From the Principal's Desk

Dear Parents,
 
   With the COVID-19 shutdown, many parents throughout the country have had a first-hand look at homeschooling.  What they have found is that teaching children at home is difficult.  For a variety of reasons, parents are ready for their children to go back to school.  If they took schools for granted before, now they are thankful.  They would say, “We need schools.”  But I would ask this question: “Do we need Christian schools?”  And to ask the question more specifically, “Do we need Christian education?”  The answer is yes.  We need Christian education—it is a must.  Part of how we can accomplish Christian education is through Christian schools—the right kind of Christian schools.  We need Christian education and the right kind of Christian schools because the Bible commands Christian education, most parents need assistance in instructing their children in academics, and truth is to be taught in and through the church.
 
   To be precise, Christian education is the way of training children in the Christian way, in the way of Scripture.  The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go…” (Proverbs 22:6).  That way is the godly way.  Parents are responsible to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).  Moses established this standard early in Israel’s history.  He said that parents must teach their children the words of God throughout the day, and every day (Deuteronomy 6:4 ff.).  This is Christian education.  It is commanded.  Therefore, we must have it.
 
   Every home is responsible to Christian educate their children.  In terms of teaching the specific subjects, parents may need some help with that.  This is where the Christian school comes in.  Here at Bethel, godly teachers know the Bible, and they know their subjects.  They teach those subjects through the lens of Scripture, imparting a Christian worldview.  They also know how to communicate the material for students to master.  Not every parent has this background or skill set.  Some have time constraints.  Plus, the classroom (I am assuming the Bethel classroom) gives a structure that is sometimes missing in a home-school setting.  The Christian school does not exist to replace the parents in their responsibility, but to supplement them.  Some parents can teach their children all the way through twelfth grade, but that is the exception.  The Christian school can help parents fulfill their responsibility.  We need Christian education and Christian schools.
 
   Finally, we need Christian education because truly Christian education takes place in and through the church.  The command to train up a child in the way he should go, in the context of our current age, takes place in and through the church.  Timothy learned the Bible from an early age from his mother and grandmother, but it was through the church.  The church is the pillar and ground of the truth.  Our children need to learn truth, and truth is to be taught in and through the church.  Bethel Christian Academy fits this model.  What a benefit!  Christian schooling and homeschooling can be done through the church, but to place education under a different authority than the church is to create grave dangers for families and the truth.  The public school, even charter schools, cannot do this.  Even home-school co-ops run into trouble here.  The church is the institution for discipleship.  Christian education must take place through the church.  The fact that Bethel Christian Academy operates under the authority of a church (Bethel Baptist Church) is one factor that makes BCA unusual.  Therefore, we need it.
 
   We need Christian education for several reasons: the Bible commands it, some families need assistance with teaching and structure, and the church is where Christian doctrine is to be taught.  Parents around the country can be thankful for schools, but what we really should be thankful for is Christian education, and schools like Bethel that offer it.
                                                                              Sincerely,
​
                                                                              Pastor Sutton

From the Principal's Desk

   A religious leader came to Jesus early in His earthly ministry (John 3).  This man had seen the works Jesus had done and knew for certain that God was with Him.  Nicodemus knew that Jesus was a teacher come from God, and he was interested in Jesus.  He also knew something was missing in his soul.  Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a master teacher of Israel.  Yet for all of his study, he had a spiritual shallowness that did not deepen with ritual.  For all of his zeal, he had a hollowness that he could not fill with law keeping.  Jesus preached a message that struck home, but Nicodemus feared what his colleagues would think.  He recognized that Jesus preached the truth from the Scriptures, and he couldn’t argue against it.  What was his greatest need?  When Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, the Lord identified that need:  “Ye must be born again.”    May I say to you today that this is still man’s greatest need, and perhaps it is yours.  Are you born again?  Are you saved, having placed faith in Jesus Christ alone, having repented of your sin, believing in eternal security, and demonstrating humility and brokenness over your sin?
 
   Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).  Jesus emphasized that without being born again, born from above, having a heavenly birth, that entering the Kingdom, having eternal life, is an absolute impossibility.  You may be religious; you may not be religious.  The fact is the same.  If you will escape the eternal judgment of God, you must be saved.  Salvation comes by placing your faith in Jesus Christ alone.  In this same conversation, Jesus said, “…that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).  You must completely depend on Jesus.  He did everything necessary to please the Father regarding your salvation by His death, burial, and resurrection on the cross.  You cannot depend on living a “good” life and hope to be accepted by God.  All of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6).  You must believe, and you must repent.  Jesus said in Luke 13:3, 5: “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”  To repent means to turn from your way of sin, to relinquish control of your life to Jesus Christ, to admit that your way has been wrong, to want the way of righteousness.  You must choose to serve Jesus Christ.  He is the great God and our Savior.  He is the King of glory.  Don’t choose sin.  Choose Christ!
 
   To be born again, you must believe in eternal security: “once saved, always saved.”  The Bible teaches this.  Jesus told Nicodemus, “He that believeth on him is not condemned” (John 3:18).  You will never face the judgment of God when you believe on Jesus Christ.  He enables your faith to continue.  Someone who stops believing never believed in the first place.  You cannot lose your salvation.  Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst….”  Did you see that: “shall never thirst.”  Never, ever thirst!  Jesus told the Jews in John 10:28-30: “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.  I and my Father are one.”  Denying eternal security denies the promises of God.  It denies the power of God.  It denies faith in God.  Those who deny eternal security depend on their “obedience” to keep themselves saved.  My friends, this is works salvation; and we are not saved by works (Ephesians 2:8-9).  If you believe you can lose your salvation, you have nullified faith (Galatians 4:4).  You are not believing in Bible salvation.  To be born again, you must believe in eternal security.
 
   There are many things that a person must believe to be saved, including the deity of Christ.  But foundationally, you must understand your need to be saved, and this comes from a right understanding of sin.  Sin is the transgression of the law.  Sin violates the commands of God and rebels against His will.  Sin separates us from God and causes us to deserve eternal punishment in hell.  The Bible says, “There is none righteous, no, not one.  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10, 23).  The Bible ends by saying that whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).  This is our hopeless, helpless plight…without Christ.  Many people know these facts, but they are not moved by them.  To be saved, you must be broken over your sin.  You must be smitten in your heart at the reality of having lived a life of sin against God.  You must be like the deceiving tax-collector in Luke 18, who smote upon his breast saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”  He understood where the root of his sin problem lay: within him.  He didn’t blame someone else; neither did he excuse his actions.  He admitted his fault to the Lord, knowing he fully deserved God’s wrath.  But because of his brokenness and faith, God was merciful.  Brokenness has a sister: humility.  Humility causes one to see himself as lowly, as a spiritual beggar, as having absolutely nothing to offer God.  Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).  In the Sermon on the Mount, humility is the initial requirement for being saved.  Pride resists the truth, both in admitting to its rightness and in letting it expose you.  Humility allows the light of God’s Word to shine brightly on you to show you who you are.  Are you humble and broken over your sin?  If you are saved, does your sin still bother you?
 
   Salvation requires the right belief in the right gospel.  This right belief includes the reality of eternal security, which the Lord gives to those who are humble and broken.  We are coming to the end of the year.  Maybe you have shown interest in salvation, maybe you are like Nicodemus and know that there is something missing, a void that no pleasure or religious activity can fill.  Maybe you have known the way of salvation, but you have resisted the Lord’s working to give in to Him.  If you would like to talk to me further about salvation, please contact me.  Don’t put it off.  The Bible says, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
 
                                                                                          Sincerely,
 
                                                                                          Pastor Sutton

From the Principal's Desk
Dear Parents,
 
   When a husband and wife become parents, they share many concerns for the new life they bring into the world.  They have health concerns, safety concerns, educational concerns, friendship concerns, financial concerns.  But the greatest concern that any truly saved parent has for his children centers on their salvation.  It is not that health, safety, education, and finances have zero bearing in life; but if a person epitomizes these areas and dies without Christ, he loses everything, and in the greatest, most horrific way!  This is why Jesus said in Mark 8:36: “For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”  Parents have a deep responsibility to teach their children the way of salvation, which includes giving scriptural discipline for sin and worshiping in a Bible-believing and-practicing church.  Additionally, in this article, I will focus on three things parents must do to lead their children to Christ: 1) know that God wants your children to be saved, 2) teach them the Word of God, and 3) teach them the Word of God faithfully.
 
