Is Teach Them Diligently Dead?

Parents Are raising missionaries in the every day moments of life

This past Easter morning I sat down with my family as we had done many times before. We typically make it a point to read an account of Christ’s resurrection on Easter morning. There are so many great ones to chose from: Peter and John racing to the tomb, Mary and Jesus at the tomb, or Peter and the disciples fishing, but this time we read through my favorite. It is the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. If you remember the Scriptural account, there are two disciples embroiled in a discussion of the news of the day when a man walks up to them. After these disciples inform the man of the sad news of Christ’s death, this stranger explains from the Scriptures why Christ had to die and enter into glory. As the stranger taught them, their melancholy transforms to joy, and they constrain the man to stay with them. Until this point, the disciples did not know the identity of the man, but when he prays over their meal, the disciples’ eyes are opened. They discover this man is Jesus Christ Himself just as he disappears. I love the proclamation from the disciples,

“Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us…“.

With zeal they returned to Jerusalem to proclaim to the twelve that Christ had risen.Gospel Vision Through Home Discipleship

As I read these verses in Luke 24, my first thought was for my own children. My deepest desire is that they will feel that same burn in their heart for Christ that those disciples felt while Jesus talked with them. I pray that they will get up and tell others that Christ is Risen. It is this same vision which flows directly into Teach Them Diligently.

Our goal has always been to encourage parents in the discipleship of their children. We want parents to realize that on a daily basis they are raising missionaries that will some day and in some capacity go out and proclaim Christ. In America, there are more churches, more Christian publishing, media, radio, events, blogs, etc. than in any other country in the world, but there are still massive numbers of families that are starving. They are hungry for Christ–the Bread of Life. Don’t get me wrong! I am not suggesting that we have an exclusive on this message. There are many with the same genuine goal, but all of us together are still not scratching the surface.

Teach Them Diligently is about Gospel, Missions, and then Homeschooling.

It has always been our vision that if we bring an admittedly diverse group of believers together and magnify Christ alone, we will see unity. Following the six events we have produced so far, we have received hundreds of testimonies from families regarding how the event was a blessing, or a revival, or refreshing, even life-changing. These testimonies are an incredible encouragement to us and are a key reason we continue. To us, these testimonies show that God is moving, and they are exciting.

Of course, Teach Them Diligently features a wide variety of academic sessions and many exhibitors for the benefit and enjoyment of the attendees, but that is secondary to our primary goal of encouraging families to use their homeschooling as a tool to fulfill the Great Commission. We are after the burning feeling the disciples felt sitting around the table with Jesus Christ. We have not changed. This has always been our core, and we have no other agenda. This was the vision when we started three years ago, and this vision has not died. If you want to learn more, please go to our website or read about our vision.

Why do I bring all this up now? Well, as has happened so many times in the last three years, we are experiencing this tug of war regarding what we are about. There is a great divorce that is taking place in the homeschool world, and sometimes I feel that we are caught in a custody battle.

What side are we on? The truth is that we are about the Gospel and nothing more.

Spreading the gospel

This gospel focus directly affects how we handle the money spent with Teach Them Diligently. A portion of every dollar is provided to missions. We are, at our core, a mission agency that sends missionaries overseas for the sake of the Gospel. Currently, we have a ministry using ESL in China; we are building a well in Malawi, and we have a school in Eastern Europe in a country in which it is illegal to homeschool. All we do supports or promotes a Gospel ministry in some way.

So, is Teach Them Diligently dead? In terms of servanthood, I hope so.  We have learned that often something or someone has to die to self before the Lord can truly work. However, we do not believe our mission is dead because God is still at work. Won’t you join us this year to see for yourself just what Teach Them Diligently is all about?

What has God been doing in your family? Leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you!

David Nunnery is president of Worldwide Tentmakers, a mission agency devoted to “promoting, preparing, and placing self-supporting witnesses worldwide.” He also runs Teach Them Diligently Convention as a means to encourage and equip families in home education,  discipleship and gospel-living.

 

photo of young family: Depositphotos.com/Kostia777

photo of map/book: Depositphotos.com/arogant