How parents in Fort Mill can raise Godly kids
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
As parents, God has given us a calling to raise up our children in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:2) For most parents, this calling might seem overwhelming. The task can seem daunting and we feel unprepared. But, we should also see the incredible privilege and calling we have as parents. We have the privilege of passing on the message of God to our kids.
You are also not alone. A good local church can help equip parents and partner with them in discipling children. In addition, it is not your job to save your kids. God is the one who opens every heart to receive the Gospel. You simply are being obedient in passing along these truths and making opportunities for your children to learn about the faith and to grow in it. The rest is up to God. Take comfort in that.
As a local church, our goal is to help equip families in raising up our kids. EVery week, we endeavour to communicate the stories and sow the seeds in every child’s heart. However, that’s only one day of the week. As parents, every day is your opportunity to communicate Bible truths in formal teaching but also in lifestyle. Your kids are watching and learning from you everyday. So, the question is - what are you teaching them?
Where to begin in discipling your kids
When it comes to discipling your kids, you can always begin on your own. However, I would first ask whether you belong to a local church. Why? Well, it’s not because a church does most of the work in discipling kids. Instead, it’s because a local church means you are immersing your family in a community of people who share the same faith and vision for life that you do.
When you belong to a local church, it means you are primarily being discipled. Each week, through biblical teaching, songs, prayers, reciting creeds, and fellowship with other Christians, you are being shaped. When you are shaped, you are better positioned to pass that along to your family.
In addition, it means you immerse yourself in a community of people who are living out the faith in their lives. Their kids talk to your kids - sometimes about Bible stories they are all learning. They hear parents of multiple families gathered around dinner tables talking about life and faith. The faith is a living witness that is shaping your whole family.
Make intentional time for the Bible
When it comes to shaping the faith in your kids' lives, nothing replaces family devotions. This will look different at every age, but it begins with passing along the stories from the Bible. These are the building blocks that you can build upon in years to come. But, when they are young, just focus on helping them become familiar with the stories. There are a number of good Bible story books out there that condense the stories into a form for young listeners. Most of them are also illustrated with pictures to help.
As your kids get older, you can transition to the Bible and begin to ask more questions from your kids. At first, it may be simple questions to make sure they understood the story. Over time, you can begin to ask questions for reflection. You may ask about a story from 1 Samuel, “How do you think David felt when Saul tried to kill him?” Questions like this help our kids reflect more. You can even turn the questions to become more application oriented. With my teens, I prefer to move from observation questions about the story to application questions. The former help us to understand more about the story. The latter help us apply these teachings to our lives.
Here's a short video that explains more on this:
See transcript
Do you know how to teach your kids the Bible? It's easier than you think. No matter what their ages are, you can begin just by helping them understand the stories. So, if they're really young, get a kids Bible story book. These are just condensed versions of the stories. And then you can read them to your children just to produce that familiarity with the building blocks of the stories. As your kids get older, you can teach them and read to them or they can read from the Bible the actual stories themselves. And what you can do with that once you have those stories locked in, they incorporate themselves into all the areas of life. Because see, Moses in Deuteronomy 6 said it's so important to take these truths about God, these stories about God, and and incorporate them into all of life. So that when you're sitting around the table or you're driving in the car, he said walking along the road, but it's the same thing. or you're putting your kids to bed at night that that they're just these conversations that happen in life and you can say, "Well, you know, this is like what Moses dealt with or you know, David went through something similar." And you're able to take these stories and then pull them back. The kids already understand the context and then you're able to constantly have conversations about life and scripture together. And so that would be my quick encouragement would be start with the stories and then you can always build and go from there. And if you're not doing it, you have such a privilege and a calling to do this as a parent. And you can do it. You don't have to be a theologian. You can get started today. So jump in, dive in if you're not doing that.
Here’s my tip as a pastor and parent: don’t get frustrated or discouraged. There will be days when you think your kids aren’t listening. They’ll look all around the room. Your older kids might even seem bored. I remember getting frustrated at times, but what good does that do? It only makes the Bible a drudgery. Find ways to keep your family familiar with the Bible don’t get discouraged when it seems like it’s not working. I was shocked over the years when kids repeated a story days later and I had no clue they were even listening to me.
Make the most of the ordinary parts of life
Sometimes we put all our eggs in one basket. We think the only way to disciple kids is to teach them Bible stories and have an intentional devotional time. That’s only a good place to start. The Bible instructs us to live and talk about the faith all the time. In Deuteronomy 6, it reminds us to talk about the faith when we rise in the morning, when we are walking (or driving), and when we are at the dinner table.
In our home, we keep a Bible verse that we read before we pray before supper. We also keep a list of cards of missionaries and families we know and will rotate praying for these families. Some families will rotate various countries where there are only a few Christians and pray they be reached with the Gospel. Whatever you do, you are displaying hte faith in ordinary but intentional ways in your home. Your kids grow up hearing and seeing the devotion you live with in your home.
Make space for the faith
One final note. Our culture is getting increasingly busy. Sports and all sorts of other activities dominate our lives. These can easily force us to choose between priorities. We have to choose between a sports game or Sunday worship, or between travel ball and family dinner. I’m not here to judge. I’m simply here to caution young parents with some wisdom and older parent once passed along to me (and she was COO of the company). She said, “Keep it simple as long as you can.” My advice is to protect your priorities and your schedule. In the end, years of playing volleyball isn’t half as rich as having kids who love God, actively serve the church, go on mission trips to help those in need, and have their lives shaped by God.
Again, I’m not being critical of those who have taken a different approach. But, I’ve talked to enough people who have regretted the busy schedule of life. It’s not their fault. We can easily get sucked into it and not realize how quickly it’s forcing choices upon our schedules.
Looking to recalibrate your family and get involved in a local church? If you’re in the Fort Mil area, we’d love for you to come visit us. Bring your family and start the journey together.
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