   A primary motivation for leading your children to receive Jesus Christ comes from knowing that your children can come to Christ (cf. Matthew 19:14).  They can be saved.  Some doctrinal positions state that only certain people can be saved, and too bad for all the rest.  While I believe in the doctrine of election (cf. Ephesians 1:4), I believe in it the way the Bible teaches it; and that is, yes, God knows who will be saved, and He elects, but He also gives man a choice.  The reasons why people do not get saved are because they love their sin, they do not see their need, and they refuse to submit to their divine Master.  But this is not God’s doing.  God works in every man’s life to be saved, because He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9).  Paul wrote about God in I Timothy 2:4: “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”  The last chapter in the Bible summarizes God’s working and man’s responsibility: “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.  And let him that heareth say, Come.  And let him that is athirst come.  And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17).  The Spirit beckons and true churches, filled with believers, also urge; but the unbeliever must see his need and thirst for salvation.  If he does and is willing, he can come.  But he must see his need, and he must surrender his will.  Most people won’t do these things and be saved, but they could.  Furthermore, your children can be saved because God wants a godly line of believers to spread through the generations.  The prophet Malachi wrote: “And did not he make one [in marriage]? Yet had he the residue of the spirit.  And wherefore one?  That he might seek a godly seed” (Malachi 2:15).  The Lord wants families to pass down the faith to the next generation.  For all of these reasons, and more, we must believe that our children can be saved.  But, we must lead them to salvation.
 
   We lead our children to salvation by teaching them the Word of God.  The Bible says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17).  James says that we are begotten by the Word of truth (James 1:18).  Parents have a responsibility to teach their children the Word of God (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).  This is how it was for Timothy, the missionary companion of Paul.  Exhorting him to continue, Paul reminded Timothy of his spiritual background:  “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 3:15).  Timothy knew the Bible.  His mother and grandmother had taught him (II Timothy 1:5), and he was keenly aware of what it said.  That first-hand, personal knowledge of God’s Word worked toward his making the right decision about salvation and placing his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Teach your children the Word by teaching them Bible stories, which create the foundation for the rest of what Scripture says.  Teach them Bible doctrine.  Teach them about the Trinity, about Creation, about man’s sinfulness and Christ’s righteousness, about His substitutionary death on the cross, about our need to believe on Christ alone and how works cannot save us, neither can we lose our salvation.  Teach them the gospel. Go over it carefully, go over it slowly, and go over it repeatedly.
 
   Third, make teaching God’s Word a pattern.  Paul told Timothy that he had known the holy scriptures from a child, literally, from a babe.  Timothy heard the Bible and its saving message from day 1.  It is presumptuous to think that our children will “automatically” come to Christ without our interaction with them on the matter.  The church is key and the Christian school is a great tool, but they are no substitute for what moms and dads should do at home.  Not only do you have ongoing opportunity to teach God’s Word at home, but your children see  through your example the importance and urgency of being saved.  Talk about salvation and the Bible in your daily life.  Talk about it in the car, when you are doing chores together, when you sit down to eat.  You should also talk about salvation when you administer a spanking.  In that setting you can relate their sinfulness to their need of salvation.  Finally, in teaching the gospel as a pattern, you must hold up the standard of salvation to your child’s life.  Many children make professions of faith in their younger years, but they fail to display the fruit of salvation.  Their lives do not show a love for God, a habitual practice of righteousness, or an independent desire for the things of God.  They don’t love the Bible.  They do love fun, they love fitting in, and they love the material things the world offers.  In evaluating their salvation, we cannot fall back onto a decision they made, their baptism, or the fact that they go to church.  We must hold up the tests of I John—do you pass the tests of true faith?  We must be honest.  If they do, great.  If they do not, then we have to talk to them as though they are not saved.
 
