Joseph and Mary lived by example, going each year to fulfill the feasts, in particular the Passover. God’s divine assessment of Jesus stated the following, that He:
- Grew,
- Waxed strong in Spirit, and
- Was filled with wisdom, for the grace of the Lord was upon Him.
Growing up in the village of Nazareth, He would have attended the synagogue school from age 5 to 10 learning from only one book of the ‘Law and the Prophets’.
He learnt also the family trade, carpentry, as would be the norm in those days until the appointed time for the public itinerant ministry (Luke 3:21-23).
From the time of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, His victory over Satan’s bait of worldly allurement (Luke 4:1-13) and in the full expression of the power of the Holy Spirit, the ministry went in full throttle—teaching concerning the Kingdom of God and setting the prisoners of Satan free.
Locked in this narrative is the pattern for every godly parent to follow, the basis for assessment of growth of their children, the priority of the spiritual over the secular in leading a balanced life.
This was the secret of the upbringing of the four royal children who in their teens were sent to captivity in Babylon. Dear saint and parent, this is the time to reset your approach in bringing up children that will be arrows in your hands against the enemy. What will you do with these things? Shalom.
Pastor Afolabi Oladele
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