Homemaking IS Ministry | Biblical Womanhood and Homemaking Bible Study

As mentioned in a previous study, God cares about homemaking. So today let's talk about some practical ways to minister to your family through being a homemaker. These are just some helpful suggestions, not rules that you have to follow, but are some things that have worked for me. If you are unable to be a full-time homemaker, you can adjust your schedule in a way that works for your family. 

• Read the Bible together regularly and have personal Bible study time too.

Proverbs 22:6 KJV

Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.

2 Timothy 1:5

“When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”

As a homemaker you can make reading the Bible together as a family a regular thing. You can begin and/or end the day with reading the Bible for a certain amount of time (even 10-15 minutes is great!) as well as perhaps any grace devotionals or Bible studies that might help your children of various ages to understand scriptures. The Berean Bible Society has a series of Sunday school lessons that can be used in a homeschool curriculum or for a weekly home church. Bible doctrines to live by has a series of rightly divided bible studies specifically for children on YouTube called "Miss Susan's Bible Buddies".

It's also important that your children see you making your own personal Bible study a priority. You could do this before your children wake up or while they take a nap, or anytime in the day. As your children get older they will see that you have been making God's word a real priority in your life, and they might choose to do the same. Also, we need God's word rightly divided built up in our inner man so that Christ can live in and through us. It should be as important to us as our daily bread. 

As your children get older, encourage them to also have their own personal Bible study time. 

Consider also regularly listening to Christian music and gospel hymns and teaching grace-based hymns to your children. 

• Memorize scriptures together 

Psalms 119:11 - Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

2 Timothy 3:16 - All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Find fun ways to encourage your children to memorize scriptures. Put beautiful images or art with scriptures on their bedroom walls and throughout your home. Have scripture memorizing as part of their homeschool curriculum if you homeschool. 

• Pray together 

Ephesians 6:18

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

Pray together at meals and at other times. When your husband is home, let him lead the prayer. As your children get older, ask them on occasion to lead their younger siblings in a time of prayer. 

• Fellowship with other believers 

1 Thessalonians 5:11 - Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

Find a good grace church, home church or Bible study group that teaches God's word rightly divided. If you don't have a local assembly in your area, make sure to at least fellowship with other believers over the phone, live chat or an online bible study group regularly. Help your children to find friends who are believers if you can.

• Eat meals together 

1 Corinthians 10:31 - Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Proverbs 15:17 - Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

Make it a daily habit to eat meals together as a family when you can. Teach your children how to set the table, say a prayer together, and enjoy a good meal together. It's also a great time to talk with your family.

• Spend time in nature together 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 - He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

Psalms 69:34 - Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.

Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

 

Take your children for nature walks or find other ways to enjoy time in nature. Keep a garden, have some indoor plants, have a pet, etc. Emphasize to them how that the creation is God's beautiful creation. Embrace the changing seasons in a non-legalistic way. 

• Enjoy Christian friendly entertainment, hobbies and activities

 

Isaiah 54:13 - And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

There are plenty of movies and TV shows that are family and Christian friendly, though many of them might be older programs. Some of my favorites include The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, Road to Avonlea, Anne of Green Gables, Wind at My Back, Andy Griffith Show, I Love Lucy, When Calls the Heart, Larkrise to Candleford, Little Men, Christy, Swiss Family Robinson, Black Beauty, and others. You can also encourage your children to get into some sports, music, art, crafts, or other things that they might enjoy. Consider playing board games together regularly as a family like scrabble or other games. Some board games even have biblical themes. Encourage your children also to read Christian friendly and age appropriate literature that teaches good morals. Some of my favorites are the Little House on the Prairie books, Anne of Green Gables series of books, and for teenagers the Jane Austen books, Little Men and Little Women if they are interested. 

Also, if you are interested in Creation Science, the Institute of Creation Science (ICR) has some great family friendly videos all about nature and science from a creationist perspective. The Moody Bible Institute also has great classic children's science and classic family bible study videos freely available on YouTube. For little children, my daughter used to love to watch VeggieTales and the Beginners Bible cartoons. There are also plenty of Christian and family friendly children's audiobooks that they could listen to as well.

It is very difficult in this day and age to safeguard our children from bad messages from our culture, but we can just do our best and teach them God's word. I grew up watching a lot of PBS shows, but PBS is completely different now than it was then and they promote ungodly agendas on some of their programs which is really sad. Even the Hallmark channel now has caved into these ungodly agendas as well. I know that the more that I study God's word rightly divided, the less I want to watch TV or be on social media (in fact, I left social media years ago and only very rarely log into my old accounts). Social Media can sometimes be even worse than watching television! I have become much more "picky" about what I watch, read and listen to as well. I just don't want to fill my mind with violence, curse words, lust, etc. So even as adults we should be more careful ourselves about what kind of entertainment we indulge in. 