   The Lord wants our children to be saved.  But we have a responsibility to train then up in the way they should go.  Know that the Lord wants your children to be saved, take the initiative to teach them the Word of God, and do so faithfully.  All of these things will work toward their salvation.
 
                                                                              Sincerely,
 
                                                                              Pastor Sutton

From the Principal's Desk
Dear Parents,
 
   We are five weeks into Distance Learning due to the coronavirus Shelter-In-Place.  I like how things are working out.  Personally, I am enjoying the teaching time on Zoom.  Today, we dissected a frog in high school biology—the students had their specimens at home, and I had mine at school. Zoom connected us.  A lot of things are going well, but some things are falling through the cracks, and that is what I want to address today.  It relates to student effort, completing assignments, and taking responsibilities seriously.  Before I go on, I want to commend you on what you are doing.  You have a lot of things going on, and now you are in the midst of having your children do school at home.  Some of these things are new, and I want you to know that I sincerely appreciate your work.  Our parents have been extremely supportive and cooperative.  At the same time, I believe we can strengthen the Distance Learning for our children by incorporating greater accountability, establishing and maintaining high expectations, and by using biblical motivation.
 
   When I said earlier that some things are falling through the cracks, one of the areas I was referring to is completed assignments.  A lot of students are not turning in a fair number of assignments.  I know that the transition to Distance Learning was abrupt, but the students are used to doing homework.  However, as we wrapped up the grading period, many students had numerous assignments blank on Thinkwave.  They just did not do them.  We graded very leniently.  This is where the accountability comes in.  Students need to do their work daily, but they also need you to check their work daily.  Your child needs this in order to develop strong character and a submissive spirit, and in order to learn.  You should ask to see your child’s work every day, and then check his assignments against the weekly homework sheet for completeness.  Also, be sure to check the work for accuracy.  If he says, “I did my work,” then you say, “Let me see it.”  When students are older (upper high school), you might take their word that they did their work; but that kind of trust must be earned.  Right now, hold them accountable on a daily basis.
 
   Second, establish and maintain high expectations.  Most parents, I believe, would say that they want their children to be excellent in what they do.  But wanting excellence and getting it are two different things.  If your child will excel, you must lead him to excel.  Essentially, you must make him do it.  All children are born sinners, so naturally they resist things that they don’t want to do.  In those areas, they tend to take the easy way out, they refuse to comply, or they make excuses for their indifference.  Take penmanship, for instance.  Most children, if you let them, will be sloppy.  But if you make them write neatly, they will.  You must establish high expectations, and then demand that they be fulfilled.   Don’t stop demanding until they are fulfilled.  Then, you maintain those expectations.  By the way, dads, you must lead in this (Ephesians 6:4).
 
   Finally, use biblical motivation.  Our society, for many years, has been enamored with the feelings of children.  Instead of making sure their children do right, parents have become overly concerned about their children’s happiness.  This is a mistake.  The focus on being happy and comfortable steers parenting in a child-centered direction.  Parenting must be Christ-centered.  When child-training is about the glory of God, then the motivation parents use will glorify God.  One of these motivations is fear. 

   The Bible says clearly, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.  Honor thy father and thy mother…” (Ephesians 6:1-2).  The word honor has the idea of highly valuing, of respecting, of wanting to fulfill the wishes of.  The Bible also says, “Ye shall fear every man his father and his mother, and keep my Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:3).   In this text, how seriously one takes the relationship to his parents connects to how seriously one is toward the worship of God.  Honor and fear work together.  That your children fear your authority does not mean that they are a nervous wreck 24x7.  But it does mean that they take you seriously; and when you say something, they move.  If they don’t, then the parenting practices need to change.  Part of their right response to your authority comes as a result of giving them a spanking when they disobey (Proverbs 29:17).  It also ties in to dealing with the root sin problem (Proverbs 29:15). 

