Leaving a Legacy That Begins With God
Discipleship Begins With The Truth of Who God Is
God gives to fallible parents this little boy or girl, who will certainly prove to be far from perfect, to love and train and teach, to bring up, in the “nurture and admonition,” the training and instruction, of the Lord. It’s a serious assignment. There is no higher calling.
-Elizabeth Elliott
In the last post, I shared a poll asking, “Who will have or has had the greatest influence on your child’s spiritual formation?”
100% of responses pointed to Mom and Dad.
Yet recent research from Barna revealed an sad reality that faces our culture today
“Less that 10% of parents have a plan for the spiritual development of their children.”
One of the opening statements from my Masters research project that I completed in the spring stated that:
Sound reason and evidence clearly show that the breakdown of parental discipleship has hindered the development of a child’s biblically centered ethical framework.
This topic was a central focus of the thesis of my paper, and the findings have had an all-consuming effect on my mind and my life as a whole. This knowledge pushed me to reflect on myself as a Christian, a mom, and a disciple of Christ which has left me:
Motivated by the Truths of Scripture that remain constant through any and all cultural changes.
Convicted and challenged by the manner and level of importance I have placed on my role as a mom.
Encouraged by other parents sharing the blessings they have experienced through teaching and discipling their children.
Devastated by the statistical direction of current trends among evangelical parents.
Saddened for the many children who have been fed the lies of cultural norms, and have been told to accept them at home from their Christian parents
And gratefully humbled by God who is the source of my faith and the foundation of all I am and all I do.
The Foundation of Faith
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” — Deuteronomy 6:4
This verse is a part of the six verses found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 that were known as the Shema to the Jewish people. They were central to a comprehensive understanding of their worldview. Moses begins the Shema with the words, “Hear, O Israel”.
This wasn’t just a casual call for Israel to listen or pay attention. Shema in the Hebrew language means “listen, hear”. Moses was corporately addressing the community of God as a whole with a message that was significantly crucial to the covenantal relationship between God and Israel.
It’s important to recall the previous events that led up to this moment when Moses was delivering God’s Greatest Commandment to the people.
God gave Moses the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. These instructions were written by the very finger of God on stone tablets and placed in the ark of the covenant as His instructions for Israel. Years laters as the new generation of Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land, Moses repeated these commandments and then gave God’s Greatest Commandment in Deuteronomy 6.
God revealed His perfect nature and character in the words: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. And I imagine on that day, Moses’ voice spoke with clarity and authority. His message came from God and was filled with purpose. You see, the crowd listening was preparing to live life in the land that God had promised to them. They had wandered in the desert with less that 100% faith and trust in God. But now they nearing the Promised Land where God would faithfully deliver on His promises.
With this sermon, Moses is speaking the Truth that is intended to be the foundational establishment of their faith and all they would live their lives on. And even though Moses knew they would have already heard these words and teachings many times before, he also knew that the core of all they believed and totality of their faith in God had to start here – with the knowledge, belief and trust in “The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)
Moses didn’t begin by giving them a to-do list, put them to work, give them a test, or work to convince them of the Truth through the use creative methods or fancy words. He told them that the beginning and all encompassing element of their faith must begin with and be built upon the knowledge and belief in God as their Lord and the One and only True God. That same Truth given by Moses is still given to us to hold fast to as foundational to all that we know, trust and believe.
The Foundation of Parental Discipleship
God has clearly commanded that the highest priority of parenting is helping children know, follow, and trust him. The foundation of understanding family discipleship must be what God himself has to say about it.
-Matt Chandler
Research shows that the beliefs and behaviors of children are most often a reflection of what they have witnessed by their parents. As parents we are given the responsibility of modeling to our kiddos what a relationship with God looks like. And to do this effectively as parents we must begin with our own right view of God.
In all transparency, my research forced me to go back to the basics in my own personal walk. The world offers endless Christian books, programs, and resources — so many of which I consistently read, enjoy and learn from. But on the path to gain wisdom from the influx of books written by incredibly trustworthy authors, we must always remember that true life-giving wisdom comes from God alone.
Max Anders, in one of his New Testament Commentaries, says it well:
“You cannot impart what you do not possess. Do not expect that your children will have a devotion to God unless you do. Do not expect that your children will walk with God unless you do. Do not expect Christ to make a difference in your children’s lives unless He is making a difference in yours.”
Please don’t hear me say that to disciple your children you must have it all figured out, know all the answers, have a “never to be interrupted” daily schedule for prayer, bible reading, fasting, scripture memory, prayer, etc. While I do believe in the implementation of intentional spiritual disciplines, God doesn’t call us to perfection —He calls us to believe and fully Trust who He reveals Himself to be in His Word.
As parents, God has given us responsibility to teach our children about God and how they should live in light of that. But how those Truths are taught and lived out by faith is a daily ongoing process not by perfected and flawless methods but with dedicated, committed hearts.
What does discipleship look like in your home?
What did in look like the home you grew up in?
In the post next week, we’ll talk about some of the challenges parents face in the discipleship journey and the pressure we often place on ourselves to be perfect parents and child pleasers. Included will also be pathways for strategic, intentional and practical methods of discipleship.
Joyfully HIS
Jennifer N. Pearson
If you missed any of the previous post in the series you check them out below:
Leaving a Legacy: What Does It Mean to Be a Disciple?
Leaving a Legacy Begins at Home
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I'm grateful that, when I was growing up, my father would gather us and read from a children's devotional book each night. I wish I still had that book! While we may not have wanted to stop playing or sit still to listen, now I treasure that time and am so grateful for my father's intentionality! Today, I gather my children for nightly prayer. We are currently reading through the book, Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. (My children are older.) I hope they will continue the tradition in their own families. Jennifer, thank you for reminding us of this necessity and responsibility!