Note: **I notice that even watching TV commercials can be awful- you might decide to watch a Christian and family friendly program yet the commercials are anything but family or Christian friendly! The way I work around is it to purchase some favorite shows on DVD to avoid commercials entirely, subscribe to completely commercial free streaming services or fast forward through commercials when possible. The other option is stop watching TV at all. I haven't gotten quite there yet, but I certainly understand people who decide to do that!

But there's also YouTube and social media that can be very worldly, fearful and ungodly too! I subscribed to the commercial free YouTube service because some of the commercials on YouTube are really ungodly and they put them on channels now (even Bible study channels!) that don't even want the commercials nor do they get paid for them.

We just have to do our best to safeguard our own minds and our children's minds as well. 

• Keep a clean and neat house

Titus 2:5 - To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Proverbs 14:1 - Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

Proverbs 31:27 - She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

As a homemaker, one of the most important things that you can do is to keep a clean, neat and organized home. This IS ministering to your family. I'll be talking about this a bit more in another episode. Consider keeping a daily and weekly cleaning schedule. 

• Dress modestly and be feminine 

Deuteronomy 22:5 - The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

1 Timothy 2:9 - In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;

It's very important that our children see us dressing modestly. I'll also be talking about modesty in more detail in another study. It's important to also dress and behave femininely, especially in our modern times when there is a lot of bad messages about genders and some extreme feminist brainwashing. This doesn't have to mean wearing pink and flowers with bows all of the time, but to wear clothes that look appropriate for women. We should also keep ourselves clean and well-groomed, and smelling good (that doesn't have to mean expensive perfume). Good manners and etiquette are also, of course, important.

What about women who are either childless or who's children are grown? Can they still be homemakers?

Yes! First of all, even without children in the house, you are still ministering to your husband by keeping a clean, neat and organized home, cooking his meals and doing his laundry. If you have to work outside of the home, you can still keep a clean, neat and organized house on your days off.

• Helping out with grandchildren, nieces, nephews and/or children in the local assembly. 

It's also an opportunity to help with your grandchildren or your nieces, nephews and/or children in the local assembly if you are able to. You could babysit on occasion or help out when there is a family emergency. You can teach or assist with Sunday school classes or in the church nursery. You can also do kind things for neighbors with children like bake cookies or offer to keep a watchful eye on the neighborhood. 

Proverbs 17:6 - Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

• Helping out in other ways at the local assembly and amongst your neighbors. 

You can do all kinds of volunteer work at the local grace church as well as at other organizations to help those in need if you are able to. Offer to visit the sick and elderly in your church. Be kind, helpful and delightful to your neighbors and other people in your community as well. If you are an elder, and have health issues that make it difficult for you to do certain things, you can always talk with younger family and friends about Jesus and encourage them with the word, as well as pray for others regularly. 

• Ministry to other women- in person and/or online.

The aged (older) women should be ministering also to the younger women. Teach and give advice on housekeeping, child rearing, modest dress, femininity, good manners and etiquette etc. I am finding many younger women who have absolutely no clue about these things. They were not even taught basic things like keeping a cleaning schedule or shopping for groceries on a budget. I've talked to some younger women about these things politely, and it's up to them whether or not to take the advice. You might feel like you are being rude by offering such advice, but it could be really helpful to them even if they are offended at first. 

It's also important that you teach sound grace doctrine to other women and guide them to a grace church or a bible study teacher that they can watch and learn from online if they don't have a local grace church. You can start a blog or YouTube channel or a podcast teaching women sound grace doctrine, homemaking and biblical womanhood. 

You can share the gospel on social media as well. Women really need to encourage one another in the word, especially in this day and age. 

You do NOT have to have it "all together" to teach about marriage, parenting, homemaking and biblical womanhood. In our day and age even the most basic things are being corrupted by Satan so don't feel afraid to speak up, but do so in a polite way. 

What about mothers/wives that are too ill or too disabled to keep house?

You still have value! I was bedridden for two years due to illness, but while I was in recovery and doing physical therapy etc I used my extra time (when I felt well enough) to:

• Read and study scripture 

• Teach others online with my online ministry using just my phone 

• Pray for my family and others regularly 

• Talking with and spending time with my husband and daughter regularly

• Encouraging fellow believing friends with the word through phone calls and texts

• Sending note cards of encouragement to fellow believing friends and family 

As my health started to improve I was able to do light chores and continue to work on gaining my strength and health as I was able to. But if you are not able to keep house at all, know that you are still valuable in God's eyes and just you talking with others about Jesus is a wonderful thing!

2 Corinthians 9:7 - Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

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