​   The other motivation is praise.  When your child does a good job, let him know.  Tell him when he has met the standard.  The job a child did might not have reached your top-end goals; but for his age, it was appropriate.  So you commend his effort.  At the same time, you keep leading him to greater heights.  Jesus spoke of verbal commendation in Matthew 25 as it pertains to faithfulness in salvation.  Paul commended the Philippians for their sacrifice in meeting his physical needs (Philippians 4:14).  Commendation encourages a child to do more, it lets him know you approve, and it ties in to his seeking your favor, which relates to honor.  Ultimately, you want to lead your children to glorify God in all that they do.
 
   I like the Distance Learning.  But if we can strengthen the accountability with our children, establish and demand a standard of excellence, and then motivate our children in a scriptural fashion, Distance Learning can be an outstanding experience, and our children will benefit in great and lasting ways.
 
                                                                              Sincerely, 
                                                                              Pastor Sutton

From the Principal's Desk

​Dear Parents:
 
   The coronavirus Shelter-in-Place is uncharted territory for all of us, but we certainly appreciate the support and cooperation of our school community during these last two weeks.  We want to help your children the best we can.  As the Shelter-in-Place has been extended at least through May 1st, we have devised a plan by which we can continue to provide quality Christian education to our students. 
 
   Beginning Monday, April 6, we will conduct our teaching through the video conferencing platform Zoom.  Each day, students will log on to their teacher’s/grade’s meeting, and their teacher(s) will teach the same courses as they would have for in-person classes.  Tests will still be given, and completed assignments will still be turned in weekly.  Some of the details are yet to be ironed out, but the general plan is set.
 
   The teaching for 3rd grade on up will start at 8:30 a.m. and continue until noon.  In the afternoon, they can do their homework.  The teaching for the lower elementary (K-2nd) will likely be in the afternoon.  This is so families with multiple children in Distance Learning can share devices.  We will send out the specific subject schedule with links to Zoom in an email later next week.
 
   As far as tuition goes, we still need to charge regular tuition.  The teachers are still teaching, preparing, grading, and guiding the academic progress of our children.  And the Bible says that the laborer is worthy of his reward.  We rely on student tuition to take care of our staff, so we greatly appreciate your continued payments.
 
   Much of the rest of the school year’s activities have been canceled.  However, with the new Distance Learning format in place, we are prepared for the long haul, even if it means through the end of the school year.  We will wait and see how it all plays out.  Continue to go to the school website for updates.  Thank you again for your support and effort.

                                                                                 Sincerely,
​                                                                                 Pastor Sutton

From the Principal's Desk
Dear Parents,
 
   We have all heard in the news over the last few weeks about the presence of coronavirus (COVID-19) in China and its spread to other parts of the world, including the West Coast of the United States.  According to the WHO, there are nearly 90,000 reported cases world-wide, including 62 in the United States.[1] No doubt much of the alarm of COVID-19 comes from the relatively high death rate of those who contract the disease (3,056 deaths; 3.4%).[2] Some of the symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.[3] 
 
   Looking at the reported cases helps one put the disease into perspective.  The virus is, by far, more dangerous for the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions.  No fatalities have occurred with children between 0-9 years old.  In fact, the percentages are very low through middle age.[4] 
 
   Despite the demographic numbers, COVID-19 is still a sickness to take seriously.  Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, the Contra Costa Health Services has sent letters to schools in the County informing us of the disease and how to prevent the spread of it.  They recommend several practices that we are encouraging our students to follow:
 

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water is not available
• People who are sick should cover their coughs and sneezes using a tissue or the crook of their elbow; then wash hands
• People who are sick should stay home from work or school until they are well
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with your unwashed hands[5]

 
   We know that we live in a sin-cursed world.  Sickness, disease, and death happen because of sin, not necessarily any particular sin of the individual, but sin as a principle.  From a scriptural standpoint, we should follow good hygiene practices, but we should not live in a spirit of fear.  II Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  Fear of a negative outcome should not be our prevailing disposition.  When a person is saved, he can live in confidence that all things work together for good to them that love God (Rom. 8:28), and therefore can trust the Lord with his physical life.  How should we live given the current coronavirus outbreak?  Practice good medicine and health habits, and trust the Lord. 
 
