“Come, and let us go up the mountain of the Lord…” Micah 4:2

Verse 1 goes like this:  “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.” 

Vese 2 –   “And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” 

1. We Live in the days the prophet talked about – “last days”

There is no doubt that we are in days of decline, dereliction and destruction.  The decline of our world rivals the days of Noah where “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”. (Gen. 6:5) The general tendency of our world is to live our lives without God. Matt. 24:37 and  Luke 17:26 reveal that life went on as normal as could be. Only those who heeded the call were delivered from the destruction that came.

The warning was delivered, but unheeded. There was a dearth of the knowledge of God’s person, plan and program. Because of this people wandered without purpose except, as Jesus equated that time to the time of Lot; they “did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; (Luke 17:28).

God has raised up Christian Education in these days as a distinct and unique contribution to the fabric of this nation. It stands among the other hills of the educational contributions. But, we have seen what God has done to bring a bright light into this world. While it is easy to become focused on the things of this earthly existence, Christian education has opened a way to focus lives on the eternal, not just education!

1. We Look forward to the time when the “Mountain of the house of the LORD” will come

Notice that this “Mountain of the house of the LORD” – vs 1. It was standing among many other hills. It was to be established. It would be exalted. And by its own excellence, it would draw people to it!

The growth of Christian education in the Philippines has been talked about all around the world.  The ministry with home-schoolers globally is remarkable. The curriculum, while not in lock step with conventional standards, still produces graduates who excel in college entrance examinations. But the most outstanding features of the system are seen in two things:  1. The emphasis on “values”, which we call a biblical world-view, and, 2. The development of study habits which propel the graduates into a life-long learning experience.

We anticipate, with the continued following of the system, an impact across the spectrum of Philippine education. School of Tomorrow ®, Philippines is poised to influence the education need of reading as never before. The Covid pandemic shut-down has left the country with a hole in the fabric of our educational blanket. Out foundation of “Learning to Read”, proceeding to “Reading to Learn” makes it possible for a student to flow from one level into another, and finally into society.  The result is that the learner is able to garner insights into any and all forms of truth, most importantly by the next main point.

1. We Learn because He will “teach us of his ways”.

The most important part of any educational system is the foundation and source of knowledge, understanding and wisdom. If God and His Word are not the foundation of education, then all that will follow will be human sourced and focused. This produces a humanistic view of life that is generally self-focused and narcissistic in its operation.

With the Bible as the central text-book and the application of biblical values throughout the procedures, the child/student is brought step by step into the ways of the Lord.  The focus on church-schools who work with parents is the most attractive way of fulfilling the pattern of the early church. “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” Acts 5:42  

Our maturing over the past 45 years gives us insights in the training and development of educators who are confident of our products; families with a focus on things above, where HE adds all the “other things” in their time and purpose. (Matt. 6:33)

Let us go on and climb the Mountain of Maturity!

Rev. Delbert Hooge,

Executive Director – SOTP