If I were to pick a second word for my year after “create”, it would be the word “discipleship”. Discipleship has long been touted as a missing ingredient in our churches. It is a thing that a church wants to be known for and many churches are struggling to understand what exactly that means. How do we disciple?
In fact, this idea of discipleship is something that I reached out to many men that I respect in the church. The words that kept coming up were “time”, “investment”, “purpose”, and “biblical”. I’ve recently been seeing just how much those words line up with my duties and role as a parent. Being a good parent, a parent that glorifies God, takes time, it is an investment, there is purpose behind it, and I am seeking to live out the Bible for my children.
All of this led me to looking up books on the topic of discipling your kids. The results weren’t that encouraging. You see, we have lots of books on how to disciple in our churches, how to start small groups, and creating a culture of discipleship in our lives, but not many books on the primary relationship we experience. My kids see a lot of me and that is very much on purpose, but how do I lead them to Christ and then lead them down a discipleship path that sees them grow in their walk with God?
I’m reminded of Deuteronomy 6 once again. Verses 1-2 read,
[1] "Now this is the commandment-the statutes and the rules-that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, [2] that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.
A survey of the Old Testament shows us that God is interested in generational transformation. God is giving commands to teach because he was giving them this land. He desired for them to have the fear of the Lord and this was to be passed on from generation to generation. Further into the chapter we read this in Deuteronomy 6:4-9,
[4] "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [5] You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. [6] And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. [7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. [8] You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. [9] You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
We see here the great commandment. God is one. You need to love God with everything. Going deeper though, we are to diligently teach them. Teach who? Teach our kids. I think any Christian parent wants to see their child come to Christ, grow in Christ, and glorify Christ. Getting those results isn’t the job of our churches. They play a part. Choosing a good school can help, but it isn't the end all for this. We drop our kids off at youth group but that’s no guarantee. There is no guarantee for your kids growing up as God-fearing Christians.
There may be no guarantee, but there is a responsibility. I am to bring my kids up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I’ve previously listed ways that we’ve sought to accomplish this parental discipleship in our household. We are pretty early in this process still. We have many battles left to fight and many things left to learn. This is the time though to get things off to a good start. All the car rides and bedtimes and meals together are important because they give us an avenue and a chance to unwind and connect and dig in together and learn together.
Child-like faith is a very real thing. Even at such young ages, my kids know Jesus. They understand Scripture and now is the important time to be teaching them God’s Word and how to live. I want my kids to grow up and know how to adult well. Cooking is important in our house. Learning is crucial for us. Doing chores is needed and has tremendous value. The things that matter most though, or rather the things that need to matter most, are God’s Word and making sure my children can understand it and apply it to their lives. Just like a newborn Christian saved in their 30s, my kids need discipleship and God has given me the chance to be that for them. May I by God’s grace be up to the task.
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