                                                                              Sincerely,
                                                                              Pastor Sutton

[1] https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/685d0ace521648f8a5beeeee1b9125cd (Accessed March 2, 2020).
[2] Ibid.
[3] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/symptoms.html  (Accessed March 2, 2020).
[4] https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-age-sex-demographics/ (Accessed March 2, 2020).
[5] Letters from the Contra Costa Health Services, dated February 12 and February 27, 2020.

From the Principal's Desk
Dear Parents,
 
   Parenting is a huge undertaking that requires much patience, perseverance, and premeditation.  You have to have a plan for what you want to accomplish, how you want your child to turn out; and then you must work that plan, never giving up and never giving in.  When I think of parenting verses in the Bible, two stand out to me as the most important, and other verses attach to these foundational verses.  One is Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  The other is Matthew 28:19-20: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” 
 
   In the Proverbs passage, we see that children are to be trained in the godly way.  This is the way of righteousness.  The Matthew passage, the Great Commission, says that Jesus wants all people, including children, to be followers of Him.  So go to the lost and preach the gospel.  When they receive Him, baptize them and then begin the life-long process of instructing them to keep, guard, and protect all things that the Lord has commanded.  When we put these passages together, we see that children are to be trained in the way of righteousness so that they will be followers of Jesus Christ, choosing to keep all of His commands.  There are so many actions and attitudes to work on with children, how do you know what behavior to allow and what to correct?  Judging and correcting behavior comes down to asking three questions:  Is the behavior righteous? What do you want the end product to look like? and What behavior is age-appropriate?
 
   The goal in child training is to produce followers of Jesus Christ.  We want our children to obey Him and to be like Him.  When a person has received Christ by grace through faith, he begins a life-long process of sanctification, which is the process of becoming conformed to the image of Christ.  Christ is the standard; He is the goal.  Therefore, we should train our children to behave in a Christ-like way.  If you look at child training as a continuum, children start off as immature (selfish) and, by God’s grace, we train them to become mature (selfless, sacrificial, and serving).  We want to develop them from the point of dependence to independence, where they will choose on their own to follow Jesus Christ and keep His commandments.  To do this, they must receive Jesus Christ for their salvation.  I will, therefore, define maturity as independently choosing to love God and keep His commandments.

   To bring children to the point of maturity, we must lead them in righteous behavior.  In parenting, judge whether or not the behavior is Scripturally right or wrong.  All unrighteousness is sin, and sin never benefits a person; it always harms.  Therefore, we cannot allow disobedience.  When you see disobedience to clear commands in Scripture, like not doing what they are told, you must deal with that sin in a Scriptural way.  Leading in this way requires that a person be submitted to the Holy Spirit.  When you see disobedience, show the child from Scripture why the action or attitude is wrong.  Then, explain what the right way is and give a Scriptural punishment.  Regularly talk to your children about Bible salvation, and whether or not their behavior matches how a saved person should live.  Hold your children to a Scriptural standard.  We are not saved by works; but when a person, even a child, is saved, he will do good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).  As you do this, you will help bring him to maturity.  We will talk more about this next time.
 
                                                                                          Sincerely,
                                                                                          Pastor Sutton

From the Principal's Desk
Dear Parents,
 
     The Bible says in Proverbs 27:17:  “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”  Chalk won’t sharpen iron; it is too soft to have any positive effect on iron.  But iron can sharpen iron.  In other words, substances of like quality can mutually improve each other.  Solomon uses this illustration from the natural world to make a point about the influence that people can have on each other.  If a person has strong qualities about him, he can help his friend to improve in those same areas.  This principle applies to school children as well as to adults.  Students who excel in certain areas of life can help their classmates to excel in those same areas.  One of the ways we utilize this principle is through the school academic and fine arts competition.  The school competition is a valuable tool in developing young people because it encourages students to do their best, to accept a challenge, and to learn where their identity lies.
 
