We all desire for our children to be disciples of Jesus. His last words in Matthew 28:18-20 command us to make disciples of all nations. Have you ever considered yourself as a parent a disciple-maker? How about a disciple-maker of all nations? And have you considered that Jesus also calls your children to be disciple-makers of all nations?
This probably seems like a daunting task! You may think, “I can hardly get my children out the door for school on time. How can I disciple my children to be disciple-makers? And to all nations? You are crazy!” The beautiful truth is that if Jesus calls us to a task, He also equips us for that task (1 Thessalonians 5:24; 2 Peter 1:3).
Making disciples of our children starts with simple, intentional steps of obedience. We want our children to know and love God, and we desire for them to understand and obey His Word. As a family, spend time together studying the Bible. As you read God’s Word, make God the main character and the hero in every story. Through each passage, guide your children to understand who God is and how He is at work to make Himself known in the world. Let your children see that God blesses His people for greater purposes that include others. This “God-sized” perspective in which you teach the Bible will show your children God’s heart for them and the world.
For example, when we teach children about the story of David and Goliath, it can be easy to make David the main character. We say he was brave, and that God helped him defeat Goliath. What if we made the perspective through which our children view this story God-sized and made God the main character? God is the one who strengthened David to fight Goliath, and don’t miss the purpose of why God did this! 1 Samuel 17:46 says the purpose was so that “the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.” We want children to see that God is at work in the world to make Himself known!
As your family observes God at work in the Bible, introduce them to God’s world and the nations He loves. Disciple-making children can make disciples of all nations, and this starts by giving them a heart for the world God created. As a family, learn about nations and people groups who are different from you. Take time to learn about unreached people groups—those that have little or no access to hearing about the gospel of Jesus. Research an unreached people group and discover what they eat, their clothes, the games their kids like to play, and their religion. As a family, cook a meal from that country and try playing one of their games. Talk about how their religious beliefs differ from Christianity, and pray that Christians would go to tell them about Jesus. Pray for the Bible to be translated into their language. Pray that their people would choose to follow Christ.
Finally, pursue opportunities for your children to make disciples of all nations together as a family. You can involve your children in God’s work in the world, and you don’t even have to leave your home to have a global impact. One way to do that is to pray regularly for the unreached people groups that you research. Another thing you can do is pray for and support missionaries who serve among unreached people groups. Be in communication with those missionaries and pray for specific people they are serving. Are refugees and immigrants living in your country, city, or neighborhood? As a family, you can form a friendship with them and begin loving them in Jesus’ name. Pray for open doors to share the gospel with your neighbors.
Making disciples who make disciples of all nations begins within your family! Pray and ask God to guide you in the steps of obedience He wants your family to take in engaging in God’s Word, His world, and His work. As you obey Jesus’ command together, remember the truths He shared in Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus said He has all authority, and His presence is with us until the end of the age!
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