STS leader in the Muslim world traveled to the Netherlands for a conference.  During the day off, he asked several people to take him and his associate to a church, but all declined.  So the two leaders traveled by train looking for any church open on Sunday.

To their dismay, most church buildings had been closed and were owned by Muslims.  This leader cried over the churches in this small European country. One church had been shut down and reopened as a club and gathering place for people to enjoy themselves. 

The Christian leader asked the person in charge of the club if he could have some time to tell a Bible story and the person in charge agreed to about 5 minutes.  After telling the story and briefly discussing Paul and Silas from Acts, a former priest said, "We need someone like you to restore Netherlands to Christ."

The leader thought, “There are so many true Christians coming from the Muslim world to the Netherlands to make money, but they don't try to reach the people for Christ. Why not?”  While sharing this story with me, our Muslim-world leader said to me, "Why can't they become missionaries?  They must win others to Christ."

How do we help believers see the spiritual depravity of the people around us and care for their eternity?

Israelis Open to the Bible?

During a story-party night, one creative story teller gave everyone a script for the dialogue.  At the right time the people were cued into their part. As a result, people listened closely to the story, which enhanced the discussion time, especially during personal application.

The kids who heard the story shared how much they wanted to participate in the next story!  Could Simply The Story Empower Students to Do Better in School?

One grandmother shared that the STS workshop helps her 14 year-old grandson with his schoolwork.  Now, when he listens to lectures, this young man discerns what is important to remember. 

Amazingly, the grandson helped his grandmother learn to do STS better!

Africa - Pygmies Love STS!

One of our leaders went deep into the equatorial forest conducting an STS workshop with the Pygmies. The pygmies are often outcasts, as they do not fit into city life well. One Bible school operates part time among this specific group. This way the Pygmies may use the rest of the time to forage for food in the forests to provide food for all week. International Students Learning Life Lessons Outside School

One couple who minister to international students in the Oceania region shared recently about a young lady in their group who was suicidal. This lady's search for inner peace led her to be interested in Buddhism. As she was a scientist, in her mind, Jesus did not come first in her search. However, after watching God's Story she accepted Christ when Jesus said, "My peace I give unto you."

Several of the students from Nepal, Malaysia, and China have accepted the Lord through God's Story and the interaction with this couple. Even Hindus continue their search for the true living God.

This wonderful couple, who have been using both STS and God's Story for many years with the predominantly Asian students, said to me, "Even the most highly educated students are oral learners!"

Please continue to pray for the students and this ministry as they prepare and disciple potential Christian leaders, who will be returning to their home countries.

How Much Will A Haitian Pay for a Solar Player?

One instructor recently returned from Haiti after teaching a couple of STS workshops.  He knew that the people there are poor, but several wanted to buy a solar powered player with God's Story.  Clearly, the "normal" USA cost was beyond the reach of these Haitians so our instructor found a creative solution. 

One man gave a medium sized chicken and an egg for the solar player.  Another person traded 7 coconuts for his solar player. Curiously, I asked, "What did you do with the chicken and the coconuts" knowing they can not be brought into the USA.

He said, "We donated them to the pastor."

 Short Government Update for Prayer

As of February 1, China has laws stating that evangelism is no longer legal outside the church, no one under 18 years of age can be baptized, all churches must register and the government must approve the church leaders. Along with China, India also passed anti-conversion laws across several states.

In spite of these laws, critical STS training continue through out India. During Good Friday, 53 people received Christ while watching God's Story: From Creation to Eternity.

Praising the Lord for all things!

Andrea
Executive Director
& the whole staff of The God's Story Project (TGSP)