     Although some people discourage competition because of anxiety or stress that students can place on themselves, competition can motivate a young person to do his best.  In order for a child to do his best, he must care about what he is doing.  When he cares and puts forth maximum effort, over the course of time, he develops a standard of excellence.  The competition pushes a child to do his best; and it shows him that, through hard work, he can achieve more than he thought possible.  The positive example urges others to do the same.  Solomon said, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).  Do your best!
 
     The competition also puts students in a position to accept a challenge.  Young people need to be challenged,; otherwise, they will settle into a comfort zone and accept the status quo.  We should want our children to rise above the minimum expectation.  We should want them to excel in their efforts and then to lead others to do the same.  We should want them to make the most out of their life.  To do this they must accept a challenge; however, fulfilling that challenge will require hard work.  Therefore, they must be willing to work hard.  They should also have a desire to win, and winning becomes part of the challenge.  Young people can sharpen each other if they have a willingness to accept a challenge, a willingness to work hard, and a will to win.   The principle of striving to do one’s best is taught in Scripture.  Paul said, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).  Accept a challenge!
 
     Finally, competition can teach a child not to place his identity in winning or losing.  We should want to win, and it is understandable if a person is disappointed if he loses.  However, we should not wallow in self-pity when we lose; neither should we be puffed up when we win.  Both of these responses place one’s identity in the outcome.  Scripture teaches that our identity, who we are, is to be who we are in Christ.  Paul said about the believers in Colossae, “And ye are complete in Him” (Colossians 2:10).  No greater identity can be attained, because Christ, as God, is the perfections of all divine attributes.  Since believers are in Him, nothing more can be gained, and nothing can be lost.  Children then can learn to win graciously and lose graciously.  The lack of a gracious response gives us an opportunity to deal with wrong thinking about self value.  The competition affords this.  Make Christ your identity!
 
     All in all, the school competition is a very valuable tool we can use to develop our children.  It can help them develop a standard of excellence, a willingness to be pushed, and a gracious attitude, despite the outcome.  As we strive to help our children succeed in the competition, their effort will challenge their classmates as well.  In this way, everybody wins!  But the competition will only be to us, what we are to it.  Let’s use the school competition for iron to sharpen iron.
 
                                                                                          Sincerely,
                                                                                          Pastor Sutton

From the Principal's Desk
Dear Parents,
 
     When it comes to choosing a school for their children, parents have many directions they can go in: regular public schools, charter schools, non-religious private schools, and religious private schools, many of which are Christian schools.  Bethel Christian Academy is a Christian school, distinctively Christian; and this overarching quality carries with it many outstanding benefits for the children and families who attend.  These benefits are unmatched by other schools (of whatever type) in our area.  Consequently, Bethel, I believe, is the school of choice.  The first great benefit of Bethel Christian Academy is that the Bible is taught and preached.  It is confidently and continuously proclaimed in classroom instruction, in one-on-one conversations, in Bible class, and in chapel.  It is also modeled by the teachers up and down the grades.  The fact that the Bible is taught and preached here benefits children in many ways, including their understanding of salvation.
 
     Of all the topics a child can learn, none is more important than salvation.  Salvation from sin, death, and hell, and eternal life with God is the paramount decision a person can make.  To be saved, a person must surrender his will to Jesus Christ; he must repent of his sins and of his sinful way and believe on Jesus Christ alone.  To repent and believe the gospel requires knowledge and understanding of the gospel.  This is where the teaching at BCA comes in.  The Bible teaches that the message of salvation should be taught to children.  Paul said to Timothy, “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 3:15).  At Bethel the knowledge of salvation is taught through Bible stories; through teaching about God, man, and sin; and through regular teaching of the gospel itself.  As children learn the gospel, they can come to the point of choosing to believe so they can be saved.  But it all begins with hearing the Bible taught and preached. 
 
     Children will not hear the gospel in a public school.  They will hear everything but the gospel!  In fact, they will be discouraged from believing in God and the way of God.  Gender identity, sexual orientation, evolution, social justice, global warming, “coexist,” and other anti-God themes are the order of the day in the public school.  (I am for racial equality and being a good steward of the earth, but not the direction of the modern social justice of climate change movements.)  The combination of not hearing the gospel and of hearing an ungodly worldview influences a child toward secularism, which at its root separates God from society.  Secularism prompts a “no-God” mentality, which is rebellious.  Even if children come away still believing that God exists, we should want them actually to follow Jesus Christ, not just say “on paper” that they believe in God.
 
     At non-religious private schools and even at most religious (Christian) schools, either the gospel is not preached, a false gospel is preached, or a watered-down version is taught.  These places are spiritually dangerous.  Psalm 1 teaches that the blessed man is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful.  When the gospel is removed, it is replaced with condemning error.  We should want to protect our children from error and to expose them day by day to the truth.  This happens at Bethel.
 
                                                                                          Sincerely, 
                                                                                          Pastor Sutton

From the Principal's Desk
Dear Parents,
 
     Road trips can be exciting to plan—the thought of going someplace different, seeing new things on the way, maybe doing something fun.  The beginning of the drive has a lot of energy too.  Then, after a couple of hours, from the back seat you hear “Are we almost there?”  The answer is “No, we have a long way to go.”  Parents can ask the same question about raising their children.  After all, we have spent four, five, six, ten years raising our children, but they still haven’t learned their lessons and still do not demonstrate mature behavior or take acceptable responsibility.  Know this: training children takes a lot longer and requires a lot more effort than most people think.  Why does it take so long?  Because children have a lot of natural foolishness, we may be behind schedule, and there are a lot of lessons to learn.  So, “Are we almost there yet?”  “No, we have a long way to go.” 
 
     The Bible teaches in Proverbs 22:15, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”  The Hebrew word translated foolishness has the idea of perverseness.  It speaks of a moral depravity that causes a person to go his own errant way.  Solomon says that this perverseness is bound up in the heart of a child, tied like a knot to the core of his thoughts, will, and emotion.  Foolishness expresses itself in a lot of different ways and at a lot of different times.  It is the nature of children, as it is with all men because we are by nature sinners.  We must be willing to admit that our children are sinners, both by nature and by conduct.  When you implement right training but you still see problems with your child, chalk it up to a sinful nature.  Don’t be discouraged; resolve to keep training them according to Scripture. 
 
     A lot of times parents want the process to be easy and the relationship happy.  But this ideal is unrealistic.  The reality is that child training takes years of consistent practice that requires uprooting deep-seated sin issues and replacing them with biblical traits.  If you are not there yet with your children (and at the K-12 level, none of us are done), keep going.
 
    Sometimes child training takes longer because we started late in a scriptural process.  Generally, major training categories (e.g. simple obedience, character traits, attitude problems) have a crescendo and decrescendo.  For instance, toddlers manifest their wills early on, but they also increase their display of willfulness, the apex being around the 2-3 year-old stage.  If you are consistent at scripturally dealing with their rebellion, they start to show increasingly more obedience the older they get.  The same is true of character issues.  I find that 4th-5th grades seem to be the apex, and children start to come out of their resistance toward the end of the elementary years.  But, you must be consistent and thoroughly deal with their problems when manifested.  That being said, if you start late or if you don’t deal with the problems thoroughly, the issues drag on and the process takes longer.  If you start at four or five years old requiring voice obedience, it will take several years to see the patterns change.  The same is true for other categories as well.  Don’t get discouraged; keep working at it. 
 
     Finally, there are a lot of lessons to learn.  As I referred to above, children need groomed in several categories—obedience, character, attitude, and doctrine.  If one set of traits is looking good, don’t be shocked if another set of problems arise.  This is all part of the process.  So, “Are we almost there yet?”  “No, we have a long way to go.”  Take heart, and keep going.
     
                                                                              Sincerely,
                                                                              Pastor Sutton